Last Stop Melbourne Town

Photo by Ali McCann.

You know how occasionally someone comes along, shakes shit up and makes you realise what it is like to be living after the fall of communism? Alex Viviano is that kind of person. Artist, song writer and selector, he is creating pretty messes across Melbourne town to offend the senses. His hygiene is his art. I found him teabagging downtown at a half-empty Bar Misty mid-week. He intrigued me, as he shook his three-bags-full to the bashment whilst sniffing amyl. I cornered him at a themed house party to get down-low on his style and substance. VICE: You’ve lived in Wodonga and Auckland, so what made you come to Melbourne?
Alex: I was actually born in Melbourne, but moved to Wodonga with my family. There are way more beats down here. I was looking at a painting of yours and I have a suspicion that you are obsessed with junk food or indeed anything excessive, judging from the subject matter.
Yeah, I am obsessed with food. Mainly the way it looks and obsessive eating and obsessively eating to entertain. I don’t really know how much I actually consume myself though. My main diet at the moment is like pork crackling and KFC. I swear I thought I’d gone off chicken ever since my bout of fried chicken food poisoning. I just started again recently. Eating only the skin though. I like the idea of over eating. A while ago I became interested in putting on a large amount of weight. I think I went from 49kg to 77kg over a span of about 5 months. I used that weight powder. You know like the stuff they sell in the gym? You really have suffered for your convictions. Do you find people are open to excessiveness in Melbourne, as opposed to Wodonga?
People in Melbourne are much like Wodonga except they dress better and have better haircuts. I heard your song the other day—“bossybottom.” What is it all about?
I like the notion of being the servicer, forever pluggin’ the bossy bottom. My lyrics are all about poppers, food, and straight boys. Oh, and vomiting straight boys. TIMOTHY MOORE
His vomiting fits are violent but so is the lyrical bite as doppelganger Viviano. He’s here to save you straights. Check him nightly in M-town.