Rant Rant Rant

HAGEN ENGLER

Interviewed by Michelle McGrane


The brief biography at the beginning of Hagen Engler’s novel, ‘Buttons for Gaia’, reports that he “has worked as a journalist, travelled as a surfer, and posed as a rock star.” He describes himself as “a word mechanic. A grease monkey in the workshop of verbal wizardry. A mechanic with a flair for occasional artistry, just like his dad.”

What's the biggest misconception about you, Hagen?
I don’t mind. If people care enough to actually hold any opinion about me, then I’m thrilled. However, there’s a lady in Australia who remains convinced that I slept with her blue-haired, 19-year-old younger sister in 1995. If I could take a polygraph on that one I would. But for the record, I did not. She left us in a room together for a few minutes and all we did was chat. Honest. I think the sister might have misinformed her.

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That's ME he's talking about!! This guy is the older brother of a S. African high school friend of mine, Brigitte, and I had the most overcoming crush on him for ever. When the family went back to visit in '97 we had a 'moment', a set-up-by-the gods kinda 'moment', and a coupla days later he came up to see us in Knysna, with Brigitte and her boyfriend. We were awkward as hell with each other, and he turned his golden attention to Jess, which KILLED me.

It took a year or more for me to tell him on email how upset it'd made me, and he's obviously STILL thinking about it! I haven't for years!

It is a very cool and exciting thing to read that sort of 'apology' in a magazine, in an interview with a semi-famous guy, who still cares, after all these years, that I not think wrong of him.

I may be reforming my crush. He is really the only man I'd flip for.

And I'd flip in a moment.

A tenth part of a moment.

You hear me, boy?