Hello magical friends, especially my delightful patrons who make these interview episodes possible. I’m your hostwitch Bess and this is our last episode before WZRD goes on summer break! So I’m sneaking in a couple news items here.
First: the Sampler deadline got extended to the end of July, so you’ve still got a couple weeks to throw something silly together! [link]
And second: Fred & George the band’s Devon is fundraising after going through an incredible family tragedy. [link]
I’ve included both those links in the transcript for you to indulge your creativity and support your community as you can.
And in the mean time, here’s some music before our interview! First up is Huffle My Puffle and “Monday Morning.”
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That was “Monday Morning” from Huffle My Puffle, ihearttheweasleytwins and their “You Belong Together,” and Stubby Boardman and the Hobgoblins singing “You’re My Patronus.”
And now let’s turn our attention to Anne from Voldi & the Morts!
Welcome to the show, Anne of Voldi and the Morts. I am so excited to talk with you today.
Anne: I’m really happy to be here. Happy and nervous. <laugh>
You sort of exploded onto the scene a couple years ago, did one project, I think maybe a couple compilations, and then vanished.
Anne: Yeah
How did this get started? How did you get into wizard rock?
Anne: I think it’s funny that you’re saying that, you’re saying, um, I exploded onto the scene, or we exploded onto the scene. Didn’t feel really like an explosion to us. We were just thinking about doing a funny project or I was thinking about doing a funny project because I was in the Fanatical Fics, which is a podcast Fanatical Fics and Where to Find Them. I was in this discord, the Fanatical Fam <laugh>, which is a wonderful, wonderful place on the internet. And yeah, we were doing all sorts of funny, um, creative things, and I wanted to do an advent calendar. It was around Christmas, I think it was in November when I started having the idea of doing this advent calendar where like every second day and there would be a new song. I wasn’t even, I think thinking about wizard rock at that time, I was just thinking about writing some lyrics to some weird Christmas songs and yeah, that’s what I did.
I started writing lyrics and then I actually thought, “well, I now actually have 12 songs. Um, is it possible to do that?” And then I asked my partner who luckily is actually a musician or is someone who knows how to do music and how to record stuff, and yeah. And he actually was game for it. And we, we recorded the 12 songs and um, I think I told him towards the end of November, “yeah, I want to do this for an advent calendar.” And he was like, “Hmm, you know, that’s really soon.” And, but I think we did, we recorded all the songs and I think we talked about it today, I think it was like two weeks of madness, but it was COVID, it was 2020, so we also didn’t have so much things, like, so much things going on and yeah, that’s what we did, and we didn’t really think that anything else would, would happen.
That sounds like so much fun, the perfect blend of creative and chaos.
Anne: <laugh>. Yeah, <laugh>.
Now where did the band name come from?
Anne: Um, we talked about this today and Ben said that it was his idea and I, I believe him, my memory is not that good, but I really believe him because I had no memory of how we got that name. And he said that, yeah, we were talking about names and um, I knew about wizard rock, um, so I had heard about, um, all kinds of bands because when I, um, with my best friend we were listening in 2011 or so, we, we learned about wizard rock and we were both listening to them and to some of the bands. And so, yeah, Ben doesn’t know anything about Harry Potter actually, is not at all a Harry Potter’s fan. And, um, but we talked about these bands and, and then he was like, “okay, if there’s like Harry and the Potters, Draco and the Malfoys, why not Voldi and the Morts?” <Laugh> because we ha–we didn’t see that there was any band called that. And so yeah, that’s how we ended up with it.
I love how many bands there are where there’s one dedicated Harry Potter fan, and you know, friends or, or family who are just like, “alright, yeah, this sounds like fun, why not?” Did you consider any other names at any point?
Anne: Um, as I said, my memory is unfortunately not so good, so I don’t really, like, maybe I had some ideas. I know that I, because some of the wizard rock bands, what I really love, like, um, the Whomping Willows and so on, like, they also have like this concept kind of behind it, that, that the, the name of the band is also kind of the point of view of the songs, but at the point where we were thinking about band names, I actually had already written these 12 like lyrics and they were all over the place <laugh>, so there was no real, I mean, maybe a little bit fan fiction like area, but yeah, there was no like common thread. And so it was kind of just also the idea of making fun of Voldemort <laugh> and putting him in, in this, uh, funny Christmas costume and also because of the song about him having no nose and which was like the end of the album. Yeah, it kind of fits.
Yeah, it’s perfect. It really, uh, encapsulates the like, fun–
Anne: Yeah.
