Florian Kirner, alias Prinz Chaos II - Be as different as you possibly can! E-Book

Heinz Michael Vilsmeier (EN)

• Herausgeber: epubli
• Kategorie: Geisteswissenschaft
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 81

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2024

Beschreibung

From May 31, 2012, to June 3, 2012, the Paradise Bird Festival took place at the small castle Weitersroda, near the county town of Hildburghausen. Today, this singer-songwriter gathering is a fixed institution in southern Thuringia. However, this wasn't always the case: From 2008 to 2012, local Nazis attempted to prevent this event. The brown wolves didn't limit themselves to verbal attacks on social media but, as in previous years, they took action again – setting fire to a participating musician's car in the castle courtyard. Subsequently, singer-songwriter Konstantin Wecker called for solidarity with the organizers of the Paradise Bird Festival. Heinz Michael Vilsmeier heeded Konstantin Wecker's appeal and went to Weitersroda to join the Paradise Birds, where he conducted the following interview with Florian Kirner, also known as Prince Chaos II.

Leseprobe

Heinz Michael Vilsmeier

in conversation with

Florian Kirner

Be as different as you possibly can!

E-Book

Imprint

HAMCHA art integration

Heinz Michael Vilsmeier

Spiegelbrunn 11

D-84130 Dingolfing

First English-language edition as an e-book:

© Copyright by Heinz Michael Vilsmeier, 2024

First German-language publication:

© Copyright by Heinz Michael Vilsmeier, 2012

Print: epubli – a service of neopubli GmbH, Berlin

Some photos come from Florian Kirner's photo archive and were kindly provided by him.

https://interview-online.blog

[email protected]

A Conversation About Wolves in May

From May 31, 2012, to June 3, 2012, the Paradiesvogelfest took place at the small castle of Weitersroda, near the county town of Hildburghausen, Southern Thuringia. Today, this singer-songwriter gathering is a well-established institution in southern Thuringia. However, it was not always so: from 2008 to 2012, local Nazis attempted to prevent this event.

The "brown wolves" did not limit themselves to verbal attacks on social media, but also, as in previous years, took physical action – they set fire to the car of a participating musician in the castle courtyard. In response, the singer-songwriter Konstantin Wecker called for solidarity with the organizers of the Paradiesvogelfest: "I have mentioned here and elsewhere my friend and fellow singer-songwriter Prince Chaos II quite often. As you know, he runs an alternative living and cultural project at his castle in Southern Thuringia. After surviving a Nazi attack in 2008, I was there for a solidarity concert and have followed the growth and development of this project with great interest and warmest sympathy. And indeed, much is growing and flourishing. Unfortunately, some residents of Weitersroda and the surrounding villages simply cannot come to terms with the fact that the Prince is gay, which he expresses in a confident and, I believe, very beautiful manner of living and loving. Anyway, after the event [...] there was an arson attack on a car in the castle courtyard. At the same time, various internet sites in horrific Nazi language were mobilizing for a real assault on the Paradiesvogelfest. ... we must not let this festival be destroyed. This time, the much-criticized Thuringian police seem to be responding well and decisively. But I also warmly invite you: If you find the time, combine solidarity with a committed artist and a wonderful project with the enjoyment of a fantastic festival. Travel to Weitersroda! The Prince and his castle crew need support."

Figure 1 Konstantin Wecker and Prince Chaos II at the Vereinsheim, Munich

What Konstantin Wecker referred to as "horrific Nazi language" is evident from various Facebook posts: “invite everyone you know, it's finally time to say paradise birds you don't belong in this country”, “paradise bird shooting", "yo the first fest I know where there are no overpriced shooting galleries yeehaaa", "arriba adale adale", "headshots only headshots", "Spelling only Spelling", "nah not Spelling only homos", "really give it to the fags etc. etc. - posts every minute.

Figure 2 Right-wing Hate Against the 'Paradiesvogelfest in Weitersroda 2012

Some of the writers on Facebook appeared under their real names and are known in Thuringia as activists of the far-right. The person who talked about "headshots" is said to have served as a soldier of the Bundeswehr on a foreign deployment. According to information available after 2012, the responsible public prosecutor's office initiated investigations, and the police took the events very seriously, preparing for all eventualities, it was reported.

I followed the appeal of Konstantin Wecker, which made me aware of the hate, and traveled to Weitersroda to the Paradiesvögel (Paradise Birds), where the following interview with Florian Kirner, alias Prince Chaos II, took place.

We are many different people in every situation, in every phase of life.

HMV: Prince Chaos the Second, or is Prince Chaos enough?

