Father Sebastiaan is the man putting the bite into Club AntiChrist’s fangtastic September 2nd party, Night of the Vampires. Author, fangsmith, ghost walk guide, magazine publisher and club promoter in his own right, the Paris-based New York-native boasts a list of skills and achievements so long that only a bite from a real immortal bloodsucker could explain how he’s found the time to master the lot. In this interview the good Father recalls how he was first bitten by the vamp bug, and reveals what AntiChrist’s patrons are in store for this Friday.
Well, Father Sebastiaan, for those who don’t know, can you tell us a bit about yourself and your history?
Greetings and thank you for having me. Well that is a long story… People generally know me as the Impresario of the Endless Night Vampire Ball, the author of Sanguinomicon, Vampyre Magick and Vampyre Almanac / Magazine (1997-2006), but for the most part most part I am a Master Fangsmith. A fangsmith makes custom made fangs; this is part craft, part art and part love.
Since I was little my mother and I would bond and watch vampire and spooky movies and I always wanted the romantic image of the vampire to come to life. My family is well situated in the dental field with my grandfather and aunt being dentists., I always thought of having fangs and asked my grandfather to make me some and he never would. Then for my high school prom my girlfriend and I got fangs, this was 1993. It was in the legendary Limelight club in NYC where I got my start, making fangs and throwing parties for my customers. Oh and my first customer was my mom on Christmas 1994 for fangs!
Since then I have travelled the world making fangs and throwing parties, which have evolved into a worldwide duality of events known as the Endless Night Vampire Balls, taking place mainly in New Orleans and Paris. We have thrown balls in NYC, Amsterdam and Miami with plans for special event Endless Nights in Venice for Carnival in the future and London for December 2012. Of course the granddaddy of all Vampire Balls is our New Orleans Halloween event.
You’re now based in Paris - what projects are you involved in there?
Of course I am here making fangs at New Rock France but my main business is running the Mysteries of Paris Ghost Walking Tour and of course the Endless Night Paris Vampire Ball Paris Edition every April.
The Ghost Tour of Paris started when I was curious about finding a tour like this in Paris and I didn’t find anything! I began my own research and put up a little website and suddenly a rush of interest came in! With my connections from making fangs it lead me to settling as a resident here. The best part is I feel revitalized again with creativity and inspiration, using my American spirit and enjoying the fruits of European and French culture which I am so seduced by and fond of.
Tell us about your Sabretooth prosthetic fangs. What kind of people buy them? Are they expensive? Are they painful or uncomfortable to wear?
Fangs by Father Sebastiaan (AKA Sabretooth Fangs) are prosthetic fangs, which I use dental and SFX techniques to craft. You need no adhesives, it is a non-permanent body art., The kind of people who buy them are incredibly diverse and agree they love them. I made fangs for everyone from hippies to lawyers for presidents, to corporate executives to Midwest USA house moms to police (lots of cops) to dominatrixes….. to Missy from AntiChrist and people just like those who come to AC!
The fangs are made from the best dental acrylics on the market. Being a former dental technician I ensure these fangs have a mix of special effects and dental quality to them. So I based most of my styles on what people can identify with and understand; the cinema. My “Traditional” styles are Lilith (on the lateral teeth) and Classics (on the canine teeth), but I also do “Deluxe” styles, which include Lost Boys, Interview, Beasts, Brooklyn, Raptors, Fierce Classics & Liliths (very long), Nosferatu, Underworld, Lycan and a whole variety of custom styles.
The fangs are made from dental quality acrylics, the same used to make dentures and temporary crowns / bridges. Each is hand carved and colour matched your teeth very well, with a usual lifespan of 2-3 years if you take care of them and follow my aftercare guidelines. The best part is they usually do not require adhesives and they are great as a sex toy, costume, conversation starter and people always want to know what it is like to kiss with them in.
My prices vary depending on where I am making the fangs generally. They are basically priced per pair with Traditional style fangs starting at $99 plus tax in the USA, or €99 include VAT in Europe. However for the UK I am only asking for £66.60 - which is a discount on my normal price but I believe it to be fair for the British market. Often other fangsmiths and dentists are known to charge much more for than that and have much less special training and hands on experience with dealing with clients. Of course you need to be 18+ to get fangs made, or 16 with parental permission - very much like a tattoo or body mod - but the difference is you can take them off and put them back on again!
For more details about my fangs please visit my website www.fathersebastiaan.com
Do you have anything special planned for AntiChrist‘s ‘Night of the Vampires‘?
We have three major things going on, besides me making fangs in the VIP Vampyre Lounge…
The Red Veils; First is the release of my new book entitled ‘Vampyre Virtues; the Red Veils’, which describes the various empowering aspects of the modern vampire mythos and how they apply to real life. One person described this book as “The Secret” with fangs, it includes descriptions of 100 “Virtues” including romance, mystery, immortality, primal nature, secrecy, empowerment, love and seduction.
The Red Mass is a performance ceremony, inspired by old rituals, which will celebrate the Red Veils and be very entertaining to watch. I will be joined by two of my fang clients Joseph and Elodie of Paris whilst we weave a ceremony to consecrate and present the Red Veils to the world. This is not a religious ceremony and it will be very interactive for those who wish to see it.
Finally I am presenting the new Vampire Girl of the UK. We have chosen a beautiful role model of vampire aesthetics who is one of my fang clients. She has won a modelling contract for a photoshoot and a free pair of fangs.
Finally, what are your future plans and projects. What’s in store on the next Paris weekend?
First and foremost, the Paris Vampire Weekend of events is in April 2012. It will mainly be centred around the Endless Night Vampire Ball in April, 2012 and of course DJs D.Void and Caroline Rae Vain are invited to return as they rocked the French! We are working on fashion shows, aerial acrobats, belly dancers, fire shows and all the great stuff which I always wanted to do in New Orleans.
So that is all of it in a nutshell. If you need more information please visit me at www.fathersebastiaan.com or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/fathersebastiaan
