There's a reason why the naked guy is called God by his fans -- and it's not just because it's short for Godfried-Willem Raes. A composer/performance artist/instrument inventor for over forty years, he is deity-like in the world of experimental music. God has invented over 70 instruments that make sound using things like fire, wind, rain, light, microwave radar and human movement. He's even got one operated by brainwaves. God has attained a cult following as the leader of the Logos Foundation, a centre for breaking boundaries and blowing minds based in Belgium. When he's not playing his pyro-electric transducers or testing his acceleration-sensing devices, God is a life-long vegan who enjoys pipe-smoking and dancing the tango. We tried to meet up with God but he was busy, so we talked to fellow experimental musician and long-time partner/muse Moniek Darge.VICE: What the hell are you doing?
Moniek: With these performances we aim to propagate experimental music and art in general, and stimulate people to be creative themselves by giving them one possible example. Thus you can see it as a kind of model anticipation. We believe in a society in which people are creative each in her/his individual way.Why do you have to be naked?
Nowadays we perform naked because the transducers used (both sonar and radar), only work properly in reflecting the emitted beams on the naked skin. The machines too are naked and we don't hide technology. We used to perform naked in the past because to us it's also a statement. We're born naked and we don't have anything to hide or be ashamed about, thus…Don't you feel self-conscious?
Of course we feel self-conscious, because we're always reflecting and thinking about what we're doing. But I guess you mean something different with this question.Do you have lots of fans?
We do have a small but international spread group of people following what we're doing with lots of interest. There is actually even a film society in the U.S. making a film about all our activities since the beginning of Logos in 1968.What are your favourite pop music bands?
Sonic Youth could be one, but we don't really have favourite pop music bands, more historical examples like dadaists, futurists and fluxus.Fluxus?
Yes.DOM TUNON
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Moniek: With these performances we aim to propagate experimental music and art in general, and stimulate people to be creative themselves by giving them one possible example. Thus you can see it as a kind of model anticipation. We believe in a society in which people are creative each in her/his individual way.Why do you have to be naked?
Nowadays we perform naked because the transducers used (both sonar and radar), only work properly in reflecting the emitted beams on the naked skin. The machines too are naked and we don't hide technology. We used to perform naked in the past because to us it's also a statement. We're born naked and we don't have anything to hide or be ashamed about, thus…Don't you feel self-conscious?
Of course we feel self-conscious, because we're always reflecting and thinking about what we're doing. But I guess you mean something different with this question.Do you have lots of fans?
We do have a small but international spread group of people following what we're doing with lots of interest. There is actually even a film society in the U.S. making a film about all our activities since the beginning of Logos in 1968.What are your favourite pop music bands?
Sonic Youth could be one, but we don't really have favourite pop music bands, more historical examples like dadaists, futurists and fluxus.Fluxus?
Yes.DOM TUNON