Interview with Wagner Israel Cilio III

Wagner Israel Cilio is an unemployed 22-year-old short-story writer who lives in rural Arkansas in a garage that has been converted into a house. Wagner Israel makes music as 'No One Conquered, Wyoming' and tutors English and has a great degree of faith in humanity.

CONNOR TOMAS O'BRIEN: wagner israel cilio

WAGNER ISRAEL CILIO: connor o'brien

C: did you want to do an 'interview' now

W: 'sure'

C: 'great'

C: ok. what do you 'do with your time'

W: i am unemployed so there is a lot of time. i usually bike to the coffeeshop. i sometimes mow the lawn or weed eat, we live in the country and there is a lot of grass

C: is it your choice to be unemployed

W: no it is not by choice, i have a college degree. i would like to simply sustain myself and be able to have money to not worry about material things

C: i used to want to do that, i'm not sure about my 'ideals' at the moment

W: i have loose guidelines but nothing in stone. we live on a farm. or, i guess in the country

C: i would like to live in the country perhaps

W: do you feel you would change substantially if you moved away from where you live?

C: yes. i would probably feel very good, i like travel a lot

W: i do too, i traveled last summer a lot, i did a tour of homes all around the country

C: what does that mean?

W: well instead of playing music at a legitimate venue i chose to play in living rooms and garages. and the host would bring all his friends for the show and potluck

C: oh 'wow'

W: i feel very self-conscious about this question

C: when people ask about your music?

W: or about anything personal. which i think is why i began questioning you

C: yes i noticed that, i found it 'funny'

W: i must admit, i am working off a fit of "tipsiness" at the moment. i was quite drunk earlier but i had some 'bread'

C: i like your song 'abel' a lot

W: thank you. there was a time when i only wrote songs about people from the bible. i am not religious but i really enjoy the bible as literature

C: i am reading 'the book of mormon' and the new issue of 'vice magazine' simultaneously right now. how did you organise the house shows?

W: from couchsurfing.com

C: i think i would be very nervous

W: connor, i was very nervous. i sometimes have anxiety and having to be "friendly" to new hosts everyday was very draining. i was also nervous because i didn't know if i would have enough money to make it

C: how many people went to the house shows? i think the idea is 'amazing'

W: that depended on the host, sometimes they would forget until i showed up at the door. or sometimes they would be telling their friends for weeks. sometimes i would play to 7 people or sometimes 13 which is a very big number for me. i think the biggest show i played ever was probably 25 people

C: how did you come up with the idea?

W: i had to go to a wedding in california and decided to take the long way

C: do you consider yourself a 'writer' or a 'musician'

W: both i guess, both of them make me feel good. i used to sing hymns to my grandmother when i was little and i used to write little science books for children. i suddenly feel like this is worst interview ever. it's 3:30 in the morning and i am still drunk

C: this is a good interview

W: ok

C: what were you drinking

W: two 24 ozs of but i am embarrassed to say which beer because i will sound like a hipster and it was really just that the beer was on sale and the can looked pretty and the beer was pbr. there.

C: we don't have pbr in australia, why is it hipster

W: i really have no idea why, i just remember someone called me a hipster once when i was drinking it but it was very accusatory and it hurt my feelings. it's also very good for a 'low-brow' beer. and cheap

C: you are a hipster

W: i just watched my roommate leave for work

C: what does your roommate do

W: my roommate works at starbucks, he just moved here but i do not think that he likes it. this is a small town and yesterday he said "this town is full of hot dogs and i'm a t-bone steak". i laughed in his face but i don't think he got it

C: your roommate sounds like he is clint eastwood

W: yeah except he has too many hair care products to be tough

C: who are your favourite authors

W: william saroyan, woody allen, and northrop frye. ok. i am falling asleep. i will tell you everything now. and then i will sleep. when i write, i try to sound like laura ingalls wilder on valium. i dislike fetishizing depression. i am nervous about having an 'positions' on things because i am scared of being proved wrong. thank you for the interview. i will sleep now

C: yes sleep

W: ok