–of the album. You said you were in the Fanatical Fam Discord and that’s actually what inspired this whole thing. Do you also write fanfic?
Anne: Um, I do actually. Um, yeah, I do. I I’ve never written fanfic before I heard about Fanatical Fics and Where to Find Them. So as I said before, back in school, like me and my best friend, we’ve known each other since we were in primary school, so we’ve been best friends forever and we were always, um, fans, um, of Harry Potter. And so we learned about, uh, wizard rock and, but actually I don’t think we ever learned about fan fiction, I don’t think, because, you know, Austria is really sometimes very much behind, um, pop culture <laugh> in some ways. And I have never heard about Archive of Our Own or any of that stuff. And so we listened to some wizard rock and we, we talked about Harry Potter for sure, but that was it. And then in 2– in 2018, we were both on a, yeah, we were traveling together and I think Verina, who’s my best friend, she started listening to Potterless and that’s how we then got also into Fanatical Fics and we were obsessed with it because yeah, the, it’s just a wonderful podcast.
I really recommended to everyone. Sequoia and Kim are just yeah, hilarious <laugh>. Um, yeah. And so I started listening to it and then I joined the Patreon and the Fanatical Fam and people over there, of course, they knew about fan fiction and they knew–they wrote fan fiction, and I was like, “oh my, what is this?” <laugh> And then I, yeah, I, I completely drowned in reading fan fiction and that’s how it started. And then the first fanfic I wrote was because of one of the stories in Fanatical Fics. I wrote it just as a joke because there’s this crazy fan fiction about Cormac who is, um, yeah, doing kinky stuff with brooms <laugh>, let’s leave it at that. And I wrote a second part to, to that story just for fun. And it really, yeah, I really enjoyed it and that’s how I continued writing fan fiction. I’m not really, I don’t have so much time to write a lot of stories, but sometimes when I have the time I write.
Is that Discord still active? I know that–
Anne: Oh yeah. Oh yeah.
Fanatical Fics is in repeats on the main feed.
Anne: Yes. It, the Discord, the Fanatical Fam is still going strong. <laugh>. Um, it’s very active actually. And yeah, it’s, I really, it’s a just a wonderful place in in the world. I think it really started to get active in 2020 because of COVID and people were getting yeah, more and more isolated from friends. And so we, we did so many fun things online, like, um, I think Sequoia once did something like a little bit like a dinner and crime, but online, so without the dinner, yeah, we have like this advent calendar every year now, and we also have like book exchanges where everyone sends each other books, um, also writing fan fictions for each other every year. So it’s like, it’s, it feels really like a family and people are super creative and super fun. Yeah, it’s very wholesome, I would say <laugh>.
So how did they, uh, all love your advent calendar?
Anne: Yeah, they loved it and they were really nice about it. And also I, and not only showed it to them, but I also send it to friends via WhatsApp. So I had this WhatsApp group and I had like other friends who were not at all in the, some of them don’t even know Harry Potter. They know of it, but they’re not fans. Um, and I just posted every day or every second day a song and they were really into it. <laugh> for me, it was really nerve wracking, um, because I’m not used to hear myself sing. I mean, my voice sounds really different on the songs than it sounds in real life, but still it was really nerve-wracking, but everyone was, was having a lot of fun. So yeah,
As a podcaster of almost six years now, I can confirm it is jarring when you first hear yourself on mic.
Anne: Yeah, definitely. <laugh>
The album has a whole spread of characters and it really does sort of read like fan fiction, which is super cool. Are there any characters that you wish you had had a chance to include?
Anne: I was, yeah, I mean, of course <laugh>, I, I was thinking that, um, maybe again, Cormac McLaggan, I think he’s just such a really sad character, kind of <laugh>, like he’s really horrible really, if you think about it. And I think I would’ve liked to write, um, a sad song about him at some point. And also, of course, Blaise, because in Fanatical Fics fanon <laugh>, uh, Blaise is the non-binary icon and we love them and they’re amazing and flashy and very queer and very wonderful. And I think I would’ve liked to write a song about them. And I ,thanks to one of the people on the Discord who’s called Lysander, and he loves Percy and–Blaise and Percy, and I think they’re a wonderful pair. So I think I would’ve loved to write a song about them, the both of them. And yeah, maybe also something about Dudley? and then of course all kinds of pairings between women. So Luna and Millicent Bullstrode, for example. I kind of shipped them ,weirdly. Um, Ginny and Pansy… And I think that’s also the reason why when we were asked to do another song, I did that one together with my best friend. Like the music was by Ben, of course, my partner, but the lyrics were by me and my best friend. And it’s also called “Beste Freundin,” it’s a German song, and it, so it’s called Best Friend and it’s about Lavender and Parvati.
