01 Jan. 2015
We once again had the pleasure and the opportunity to interview the progressive rock artist and poet Amadeus Awad, and to our surprise, he agreed to tackle subjects that are normally considered a “no”.
Lady Obscure Music Magazine: Thank you for having us in your studio Amadeus for an out-of-the-box interview and for allowing us into your personal space.
Amadeus: Thank you for visiting, I try my best to stay as away from human contact as possible, and I already destroyed the box and left it behind years ago.
LOMM: Tell me more about this human contact issue.
Amadeus: It’s complicated; my view about this is very personal.
People tend to pollute everything with their own vibes, my sky is already clouded enough, why add to it? I do not like to pick up random vibes, be it negative or positive.
I decide which field of energy I expose myself to, and I would love to keep it this way.
LOMM: Does this have any effect on your writing process?
Amadeus: A lot, if I am exposed to people I lose my focus, I cannot write about a certain subject or person while being forced to be in contact with other people, I transform into the characters I write about, and given the characters I write about, I do not think it would be pleasant for either myself or others to actually meet me.
LOMM: So you turn into the characters you write about.
Amadeus: How can the text/music be credible if it is not about the writer? I might come up with an imaginary situation and imaginary people, but the events are all true, and even if there is a certain unusual twist happening I’d have a clear explanation of it.
LOMM: Will you ever explain the songs one by one to your audience? I am sure a lot of people would like to know.
Amadeus: There is a reality that is hidden in every metaphor, but I am not going to get into an in-depth analysis of the song; the beauty of art is hidden between its many psychological layers; explore me as you go.
LOMM: Can you give us an insight about your connection with the number 13? We started to see that other people in your surroundings are attached to it as well, what is the story here?
Amadeus: You will have to wait until I find the right way to share this; it might be a poem, a book or even an album.
As for people connecting to the number, I would like to quote something from my friend and partner Elia Monsef : “You should not be with people whose greatest ambition in life is to be you”.
LOMM: I know it must be a source of pride for you to be called The Arjen Lucassen of the Middle East, what do you think about this?
Amadeus: Certainly a course of pride, I think it is due to the fact that Arjen and I speak the same musical language, and I cannot hide that he had/has a great influence on me, but we both agree that our work is not similar in its essence; Anyhow, given the amount of resources Arjen has and that he can use to make his work comes to life, I think it is a huge thing for me to be compared to him.
My little dark room and his electric castle are both hubs for great artistic journeys.
LOMM: Why is death such a recurring theme in your lyrics and poetry?
Amadeus: There’s nothing more poetic and romantic than death and its fascinating surroundings; death is the unifying energy of the universe, it represents equality and uniformity.
Death is beautiful.
LOMM: You prefer death over life then?
Amadeus: One cannot be without the other, I love endings.
I never had a happy ending to anything so far, so why not have a happy ending to my life?
LOMM: Is death a happy ending?
Amadeus: Yes it is, you go back to your origins, to being matter.
When you die you will have no ego, no pain and no future, you will be just a bunch of molecules minding their own business. I love molecules.
LOMM: What is love then?
Amadeus: A momentary lapse of reason that lasts a lifetime.
LOMM: A lifetime? So only one love?
Amadeus: Of course, only once!
You fall into a pit, and you get used to falling, every time you see a new pit you throw yourself there just to mimic the first fall, the first pulse and the first chemical explosion.
You live an illusion that it is a new love, but it is just a carbon copy of the first fall.
LOMM: When did that fall occur?
Amadeus: It “did” not! I am still falling, once I reach the bottom I will let the world know.
LOMM: Love doesn’t seem to occupy much of your songs, I can only see it manifesting into your poetry.
Amadeus: I was forced into being a poet recently, and yes it happened by force, like all the tragedies in the world.
I used to write before, like all the men who think they are still kids, big babies, but in past few months I started living the tragedy of being a poet because of catastrophic mishaps that changed the way I interact with my inner demons.
Hence why the love theme wasn’t a part of my color palette before I guess; I suppose I was never struck by the lightning enough to be burned into a lover back then and expose my flesh this way.
Tragedy I tell you.
LOMM: Everything is cloaked in darkness!
Amadeus: Not only darkness, there are mystical clouds of beautiful overtones everywhere in my life; you cannot connect to your human experience if you expose everything to the light, you need to close the curtains, turn off the light, drink a bottle of wine and then open your eyes to the great secrets in the universe.
LOMM: I was waiting for the moment you mention the existence of a woman in there.
Amadeus: I did, she is the universe I mentioned at the end.
You see, art in general is a sexual intercourse with the universe, you flirt with the elements, with the energies and you explore the curvature of space/time caused by the tone of her skin until everything explodes into darkness and art is born.
Of course in your case that would be a man, but I cannot imagine anything poetic about a man, I wonder how poetesses can write about such hideous creatures.
LOMM: I guess your answers can really give the reader an insight about how intense the process of creation is from your perspective.
Amadeus: Isn’t it tragic? I do not die a little every time, I completely pass away for a moment, and then while coming back to life I hear few words and some music; if I am lucky enough I’d remember what was storming in my mind when I am fully awake.
It is like waking up after drinking a river, your head would be spinning and you turn the movement of the elements around you into a surrealistic painting. Such an illusion of grandeur a woman can give you!
LOMM: So it all goes down to a woman.
Amadeus: Up I’d say, it all goes up to a woman. One woman, one fall, one universe… One goddess I suppose? I am an atheist but it naturally leads there!
See? A woman can even turn religion into poetry.
LOMM: On that note, and since this interview is a personal one, I would love to ask you few fast questions to test your wittiness, see if I can corner you into letting a secret out.
Amadeus: And I thought I’d already given so much more than I should!
LOMM: Well, let’s start then. Do you believe in the Ten Commandments?
Amadeus: Does Moses believe in them? Making people feel guilty about every breath they take is such an evil way to control them.
LOMM: Do you believe in Fate?
Amadeus: Not at all, nor do I believe in accepting the circumstances of life that people disguise as Destiny.
LOMM: I heard that you ran away from home once when you were a child..
Amadeus: Yes I did, too bad for my parents I went back the same day.
LOMM: Do you believe in Miracles?
Amadeus: I am a living one.
LOMM: Is there life on other planets?
Amadeus: There is art on other planets.
LOMM: What is your biggest ambition in life?
Amadeus: To become Pope.
LOMM: What advice would you give someone who wants to become an artist?
Amadeus: Seek medical help.
LOMM: Hahaha… Very well then, what do we expect from Amadeus Awad in 2015?
Amadeus: Chaos.
LOMM: Thank you Amadeus for this interview, it is always a great pleasure for us.
Amadeus: This is a very unusual interview and I really enjoyed answering your questions, I am tired of answering about the same subjects over and over.
See you soon.
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