A MAN TO FOLLOW INTO BATTLE: INTERVIEW with TRISTON

interview by: Clea Cutthroat

Singer, dancer, and now...writer. Triston is one of Berlin's artist that is changing the underground art scene as we know it.  Moving forward to the beat of his own drum, Triston is capturing Berlin art history with his "Heaux Confessionals" and read closely...

This is a man, and artist that i would follow into the front lines.

And my dearest friends, in case you didn't see the smoke in our Berlin sky-lines, we are fighting a battle...for freedom of speech

Alright Heaux, let's start with the basics. When and why did you move to Berlin?

I came to Berlin four years ago and like everyone
I've met here then and since, I fell in love with the
city. It spoke to me like no other place I'd ever
lived in, and I've lived in several. Never before had
I been somewhere that was so free, open, and alive. As
an artist, I believed Berlin was the perfect backdrop
for me to be inspired to produce. I had to have her.
And like anything worth having, I had to be patient
and fight for it.

Are you still happy in Berlin? What inspires you about this city to make you stay?

Even after all the struggles I have had to face in
Berlin, I still love it. This city has tested my
mettle like no other. But it's the underbelly of the
city, the passion raging still, that keeps me
motivated and driven to remain here. Without a doubt,
I can say that every day I have been inspired in this
city.

You are known in Berlin as a singer, dancer, and writer. Tell me a little about your artistic backgroud.

I studied classical music as a singer my entire
life, and other forms of artistic expression were also
studied, but they were always the backdrop to my first
love. I moved to Europe to have the opportunity to
explore and gain experience in areas I never had the
time to concentrate on in America. Now that I live in
Berlin, I am able to juggle my passions of singing,
dancing, and writing at the level I aspired to. Only
here in Berlin have I ever in my life had the time to
study any and everything that I am interested in.

What inspired you to write the "Heaux Confessionals"?

The Heaux Confessionals began as a series of short
stories and commentaries on life in Berlin and
everything that I have seen, heard, and experienced. I
became an unofficial storyteller of this group, trying
to paint a picture in words to go along with the
photos everyone sees in the magazines in Berlin week
to every month. These are the artists presently in
Berlin making waves, defining the times. Berlin at the
moment is in its' second wave of emerging artists and
these are chronicles of the era. Whatever type of an
artist you are from music to dance to film,
photography and everything in between, it is our
passion, it's what drives us, it's our passion, but
it's also a job. Through art and expression, we
chronicle the times we are in. Whenever you hear a
song, or read an article, or see a portrait, that
artist is capturing the surroundings around us, which
make up our world. By censorship, you are erasing or
ignoring themes from a time period.

"The Heaux Confessionals" are published in a punk zine fashion. Whzy have you chosen this route rather than looking for the more traditional "offical publication"?

"The Heaux Confessionals" covers topics that many
people would consider taboo or too risqué. Some of the
topics are uncomfortable, but I argue that some of the
most insightful moments of my life have occurred when
I have been re-directed into destinations I never
would have foreseen I would go. Everything is put on
the table, and nothing is edited in terms of topics
covered, whether they are my beliefs or not. It is the
only way to truly convey the moment. It's uncensored,
un-cut…the stories, not me! It doesn't not fit pretty
inside a box or the constraints any publisher would
likely place upon me. I've never been one to wait for
someone else's opinion of me. When it's ready to put
into the universe, I do it. Why wait for someone
else's approval? You don't wait for someone's approval
to breathe. And for me, this is my way of breathing.

Any thoughts of compiling "The Heaux Confessionals" into a book?

Definitely. If there's any publisher out there
that's not afraid of dungeons, decadence, and
debauchery…then by all means, contact me. If not?
Fuck'em. I'll publish it my damn self. Why wait? It's
coming, one way or another!

Tell me about being a black American male in Berlin. Is it much different to being a black male in the States?

In Berlin, I truly am a minority because there are
very few black Americans in this city. This city is
not so much multicultural as it is multinational. All
of these nations are here but there is a lack of a
true melting pot. There are so many Germans here that
have never been exposed to anyone or anything that is
different from what they are used to, and it makes
them uncomfortable. I call it 'belligerent ignorance'.
There are so many Germans here that haven't a clue as
to what it is to be a black American. The only
reference they seem to get from black American culture
is rap music. But you can only ignore so much
ignorance, so there have been incidences here that
would be nearly unthinkable in my country but happen
here on an everyday basis. Because every day, from the
moment I leave my house, my mettle is tested, as I
have to endure what is akin to visual rape on the
train or racial slurs as I walk the streets here. It
is up to everyone to speak out and teach those that
don't know, because if you don't act, you are
indirectly supporting the notion that it is acceptable
to treat someone that doesn't look like you as an
inferior. I didn't come halfway around the world to be
treated like a second class citizen, and I, for one,
refuse to allow it to happen.

When I first moved here I was shocked by the term, "black music", which is used to describe hip-hop/ R&B etc here in Germany. Any thoughts on this?

The term 'black music' can best be described as
which came first…the denial or the accusation? In many
instances, I feel like they want the 'black music',
but not the black people that sing it. I may be black,
but my music is not. Music has no color, and therein
lies the beauty in it. The short answer is: it's
rhythm & blues, Germany, not 'black music'. By
categorizing music in this manner, Germany is
essentially saying to people of color, "here, you can
have this genre of music, but the rest are ours." The
entire purpose of me living here is to delve into any
genre that interests me.

So, we are in a gang. The Wonderheaux Nation...

Clea, I know that you want G-Unit like 50 cent, but girl, we are NOT a gang. A gang usually denotes violence.

Ok, I get your point :) I'll save my rap star fantasies for my next life...Now, why don't you tell people what IS the Wonderheaux Nation.

We are messengers. We are crusaders. We are soldiers.
There is a battle being waged in this city, whether
people realize it or not. The Berlin that we love
today may be unrecognizable to us if we don't do
something now. Every artist in this town has
experienced, whether directly or indirectly,
censorship at some level. To add even further insult
to injury, asking us to omit or delete pieces of our
material and then on top of that not pay us anything
or far less than is acceptable? Is that the ultimate
double fuck/pimp-slap combination or what? If you are
moved by art, whether one way or another, at least you
were exposed to it to make the decision for yourself.
And that's what any artist really wants: to be heard.
By denying someone that right, you are denying them of
themselves. I've never set out to change the world. I
don't believe in that theory. I believe that if
everyone changed the world they directly live in –day
to day- then the entire world would benefit as a
whole.

What can we expect from you in 2008. Give us some plans for your world domination...listing of new projects, etc...

Every year it gets better here for me, and 2008
will be no different. There are bands to be heard,
songs to be sung and stories to be told. Look for the
Heaux Confessionals around the city, because there
will be new volumes to come throughout the year. As
the Godfather of the Wonder Heaux Nation, I'll only
say that Papa's got a brand new bag! Watch out!