A rabbi’s son and cheder teacher turned master of magical gore?

“Dr. Gore is a very intense individual, representing all those things you want to do in your darkest of dreams but can’t because they’re illegal, immoral or fattening. He doesn’t have those mental blocks. Dr. Gore is unhygienic, immoral, lecherous and unskilled. With a combination of magic and freak show stunts I combine the real with illusion, from drilling into my face with a power drill, to cutting a lady in half with a jigsaw, to ripping out a man’s heart or smashing his testicles off with a sledgehammer. My personal favorite is the teleporting exploding rabbit, and that is exactly what it says on the tin. Autopsies are not uncommon as well. I specialize in what power tools and instruments of cooking and torture can do to the body. However, this is all overlaid with sore rather dark and a little raunchy humour.”

Check this out.

 

MI: Roger?

VK: Hey. I prefer Viking though.

MI: Why Viking?

VK: It’s a name I picked up when I was 16 and it followed me through my life. Roger was a very different person.

MI: So please, do tell… why the alter ego? Why delve into the blood and guts, the mush and squish of things?

VK: I grew up in a totally Jewish community; my father was a well-known and respected rabbi. So I grew up in a religious world, Jewish schools, cheder, yeshiva, the lot. When I moved to Birmingham having lived in London and Manchester before then, I started in secondary school, having never really met non-Jews before. But very quickly it was obvious that the orthodox Jew was their target. I spent 10 years of fighting anti-Semitism on a very personal and very violent level. Because of my situation I trained very hard in some of the world’s most vicious arts and excelled (probably due to daily use). |Roger was the Jewish boy with a sheltered life. Viking was the man who walked through hell and came out fighting and taking all comers. If you understand that.

MI: I think so, though I’m not in your head. Is that why you have dual personalities in your magician personas?

VK: Maybe, I have always seen a division in my life, a dichotomy of religious and alternative, both important to me and yet very opposite. I have always lived a double life; couple that with a hobby of abnormal and criminal psychology. The idea came from there; however the Great Hoodunit is no more, officially fired by me so Dr. Gore could rule alone. Was actually a very emotional day for me, I fired myself and yet got a bigger role in my own show. It’s a weird feeling if you ever have the opportunity to officially fire yourself. In my case Dr. Gore is an official part of my company now.

MI: That sounds crazy! I know you’ve been ill – are you better now? Are you still putting on shows? And what is your company – I thought Dr. Gore WAS the official company.

VK: No, I’m still in recovery. I have multiple sclerosis, means I will occasionally have an attack then recover. This was my first but very violent, I’m looking at about a year before I can do stage. However I am able and am doing close up magic at the moment.

MI: OK I will get back to that – I hope you have a refuah sheleima b’karov. Why do you see religion and your other hobbies as a dichotomy?

VK: My website is about to have a serious overhaul so will let you know when fully updated. madnessandmagic.co.uk

MI: OK that’s great…

VK: I got into the punk and metal scene when i was about 13; I was the kid in studded leathers at the cheder, or eventually the long haired rocker who taught at the cheder. But why do I think it’s a dichotomy? Well at the cheder, I was hired because I was someone the kids could relate to, I did remedial Hebrew reading and I got top results, I was fired because i was alternative. The only reason I feel it’s a dichotomy is because I’m vary rarely accepted in UK communities because of my mode of dress. In Israel there was no comparison, I hooked up with the Carlebach crowd and I never looked back. There was my attitude in practice. Unfortunately they don’t exist in the UK. Here is very polarized in their thinking. I understand tattoos and piercings are against Jewish law, but I spent a very long time thinking about that very fact. But if that’s the worst I have done then I’m not doing too bad. My magic isn’t against Jewish law but there are issues when it comes to Shabbat, if I have to work then I do, if not I’m at home making Friday night dinner. There are many issues that crop up, nudity versus tzniut as an example.

MI: Ha I know all about those… but I picked religion first, over the metal… it sounds like you didn’t. Why (or why not)? And as far as I know piercings aren’t against the religion.

VK: Piercings are, the golden calf was made out of earrings. Men tore their own out, women refused and the men ripped theirs out, as of that men are forbidden to have their ears pierced. Women are allowed ears and nose,the rest of the body on both is a very grey area, but the ears are ruled on.

MI: BS. Men are allowed, it’s just a dumbass thing to do. Because it’s dressing like a slave, and some would say beged isha (which in that case it would be forbidden).