I think Lavender and Parvati are the first non-interhouse couple that you’ve mentioned.
Anne: Mhm. Yeah. That’s funny. True. Yeah.
A lot of Gryffindor-Slytherin.
Anne: Yeah.
Is that like reflective in your life? Is Ben a Slytherin and you’re a Gryffindor?
Anne: Um, that’s a good question. I’m definitely a Hufflepuff. Not brave enough maybe to be a Gryffindor or maybe not boisterous enough, if that’s a correct word, in eng in English? Yeah. Um, and Ben, I think he would be against the idea of being categorized into one of the Hogwarts houses <laugh>. Um, he’s, he is, as I said, not a huge fan of Harry Potter and yeah, especially since JK Rowling, like he, he’s really not interested in being associated with it at all. But yeah, we are very different people, so maybe that’s why <laugh>,
You know, I often say that Hufflepuffs run the community
Anne: Mm-hmm <affirmative>.
So this makes perfect sense to me.
Anne: Yeah. <laugh>.
Aguamenti! It’s time for a hydration break, and the Gringotts Grrls’ “A Snape Shaped Hole” to serenade your way.
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That was The Gringotts Grrls’ “A Snape Shaped Hole,” “Dudley’s Cryin’” by Steve Goodie, and The Secret Broom Cupboard of Salazar Slytherin with their “Hagrid’s Hope.”
Everyone refreshed? Let’s get back to that interview with Voldi & the Morts.
So you said that you worked with Ben on this, he brought the technical know-how, and you brought the, the passion and enthusiasm. What was that like?
Anne: Um, it was very fun. We’ve never done anything like that before. Like Ben has done music since he’s, I’ve asked him today and he said since he was 14 years old, so more than 20 years now. Um, so yeah, he really knows his stuff. <laugh>, and I had, I know how to play the guitar a little bit. I haven’t played in ages, but I do know some chords. But yeah, we’ve never collaborated before that. And then when I wrote the lyrics and I asked him, it really gave us this fun project to work on, especially during COVID, where everything was a bit, yeah, just gray, I would say. And yeah, it brought us really together, I think <laugh>, but it was also nerve-wracking because it was for me, very vulnerable to sing in front of him, um, and to overcome my perfectionism in front of him <laugh>, because I’m a big perfectionist.
And, um, he’s very pragmatic, which is good. Um, but he was like, “you don’t have to sing this five times, it, it won’t get better” <laugh>, but not like in a mean way, but just in a very honest way. And yeah, we, we had a lot of fun, but I, I needed to calming down, um, a lot of times <laugh> Yeah. And hugs <laugh>. Yeah. But it, it was a lot of fun and it was, it was really a division of labor, kind of, because I wrote the lyrics, I did all the singing, and Ben did all the rest. So he, um, I asked him today about like how he got all of that together because I really, I mean, I watched him do it, but I, I have none of the technical knowhow of how to produce music or how to, to make music apart from playing a little bit on my guitar and using my voice.
And, um, he said that he used MIDI files, like for the rhythm tracks. So he found, like, for example, just the drums or just the piano or just the bass. And, um, that was like his starting point for most of the songs. Some of them, he did the whole music himself, but for some he just found the rhythm, one rhythm track, and then he added on. So he sometimes played something on his guitar, um, he used sometimes the, an automatone that he has or kalimbas for like the “pling pling pling” noises. And then he also used, he has like a MIDI keyboard where he then can translate this into other kinds of instruments, and then he layered that on top of each other. And then at some point we had like a kind of rough version of the song, and then I sang the, the singing part, and then he added some more music to it, or then he just started the producing part where he, um, I dunno, put echoes on my voice or deepened my voice or made the voice higher. And yeah, today he said to me he wanted the whole album to sound as if it was a cassette that, um, was left in an attic for over 50 years and someone just found it. And yeah, I think it really sounds like that.
I was gonna ask about the voices. I noticed that you did a lot of different ones.
Anne: Mm-hmm <affirmative>.
Was any of that you trying to pitch to different characters?
