INKUBUS SUKKUBUS о Хэллоуине-Самайне, фильмах ужасов и пэган-сцене

М. С. Парфенов 23 октября 2017 г.

First of all, let me thank you for your songs. I love your sound, and your songs like Wikka Woman and Forest Hill often sound in my headphones. Welcome to Russia!

Tony: Thank you very much, we are glad that you like what we are doing.

Candia: Thank you!

You are third time in Russia and second in Moscow. What emotions do you experience in our country?

Candia: Our first visit to Russia was to St Petersburg, and we were immediately bowled over by the country: the culture, the astonishing architecture, and the warmth of the people. This will be our second time in Moscow – we were there two years ago, and were fortunate enough to not only enjoy the gig and meet with the audience, but were also able to visit some of the sights, such as Red Square and the stunning underground ‘palaces’ of the Metro. Incredible!

Tony: We are very excited to be back on Russia, Russia is quite different to most places we visit, there are lots of interesting sights to see and it is good the see the places which in Britain are well known, but most British people never actually get to visit.

Your concert in Russia will be held on October 28. In our country, Halloween has not yet become an important part of popular culture, as in Europe or the United States. Please tell us how you feel about Halloween; what is the meaning of Halloween for you.

Tony: Halloween is very much a modern interpretation of an ancient festival called Samhain, which has to some extent always been part of British culture; Samhain is more about the spirits of your ancestors returning, than anything to do with popular horror themes. However Halloween is a good opportunity for people to have a good time and embrace the darkness.

Candia: Yes, as Tony says this time of year is very much about connecting with our ancestors at the time of Samhain, when the ‘veil’ is thin. It’s similar in some respects to other cultures, such as in Mexico and their Dia de los Muertos, where they also welcome deceased loved ones to return. It’s celebratory rather than mawkish. As horror lovers, though, we do enjoy the spooky dressing-up side of the modern-day celebrations!

You were called "the first British pagan rock band." How do you assess the current state of pagan scene?

Tony: The Pagan scene in Britain and the USA grew rapidly from about 1995 until 2005, since then it has dropped off a little, the Pagan music scene has changed as well, it is now more Folk/World music orientated; we think that this just a temporary change though and that soon the wheel of fate will turn and it shall be back to Rock again.

Candia: In the near-30 years Inkubus Sukkubus has been around, we have seen many changes. The positive aspect is that there are many more diverse communities that allow people to make connections – and of course social media has helped hugely with this. The negative side is that this has often resulted in a lot of back-biting and fighting within the ‘scene’, which is sad.

I know that you love horror, and are really in love with old horror movies. As we are! What topics, sub-genres of horror to you are most interesting and why?

Candia: I adore horror! In fact, when Tony and I first met in the late ’80s, it was our shared interest in horror that drew us to each other – that, and of course our interest in the occult and witchcraft… and dislike of organised religion. I’ve always had a fascination with post-apocalyptic tropes; from watching BBC TV drama in the 1970s, ‘The Survivors’, to present-day series such as ‘The Walking Dead’, and Keith C Blackmore’s ‘Mountain Man’ books. At home, we still enjoy watching the old Hammer movies, like ‘Dracula Has Risen From the Grave’ and ‘Twins of Evil’. One of my favourite old movies, though, is the 1964 black-and-white movie starring Vincent Price, ‘The Last Man on Earth’. More post-apocalyptic fun.

Tony: Most of my favorite films tend to be older ones I grew up on the Hammer and Universal classics; I think that what I really like about the old Universal films is strange as it may seem the melodramatic overacting and the dramatic music. The Hammer films are similar but in colour, they have the same larger than life sense of drama. As well as the older films I quite like apocalyptic films, in particular zombie and plague films. I am very much into The Walking Dead. Despite being into the Hammer and Universal films, I have not really gotten into the more recent vampire films such as the Underworld series, Twilight and Blade, which seem to be all a bit style over substance.

Did you know that one of the first translations of Dracula was a translation into Russian? Many great Russian poets and writers have admired this book. For you, Dracula is a villain or a tragic hero?

Tony: I had heard that Dracula was translated into Russian quite early on, and that most of the historical texts referring to the actual historical Dracula were originally in Russian. I think that Dracula is both villain and tragic hero; he is like an animal acting on instinct. He is beyond good and evil. He has many negative traits, he is cruel, selfish, and essentially a bad person, but it is his nature. I think that Dracula represents the dual nature in us all.

Vampirism, witchcraft, demonism - you sing a lot about it. These things are associated with eroticism, sexuality. It seems to me that sexuality is peculiar to pagan culture and horror, but what do you think about it?

Candia: I wouldn’t say it’s peculiar to paganism; it’s just that pagans tend to be more open to expressing all aspects of humanity and nature – from higher spirituality to the more base instincts. It’s one of the healthier aspects of paganism, I’d say.

Tony: I think that pagan beliefs tend to be more open and to embrace all aspects of the human condition so maybe pagan culture is more open to sexuality, as with horror I think that in the past horror was used as a metaphor for sexuality. Bram Stoker’s Dracula came out of a sexually repressed; its success to some extent was its underlying erotic themes.

In Russia, a strong love of paganism, ancient beliefs and cults are of interest to many Russians. Have you ever encountered real magic and the supernatural? Was this experience pleasant for you?

Candia: Yes, we firmly believe that magic is a real thing and around us at all times. As witches, you attempt to tap into these unseen energies, to find your own place among the forces and other forms of life, and gently shape them for positive effect. It should never be an arrogant thing, though; we are all just small players in the universe and must learn to bend with the greater forces. Using spellcraft, we have seen real changes being made and, on the whole, it’s a positive and humbling experience.

Tony: We have come into contact with the supernatural several times, and we live in a house which is notoriously haunted. I would not say the experience was pleasant, more fascinating.

Are you interested in mystical places? In Russia, many such, many legends and myths associated with different people and places. Would you like to go there?

Tony: Yes, we love going to mystical places.

Candia: We always love to have the opportunity to visit the world’s sacred and mystical places so, given the opportunity, we’d jump at it!

Many thanks for the answers!

Tony: Thank you for your questions.

Candia: Thanks – it’s been fun answering them. Hope to see you in Moscow!

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