Vlad Quigley: Gothic Baroque Art Nouveau Pop Art

Never Mind the Baroque

An interview with celebrated London gothic artist Vlad Quigley discussing the bawdy 17th Century "Varney the Vampyre: Restoration Punk" graphic novel, which will be serialised online monthly starting 1 December 2005 and stars stunning Hollywood adult actress Jessica Jaymes.

Questions by American novelist Renee Downey.

Renee Downey: Varney's debut is set for 2006, how will it be released?

Vlad Quigley: "Varney the Vampyre: Restoration Punk" will begin as a 13 chapter blood-drenched Brit-Vamp serialisation on my website http://www.vladquigley.com (adults only)... for free & in colour beginning 1 December 2005 and promising 99 orgasms and a funeral! (Please be aware that "Varney the Vampyre: Restoration Punk" is adult artistic erotica so it is not work friendly nor suitable for the young.) When the serialisation is completed it will be collected into a graphic novel edition. Plus there is some very stylish official merchandising that Jessica Jaymes & I are doing: http://www.cafeshops.com/vladquigley Please check it out as it's great for vampiric Christmas ideas!

Renee Downey: You've said Varney is somewhat based on the Earl of Rochester, where did you get the idea to turn an Earl into a Vampire?

Vlad Quigley: Sir Francis Varney (the Vampyre) comes from the long line of English aristocratic libertine rakes... of which John Wilmot (the Earl of Rochester) belongs to the right Restoration time period and is easily the kinkiest example haha! Rochester is so much fun - his writings are so outrageously full of filthy jokes, mirroring his debauched exploits! Some of Rochester's writings were so risqué they weren't published in his lifetime! Other 17th Century bawdy writers who Varney the Vampyre owes much to are Aphra Behn and New Ward. A spy for the King, Aphra Behn was England's most talented playwright (& the first professional female writer) who wrote openly and hilariously about sexuality. Ned Ward was a London publican who serialised his daring observations of the city's naughtier goings-on, particularly his "The London Spy".

Renee Downey: So for those of us who don't have a clue, what is the "Restoration Period"?

Vlad Quigley: At the end of the English Civil Wars, the king (Charles I) was executed and England briefly became a republic (The Commonwealth). In 1660, Charles I's son, Charles II, returned from exile and the monarchy was "restored". The Restoration was a great time of non-stop partying & sexual freedom following many years of grief and hardship... and no-one partied harder than His Majesty, bedding every wench that caught his eye! The joyous mood of bed-hopping exuberance exploded enthusiastically into the fields of science, fashion and theatre... much of which has never been bettered! I'd live in the 17th Century if I could!

Renee Downey: What is "Restoration Punk", what on earth led you to such an interest in the 17th Century and, moreso, what gave you the idea to turn it punk?

Vlad Quigley: Haha Varney the Vampyre is too dead to know... too punk to care! Restoration Punk belongs to the topless pinup art that's grown out of my Varney the Vampyre comic - which is such an English working class thing. My earliest pinup art was collaborating with British topless Page 3 models & the London 'tough cookie' humour of those models is throughout everything I do. The word Punk at that time was bawdy slang and the Restoration had such a defiantly punk rock "do-it-theyself" attitude where fakes wouldn't last five seconds... the Sex Pistols would've fitted in perfectly! So for anyone to be Restoration Punk: it's never just about the period clothes, humour and use of language, it's all about attitude!

Renee Downey: You've been working on Varney for quite some time and it's had it's share of ups and downs, what has kept you going with the project?

Vlad Quigley: Yeah, it's been twenty years & despite many years bedridden with chronic illness. I've never considered what's kept me so enthusiastic for so long & why he's been such a major part of my life... other than that I've always loved Varney the Vampyre! What has helped enormously has been the incredible support & faith of my Goth and American Indian friends, and especially my wonderful contract muse (& co-owner of "Varney the Vampyre: Restoration Punk") Jessica Jaymes.

Renee Downey: If he were obsessed with English Smarties I'd say for sure you'd based him a bit on yourself! None the less, Varney seems to be a bit of a perverted old vamp, did he get that from you?

Vlad Quigley: Haha! My last girlfriend said I was Varney! If you're undead there's only one way to get warm and Varney is such a bad influence!

Renee Downey: All sarcasm aside, Varney is quite the racy comic. What made you decide to go racy, thus keeping Varney a bit out of the mainstream market?

Vlad Quigley: I feel the Restoration era itself dictates the upmarket highbrow kinky tone of Varney the Vampyre and I truly believe anything less than the truth cheats the audience. Everyone has the right to fall in love with the sensuous passions of the undead roaming the debauched graveyards of desire!

Renee Downey: There's hoards of symbolism buried in the tale; peel apart some of the layers for us and give us a bit of insight....

Vlad Quigley: Comic strips are a sequential storytelling medium, however I've used other sequential narrative devices within Varney the Vampyre. The tale contains the full Tarot cards deck, with each card helping add to the story. Tarot cards would have been entertainment in Varney's time and are heavy on symbolism... I love that even with traditional art, the narrative is also conveyed in the subtle use of symbolism. The viewer is welcome to look deeper into the meaning of a painting by following the visual clues. There are also a staggering amount of quotes from 17th Century documents and fiction... every page contains quotes from the likes of Anne Bradstreet, John Dryden, Thomas Parnell, John Lilburn, Daniel Defoe, Sir John Denham, John Milton, William Shakespeare, Katherine Phillips, Thomas Middleton, Anne Finch, Ben Johnson, John Bunyan, Molieré, Charles I, Jonathan Swift and many more! Maybe someday someone will hunt out all of the hidden quotes and publish extensive notes!

Renee Downey: Back to this Restoration Punk thing... Three words: Restoration Punk Pinups, five more words: where do we get them?

Vlad Quigley: The Restoration Punk pin-ups are scattered throughout the three websites and in the Varney the Vampyre comic. Jessica Jaymes & I have also launched a Restoration Punk merchandising range for discerning wenches and libertines! (Please be aware these sites contain artistic depictions of an adult nature so they are not suitable for children or people likely to be offended.) The three websites are:
Vlad Quigley website: http://www.vladquigley.com
Restoration Punk website: http://www.restorationpunk.com
Varney the Vampyre website: http://www.varneythevampyre.com Official "Varney the Vampyre: Restoration Punk" merchandising: http://www.cafeshops.com/vladquigley

Renee Downey: Is there anything else that you would like to say in closing?

Vlad Quigley: Shag hard, die vampyre!