Anne: Oh, yeah. Yeah. I was always trying to do a different character for some of, I think for the Snape song, I like pinched my nose and I talk like that <laugh>. Um, and for the, for my personal favorite, uh, song about the, the giant squid falling in love with the, with Hogwarts castle, um, I kind of did a voice like that <laugh>. Um, I, I tried to to imagine being a squid and how that would sound <laugh>. And then Ben’s favorite song is the one from the house elf’s, like Dobby’s point of view For that I also definitely did a different voice. Yeah. And then the worst of all for me was the song with Dumbledore and Grindlewald. I think that nearly broke me, that song <laugh>, because I was trying, the first time we tried it, I was trying to do two different voices and it just didn’t work. And then like, I did it normally, and then he just changed the voice and made it deeper and higher and yeah. I still can’t listen to that song. <laugh>
It sounds like this was a perfect melding of skills though.
Anne: Yeah.
And like maybe you learned a lot from it.
Anne: Oh, yeah. I, I definitely did. I think also I’m really proud of what we did. I, as I said to some songs, like, I still cringe a little bit because it’s just, yeah, I, and I remember how vulnerable I felt in that moment when we were recording them, but I’m really, I’m still really proud that we did that because it was just a lot of fun and I had a lot of fun hearing people react to it and talking to me about it. I mean, even my mom <laugh>, who doesn’t really speak English, she also listened to the whole album and yeah, it was just a lot of fun.
And when you did the, uh, Beste Freundin song.
Anne: Mm-hmm <affirmative>.
What was that process like? Was that completely different, or was it more familiar after the album?
Anne: That was really completely different because first of all, I’m still in shock even after nearly three years that we were asked to do that <laugh> because, you know, we, we just did this, did this as a fun idea as a onetime project, and we really didn’t think that anyone, apart from the people in my discord and, um, my friends that I already knew would listen to that. We really, we put it on Bandcamp because friends asked me to because they wanted to donate to it, because my idea was that I would donate the money. So that’s the whole reason why we put it on Bandcamp. And then suddenly actually people who didn’t know us started to listen. And that for me was mind blowing. Like, I really didn’t expect that. And then we got the first message, message about like, one of the songs going on to a compilation, and then we got asked to do a whole new song, and I was like, “why?” <Laugh>
Um, yeah. But I, I was really pleased. And, but the problem is I cannot write. Maybe I could, but I, at the moment, I can’t write music on my own and I don’t have the maybe time and also motivation, I guess, to learn that. And so Ben had to do it <laugh> and I, at first I didn’t know if he would do it, so I asked him, and yeah, he, he wrote this really great song and he, he said that he wanted it to sound like a garage pop rock song. Um, and, and he, he, he really wrote it really quickly. I was really surprised and I, I really liked it. And then I was like, “okay, now I have to write lyrics where I cannot use a text that is already there where I just have to reinterpret maybe the lyrics a little bit or use some of the parts that are already there.
I have to start from scratch.” And I asked my best friend if she wanted to help me because, you know, I, I always prefer working with other people. And so yeah, we asked her and we were jokingly calling her my Yoko Ono <laugh>. Um, and, and yeah. And then we started writing the song together. So we met one evening and we had a lot of fun and, and wrote the lyrics. And it also, it just came to us really quickly once we had figured out that we wanted to write about, um, about :avender and Parvati, then it was really quickly done. Yeah. And we sang it together also. It’s not just me singing, it’s also my best friend singing. Yeah. That was, again, vulnerable because now singing in front of two people, but we had the best time.
There are people still discovering wizard rock these days.
Anne: Mm-hmm <affirmative>.
And wanting to get into it, wanting to get involved, make their own songs.
Anne: Yeah.
What kind of advice might you have for them?
Anne: So my personal advice would be to do what I did and just like cover a song. You know, take a song that you really like, take the lyrics and just rewrite the lyrics. And I think that’s a good way to start because it takes some of the pressure of having to actually come up with music as well. Um, and it, it’s like instant gratification if you then can instantly start singing it. Um, I also asked Ben what he would say, because I think he might maybe knows more about like the music part of the whole thing. And he said that he would recommend to read a book by Jeff Tweedy from the band Wilco, and it’s called “How to Write One Song.” He says that like, really important parts of how to write a song are all in this book, and it’s a really good book.