VK: No I checked it out, it’s true.

MI: MI: Are you serious? Where’s the source? Show me! 😀 it sounds like you’re trying to blend the dichotomy into something you can live with and be happy with yourself about…

VK: The source was in the instructions Aharon gave to the children of Israel for the makings of the golden calf. The other is yes from slavery but from a Jewish slave having their ear nailed to a doorpost because the ear that heard the 10 commandments forsakes them for the laws of man. These were all taught to me growing up, why i shouldn’t get earrings or tattoos, my father taught me a lot while we went to shul and as my social life grew the questions I asked did too.

MI: Well, tattoos are obvious, and I’m kind of surprised you got them. Why?

MI: (totally not judging you, it just seems incongruous)

VK: Most people did judge me without speaking to me, i lived on Golders Green Road in the middle of the Jewish community for nearly 2 years, and I still remember all the people who crossed the road just so they weren’t on the same side of the road as me. I’m trying to live amongst a community that does judge everything about me and at many times quite publically. You may get that impression because I have had to explain why I chose the alternative path and how Judaism fits in speech many times. The truth is I’m just me, I’m happy, I’m trying to improve myself on all sides but who isn’t? The other thing I’m trying to do is create a little understanding down here a slightly more open mind. I was overjoyed when Aish in London booked me to do 2 shows. Now that was fun because it felt totally in my element.

MI: Do you think you became less religious because of people judging you ?

VK: Here is the thing, in my father’s community people pretty much accepted me. I was a bit weird but that’s cool. I went to Israel – same there, came to London and I was made to feel like a pariah. So yes I walked away from everything. I mean would you want to be part of a community that didn’t want you? However, after my father died things changed, i started to get more religious and live a more orthodox life. I now spend my time in Stamford Hill (the Chasidic area. It’s the only place I feel welcome. I have always felt more at home round Chasidim.

MI: You can’t blame G-d for idiot people… it’s between you and Him, not the people. I’m glad you decided to come back more.

VK: Me too. Trust me. With all that’s going on, I really need His help.

MI: So be strong. Try to do more mitzvot. Don’t work on Shabbos!

VK: That’s business and with performance I will never be able to get away from that, it’s big gig nights. I did that, I wouldn’t be able to pay bills and eat. Joys of running your own company.

MI: Didn’t your father ever teach you that you lose any money you make on Shabbos?

VK: Yes, but he also told me that a man has to eat. The truth is I can’t really justify it except financially but I feel it’s necessary. The truth is I spent ages agonizing about working on Shabbat. When I spent 7 years as a doorman in London I tried for 3 years to keep Shabbat, but the truth was I couldn’t afford to so I worked. With performance is the same. Money is about the same as are the work hours and big nights. Although it did mean i got to work as head doorman or deputy head doorman of the clubs for the rich and famous. I got to work for a few big bands as their security.

MI: >shrug< Tell me about Dr. Gore, tell me about your show. What do you do there, for all the uninitiated?

VK: Dr. Gore is a very intense individual, representing all those things you want to do in your darkest of dreams but can’t because they’re illegal, immoral or fattening. He doesn’t have those mental blocks. Dr. Gore is unhygienic, immoral, lecherous and unskilled. With a combination of magic and freak show stunts I combine the real with illusion, from drilling into my face with a power drill, to cutting a lady in half with a jigsaw, to ripping out a man’s heart or smashing his testicles off with a sledgehammer. My personal favorite is the teleporting exploding rabbit, and that is exactly what it says on the tin. Autopsies are not uncommon as well. I specialize in what power tools and instruments of cooking and torture can do to the body. However, this is all overlaid with sore rather dark and a little raunchy humour.

MI: Gruesome!

VK: The teleporting exploding rabbit uses 2 microwaves with antennae (called teleporters) and a rabbit, the name explains the rest. I love the macabre always have. My mum loves to remind me that as a child when she was descaling fish I always wanted and did pull the eyeballs out.

MI: I eat ’em Rosh Hashana.

VK: I don’t, I hate fish.

MI: is it a real rabbit?

VK: The only other thing to cover is the fact that we were banned from pre 9pm TV because we were too gory, ITV was fined 120,000 pounds for putting their viewers at risk as 26 children had nightmares. Our semifinal routine was stricken from all archives, Youtube, everywhere.