The Obelisk Questionnaire is a series of open questions intended to give the answerer an opportunity to explore these ideas and stories from their life as deeply as they choose. Answers can be short or long, and that reveals something in itself, but the most important factor is honesty.

Based on the Proust Questionnaire, the goal over time is to show a diverse range of perspectives as those who take part bring their own points of view to answering the same questions. To see all The Obelisk Questionnaire posts, click here.

Thank you for reading and thanks to all who participate.

The Obelisk Questionnaire: John Vagenas of Naxatras & Ni Moya

—

How do you define what you do and how did you come to do it?

I am an artist, musician mainly but I have also worked in films, which was what I studied. Since an early age I deeply loved music and as a teenager I started playing music as well. My first serious contact was a school band formed by our biology teacher (who was a metalhead), in which I ended up playing bass, because there already were too many guitar players! Soon I started playing in bands, where we wrote our own stuff along with covers. During my first year at Film School I met our guitarist John Delias and we decided to jam and later form the band that became Naxatras, along our drummer Kostas Harizanis. From the first moment we knew this was something special, nine years later and we are still going. In my free time I am making electronic music as Ni Moya, under which I released my debut album in 2020.

Describe your first musical memory.

I have musical memories even from the time I was an infant, my sister was playing the piano and she was listening to bands like Nirvana too. I think this influenced me, I wanted to be like the long-haired cool friends of my sister. But my first major musical memory was the first time I watched Iron Maiden live with my father, it was a mind blowing experience that shaped me at the time.

Describe your best musical memory to date.

This is hard! Obviously there are many… Gig-wise I think it was when I watched Roger Water’s The Wall live in Athens, it was very emotional. I had a very beautiful experience at Ozora festival too, during an Ott set, I felt love for my friends, my family, myself, the world. There are many occasions of intense connection with people at concerts with the band, these moments are really hard to describe, but it’s very real and transcendental.

When was a time when a firmly held belief was tested?

I think it was when I experienced loss, once with my grandma’s passing and once when during a break-up, it’s in times like these where even if you are a positive, optimistic person, you feel that your previously solid ideas for the world and its meaning are not as strong and that life might indeed be devoid of meaning, negativity gets hold. But after you go through this, you are somehow fuller and you have a deeper understanding.

Where do you feel artistic progression leads?

Well, it depends. On a personal level, the more you master your art, the easier you’ll be able to create beautiful, unique things. You play with form until you hit some “sweet spots” that have a structure, a function and a meaning. If you mean the world, then I guess art is becoming more interactive, hopefully we will see new forms of art, that combine virtual reality, music, storytelling and who knows what else.

How do you define success?

Success is fulfilling what you set out to fulfil. For me it is creating things that I enjoy and that other people might enjoy as well. Even if just one person digs what I do, it’s success because it’s better than nothing!

What is something you have seen that you wish you hadn’t?

Gross stuff mostly!

Describe something you haven’t created yet that you’d like to create.

I would like to create an experience, where people would be able to enter a space specially designed to generate a unique feeling. Imagine an installation involving lights, projectors and props that combined with music from surround speakers, live or pre-recorded, will transfer people to a special place.

What do you believe is the most essential function of art?

Art is here make us feel love, to make us remember things we seem to forget in our everyday life and then get back in life with more honesty, happiness and energy.

Something non-musical that you’re looking forward to?

I’m really looking forward to the summer, just travelling around (hopefully, after all this time), sleeping on the beach and generally feel freedom again. And, of course, I’m looking forward to this whole pandemic thing ending, so we can have our concerts, our bars and our lives back!

https://www.facebook.com/naxatras/
https://www.instagram.com/naxatras/
https://naxatras.bandcamp.com/

Ni Moya, Ni Moya (2020)

Naxatras, Live Rituals at Gagarin 205 (2018)