And he also said that it’s a good idea to like watch videos or listen to interviews of musicians and listen to them talking about their process of making music. And he, he mentioned like, for example, if you watch the documentary, like one of the Beatles, um, documentaries, and you can see for example, how John Lennon is just like playing on his guitar and just humming to himself. And at some point what he’s playing sounds good and that’s just grows from there. And he also says that’s the way he, he has always written songs of just playing some chords in different versions and then listening if, if it sounds good or not. And he also said, because if you listen to “Beste Freundin,” it sounds, maybe some parts of it remind of, of other songs. And he said one of the songs that he, that he thought of when he started writing that songs was, um, “Cut Your Hair” by Pavement. And if you listen to that song, you, you know, these “woohoohoo” sounds, they’re like really similar to “Best Freundin.” And he says like, it’s a little bit like fan fiction, I guess. You have a song that you really like and that feels inspiring to you and you take parts of that song and make it your own. I think a lot of musicians do that, <laugh> and yeah, he said it’s a great way to, to start doing music.
That’s fantastic. Please tell Ben he has excellent advice <laugh>.
Anne: I will tell him, yeah. <laugh>,
How did you manage to get past the, like, the vulnerability, the anxiety to sing in front of people, to record yourself?
Anne: Mm, I think it’s about the people you do it with <laugh>, basically. So you know, Ben is like, yeah, I wouldn’t be with him if you were not the, a wonderful person <laugh>. And he just makes me laugh all the time, and he makes me feel really safe. And so I think it’s just a question of choosing the right people. It’s the same with with the Fanatical Fam for example. Like there are so many people there that just make me feel really safe and, and appreciated and wonderful. And I think, yeah, just find the right people. You know, for example, the fanfiction writing, I still feel sometimes weird about it because a lot of people that I know in my day-to-day life, they have never heard of fan fiction, especially in Austria, I guess. And sometimes I talk about it and then people look at me like, “What? What are you talking about?” <Laugh> But for example, Briar, my wonderful friend from the Fanatical Fics Discord, they are like just always cheerleading me. And they’re always like, “you go, you got this” <laugh>. And they’re reading all my stuff and, and always telling me that I’m wonderful. And yeah, just find the right people. Find your community.
Speaking of your fanfic, uh, what are you working on these days? What should my listeners be excited for, keeping an eye on?
Anne: <laugh> Um, I’m writing a, a longer fanfic at the moment about Ginny and Pansy <laugh> because I think they’re fun. So that’s my writing. But, um, apart from that, because you said in the beginning you, you know, we exploded onto the scene <laugh> and then we vanished. And I think the vanishing part is because I, I just have no time actually. It’s really difficult being an adult. <Laugh>, um, working and, um, I’m also in training to become a psychotherapist. So, you know, it’s, it’s a lot and I am not sure if we will ever do something like that again. Um, Ben today said maybe there should be a reboot of Voldi and the Morts, um, just younger and sexier <laugh>. Um, but um, yeah, maybe, maybe one day when we have time we will come up with something again, but I don’t know.
Yeah, maybe a future advent calendar, who can say?
Anne: Yeah, yeah, exactly. I think, I think I would need, um, a deadline <laugh> that always works for me and maybe a good occasion. Yeah.
It’s time for our last music break, so how about stretching to some music? Maybe “Headed to Hogwarts” by Catchlove?
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We just listened to Catchlove and “Headed to Hogwarts, “Potion Mixin’ Master” by Harry Slaughter, and “Wishes” from Obliviate! [lyrics].
And here’s the final bit of my conversation with Anne.
Thank you so much for talking with me today. This has been so much fun.
Anne: Thank you.
Where can WZRD listeners find you online?
Anne: So me personally, I’m not really online. I don’t have Instagram or anything else <laugh>, but you can find Voldi and tthe Morts on Bandcamp. And I, I also want to say that, um, sometimes we still keept to yeah, we still sometimes get a little bit of money from people buying the album. And first of all, I think it’s, I just wanna thank people who have ever spent even 1 cent on this <laugh>, um, crazy thing. But I also just wanted to tell people like, if you buy the album, I just want to assure you that we’re still donating the money, so we won’t keep a single cent. We’ll keep donating it, especially to organizations that support trans people, and also where you can, if you are interested to, to listen to band’s music. Um, his band, like his project is called Kanoi, so K-A-N-O-I. Yeah. And he’s on Spotify also and on BandCamp as well.
And now, magical friends: here’s Voldi & the Morts!
Anne: So here’s “Beste Freundin” by Voldi and the Morts <laugh>. And I wanted for you to listen to this because it features my best friend also who is the most wonderful person in the world. And because it’s an original song by my wonderful partner, Ben, and yeah, I think there should be more German wizard rock out there. So if any German speaking people are listening. go wrock.
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