Prince Chaos II: Prince alone is generally enough. "We're not so particular." – Or I could offer Your Craziness – or Your Provocativeness, that would all be possible.

HM and: There are a few other titles you carry around with you. – I believe you use them sometimes on Facebook...

Prince Chaos II: Yes – but these are less titles than they are other identities I engage with. And there's Donna San Floriante, for one, which is a journalistic identity of mine and secondly, actually my drag identity. So Donna San is also a female identity of mine. – Then there's also Commander Shree Stardust, who is sort of my military division. So that is... he works... he practically has an agency for Civil War Consulting. And he writes strategic, tactical analyses for demonstrations, e.g., for anti-Nazi rallies around Dresden.

Figure 3 Florian Kirner's Diverse Identities on a Grand Journey

Yes, and then there’s – the Prince. It all happened to me toward the end of the 90s, around the year 2000, when I found myself in a pretty nasty personal crisis and I also felt like I had become such a damn asshole that, with my civilian name, I really felt like I couldn't face people anymore. At the same time, the artist in me, which had been suppressed until then, broke out and literally exploded these characters into existence. – There were a few that then just arranged themselves that way. – But I'm not schizophrenic or multiphrenic in the sense that I would flip into these identities without noticing it myself, but it has more to do with me like Tucholsky, who worked with a lot of energy. But they are very separate and very different.

HMV: The internet is a world where many people live different identities that they discover in themselves. The internet seems tailor-made for that. – What role does the internet play for you in trying to realize different identities?

Prince Chaos II: Fundamentally, the worlds of the internet obviously play a big role. You can bring these characters to life there by developing a story for them, by developing a language for them, and truly forming a character. I think that the internet actually has great potential for liberation because it allows you to try out yourself, to experiment with yourself.

I've studied, among other things, Japanese culture. And things are regulated differently in Asia; the notion of subjectivity isn't that you always have to be who you really are. That's such a classical expression: to be who you really are – and that's then the epitome of "being oneself." In reality, that's complete nonsense because we are not always the same! We are many different people in every situation, in every phase of life. And there you have the possibility to stick very compulsively to one form, which I might want to do, if I could. But I come from a family of actors, so experimenting with various roles has always been very close to me. And it has to be said, this is not just an internet strategy for me. So it's not like many people do, where I lead a perfectly normal life only to let loose on the internet where nobody notices. For me, it's more that I truly become these characters, not just online, but also offline in life.

Figure 4 Prince Chaos II: "... we are not always the same!"

HMV: So not just on stage, but also in life. – For you, is there no separation between the identities you like to embody, those you embody on stage and the identities in real life?

Prince Chaos II: Well, I don't just embody them, I am them.

HMV: You are them...

Prince Chaos II: ...so – for example, I really don't like what often comes from journalists, the question, should we or can we use your real name? – This formulation of the real name or pseudonym doesn’t really capture what's going on with me. It's not just playfulness or...

[Interruption – a woman from the village brings a cake]

Prince Chaos II: ...that's nice, that's very kind...

Woman: ...Yes, it’s a mandarin cake and a crumble cake. I wish you a good appetite!

Prince Chaos II: It might be worth mentioning. – Just hearing and not seeing, a lady from the area just brought over a tray of cakes as a small gesture of solidarity.

HMV: Speaking of a gesture of solidarity – but let's go back to our discussion.

Figure 5 Prince Chaos II with Court Jester Florian Söllner

Prince Chaos II: Yes, that's what I actually wanted to tell you, it's not just a staging strategy for me, although I'm PR-savvy enough that it certainly is that too. But look, for example, Florian Söllner, who just arrived, he has ... He has grabbed the position of the court jester here. – I call on everyone not only to take me seriously in this, in these explosions of lower, of different beings, but to do it themselves too. And I say, folks if you want to be the Pope, I mean, I could have done that, could have become the Pope too. – I just didn't do it because this Latin text, despite the Latin I of course have, deterred me. – And of course, the costumes are very nice, the ones they have. ... I generally say that everyone has the ability to shape themselves, has the opportunity to bring into life what they would like to be, what they dream of. And the only thing that usually holds us back is the fear of how one will be looked at – and then they think you're crazy, all that fuss ...

And you see it during Carnival, then suddenly they do it! – Well, Carnival is pretty much the only time I don't do it, because I don't need to, I do it the other 361 days of the year.

The feeling of power turns one into an asshole.

HMV: Prince Chaos, earlier you mentioned that around the end of the 90s you discovered that you had become somewhat of an asshole…

Prince Chaos II: …mhm…

HMV: …and that you didn’t want that. It was a turning point for you or a realization that then led you to change, …

Prince Chaos II: Yes!

HMV: Can you describe that in more detail?