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FYEAHMENINMAKEUP EXCLUSIVE! GPK INTERVIEW
We are pleased to present a first-time special feature on fyeahmeninmakeup: our exclusive interview with Australian industrial artist (and cosmetic-clad beauty) Gothique Prince Ken!
Hello, Ken, and welcome to our blog! So, when did you first start wearing makeup? What were some of your initial inspirations, and how has your makeup style changed?
GPK: Hello everyone and thanks for having me. It is indeed a great honor to me to talk about my work!. The initial date of such act is unknown but I would have to speculate it to be over 10 years when I exposed to Gothic subculture. I was fascinated by ancient Egyptian history, culture and their aesthetic during my adolescent stage and it is safe to say I got most of my inspirations from there.
FYMIM: Following your Facebook page, it’s obvious you have a great interest in politics. Have you ever aspired to be a politician yourself?
GPK: To be honest I do not share the same value as most politicians. In my opinion they are merely puppets of corporations. My aim is to open the eyes of the people and give the power back to them. I believe everyone should be responsible for their own actions and live as a free individual with love and compassion. However, it has becoming extremely hard to achieve under capitalism. I would describe myself as a social anarchist. I seek freedom and not control.
FYMIM: You’ve worked and toured in quite a few countries - how would you say the audiences differ? Do you feel that attitudes towards men wearing makeup are significantly different in the various countries you’ve visited?
GPK: It really depends on the country and their culture, but most audiences had already formed preconception of my appearance thus their reactions were similar.
FYMIM: It seems that a large percentage of your fans became aware of you through your association with visual kei. How did you come to be involved in the Japanese music scene?
GPK: This is mainly because I have worked with a lot of artist from Japan and most of them have associated themselves with the visual kei scene, I believe this caused great confusion to most fans. We have the habit of putting things in different category and it is understandable.
FYMIM: When you’re not performing or making public appearances, do you ever wear makeup - if so, what types? Do fans often recognize you if you aren’t wearing any?
GPK: Generally I do not wear make up as my time is limited and valuable, such process could be quite time consuming so I would only do so when I’m out clubbing or performing. I don’t think it is hard to recognize me when I’m not wearing any makeup.
FYMIM: What would you say is the strangest encounter you’ve ever had with a fan? Most memorable tour moment?
GPK: No particular encounter i could recall. They were all very polite and I am very glad this is the case. I enjoy performing on stage and that is the most memorable moment during my tours.
FYMIM: What current projects are you working on, and what sort of direction would you say you are taking your music in?
GPK: I am concentrating on my solo project at the moment. Similar to GPKISM, the aim to explore the fundamental human emotions. My solo project is the polar opposite of my previous work. I wanted to make the transition from passive to active mode of self expression. If GPKISM is ying, then my solo project would undoubtedly be yang.
FYMIM: Thank you so much for having us, it’s been great! Is there anything else you’d like to share with us and our followers?
GPK: Thanks so much for the love and support! Be sure to check out my artist page : http://www.facebook.com/I.am.GPK
Don’t forget to share it to your friends and click “like”! :) I hope to come back again next year! Good bye!
A special announcement
First, we would like to thank every one of our followers - when we started this blog early this year on a whim, we had no idea how big it would get! It’s amazing how many people we have had the opportunity to connect with - from our multitudes of fellow admirers to real men who wear makeup themselves. We’re going to introduce a new feature: exclusive interviews with the latter. We are pleased to announce that our very first interviewee is lined up right now: Gothique Prince Ken, of GPKism and now solo fame! Please send in your questions for him to our Ask box - as well as any suggestions for future subjects (as with submissions, you may even volunteer yourself - just give us a little intro)!
