Deur Hannes Brummer

Dis daai klein mannetjie met die groot brein en die vlymskerp tong aan die woord. Die voorste ry van die gehoor vat die meeste shots, maar met nadere aanskou loop ons almal deur. Vir die afgelope twee dekades is John Vlismas ‘n tipe morele kompas waaraan die meerderheid van Suid Afrikaners hulself gerus aan kan steur. Met sulke skaterlag gevolge.

“Pappa, jy ry mos nou verkeerd”, kreun Mamma V en ons skop daarteen. Met latere oorweging mompel Pappa so saggies: Sorry. Jy was reg.”

Almal in die kar giggel weer van voor af oor die misverstand. Of was dit ‘n openbaring?

Hierdie komende naweek gaan Vlismas dit weereens aan ons doen as hy op 26 en 27 Augustus die Teatro in Monte Casino se verhoog betree vir REVELATIONS II: THE GOOD RACIST. Soos sy shows nou maar eenmaal loop, gaan jy heeltyd maaglag, waarskynlik geaffronteerd wees en nog steeds na die tyd om verskoning vra vir jouself. Hierdie keer kom ons almal se inherente rassisme en die euwel daarvan onder die loep, maar voor jy Afriforum bel vir ‘n helpende hand vir die skreiende misdaad van implikasie: Jacob en co. gaan ook ter wille van balans deurloop. Wel, basies gaan almal. Mens veg mos nie diskriminasie deur te diskrimineer nie. So strap maar vir baba mooi vas in.

Die man is beslis nie bang om mense af te pis nie (en die vlytige kommentaarvingers moet maar weet dat jy “doos” geroep gaan word sonder enige grasie, sou jy offence vat), maar die harde realiteit is dat jy die droë drol is as jy nie ten minste ‘n glimlag uit jou preutse mond pers vir sy besondere akkurate waarnemings van wat dit is om ‘n mens, ‘n Suid-Afrikaner en ‘n sondaar te wees nie.

Van meet af was 2016 ‘n fokop en van alle kante af word ons heilige demokrasie bedreig. ‘n Vinnige blik na die verlede wys egter dat niemand rerig koers gehou het in die ou dae nie en vandag nog klap ons almal die Chappiepapier benadering tot feite. Did you fucking know! Tyd om daai Google maps Ethics te update na V2.0. En die V staan vir Vlismas.

Vir twee aande kan jy hom op die pragtige Teatro verhoog in Fourways vang wanneer hy oorlog verklaar teen stupidgeit. Goue medaljes vir almal wat saamkom. Verál as jy heavy baie testosteroon het. So hier is die tasbare feite: John Vlismas in Revelations 2 – The Good Racist, 26 en 27 Augustus 2016, Teatro Monte Casino. Besprekings by TicketPro.

Watkykjy? het sy voorbereidings gesteur en hom soos ‘n Rivonia aangeklaagde in ‘n hoek gedruk vir ‘n paar antwoorde:
(Die man is half-Afrikaans, maar omdat die show in Engels is het ons hom maar in daai een benader. Check! Fokol diskriminasie van ons kant af nie!)

You did the first REVELATIONS in 2014. In the two years that have passed, what made you feel a sequel is necessary? Is it merely an evolution of that show or have you come to new insights about the state of the nation in the course of those two years?
I realised that the idea of REVELATIONS was the uncovering of important info – obviously in the case of religion, there isn’t any new information, because whatever you believe, the end of the world was described pre-information age and so it’s like watching the death of UHD TV on VHS… pointless. However, the real revelations came on digging deeper beyond the knee-jerk nonsense that passes as “dialogue” on race. It felt divine, and my name is John, so – the idea really took hold.

The sub-title “The good racist” implies that you will not only be taking on the powers that be, but also the man on the street’s denial about his discriminatory nature. So who exactly will bear the brunt of the rant this time?
All of us, including myself, will be the target – because racism is pervasive, and insidious – like any of evolution’s best weapons. So this time, the ivory towers, the pavements and the guy on stage all get hit.

On social media comedians are often told: Stick to the jokes and leave the politics and social commentary. Those trolls however don’t understand that the commentary is kind of implicit to the job description. So the question is: will this show change the world or are you going to play it safe with some dick jokes?
I don’t think any shows will change the world, but I would be more comfortable trying than not – so there will be a few dick jokes in the show, because trolls need something to go with their drink and their dark, crotch-fondling hairy knuckles too.

Apart from Steve Hofmeyr, who else isn’t on the guest list?
You know, he never responded. Probably for the best, this show may contain adult themes and traces of logic.

You’re not known for pulling punches – in fact it’s always been pretty no-holds-barred. On a scale of 1 to Poeshectic, how hardcore (and hilarious) can we expect Revelations II to be?
As I get older I realise that I’m not trying to offend, I’m just looking for the the truth – some people find that offensive. This show won’t be shocking because of language or sex toys, but it may provoke some thought.

The show is being staged for two nights in the Teatro at Monte Casino. That’s a pretty big room. Also it is the true personification of a one man show, since you don the caps of producer, creator ánd performer. That’s a lot of pressure. Nervous much? How do you prepare for such a mammoth task?
It’s a big room and one I’ve always wanted to play. It’s hardly me on my own, though. I have an excellent gang at Whacked who help me make it happen, and we have Bittereinder opening the show – as much for me as for the audience – they are fantastic.
(Side note: John staan saam met ‘n besondere bekwame span aan die stuur van Whacked Management. So as jou sussie in Fochville ‘n komediant wil book vir ‘n jaareindfunksie – gaan besoek gerus www.whacked.co.za)

Following on that question, you’ve regularly posted pics on Twitter (@fortyshort) of what you’ve been reading as part of your research. What would you suggest Watkykertjies read/listen/watch in order to reach greater insight?
There are a bunch of books by South Africans that commentate on racism – Eusebius Mackasier’s “Run Racist Run” was helpful. So was Christi Van Der Westhuizen’s “White Power” – there were about 8 books, but I can’t say I studied them as much as read them to get more input.

You are a self-admitted technophile and your shows are visual and technological spectacles – a far cry from the traditional “guy standing with microphone in hand”-type of show. Gooi vir ons so bietjie van die technical specs?
There is a whole bunch of LED paneling that just landed from China on stage, and a phenomenal technical team from Sound Stylists making them live – bring a towel, you may break into a sweat.

In the past you incorporated Afrikaans metal giants Kobus into your show. This time round, as you’ve mentioned, you opted for Electro-Rap gods Bittereinder. What drew you to them and how do they fit in thematically?
As always, I choose artists that I believe are doing important work. Bittereinder are brilliant, they have a sense of humour and create art on stage – it was a no-brainer.

The obligatory “state of the industry question”: You ran the iconic Melville underground room for a decade plus and since it’s sad demise you’ve been parent to the Comics’ choice awards (now in it’s 6th year and taking place on 3 September at the Teatro, Monte Casino – tickets available through Computicket), so you’ve had direct contact with pretty much every young comic coming through the ranks as well as seeing changing attitudes in audiences. What excites (or concerns) you most about comedy in South Africa?
Comedy is a beautiful, healthy rebellious young adult – she’s shifting with the times and moving all around the country. It’s like watching wild horses run – scary and fantastic. I’m not concerned at all – even the bad stuff is part of the process.

And finally: Wat kyk jy?
Na jou, jou fokken maniac : )

[highlight type=”standard, dark”]Jy kan ‘n stel dubbelkaartjies na hierdie befokte show wen deur John Vlismas ‘n vraag op Twitter te vra met die hashtag #AskJohn. Onthou hou om jou vraag aan beide hom (@fortyshort) en ons (@watkykjy) te stel.[/highlight]