So here we are once again. Staring down the barrel of Vore/Gore. Only this time out we're going to be looking at one segment and one segment alone. Yummy Fur directed by White Gardenia. Unlike their segment in the previously released XXX: Dark Web, this segment has Daniel behind the camera as we focus on a woman in a dreary room, a stark contrast to the segments before and after Yummy Fur, another reason this segment stands out. She gives us a run down of her experiences with her blood drinking fetish and her prior involvements with White Gardenia. Accompanied to clips of segments of White Gardenia's prior shorts. Our actress begins to masturbate with a pair of scissors and ultimately cuts off part of her labia and eats it. That's pretty much it. Now to someone like me that doesn't get into this type of thing, blood play, self mutilation and the like, this is pure shock to me. However it's placement in the film, as previously stated, really does something for me. The segment before is 'Infernal Gluttony 2' by Patrick Fortin of Goriest Production. It's very colorful, and surreal and a little bit funny. The segment following Yummy Fur is 'Stretching' by Domiziano Cristopharo. It's the most toned down in terms of gore and shock. Smack dab in between these is this dark, very real and to the point segment. It almost serves as a reminder to the viewer that this is the type of thing that draws true inspiration for the writers who searches out the visually stunning as well as the thought provoking material in their own work. It really is a lot more than some girl cutting herself. I never got the impression that this was done strictly for shock value. That is why I was so pleased when Daniel reached out to me when I was asking around for people who might be interested in being interviewed.
For my full review on Vore/Gore go on ahead and click here to view it. Otherwise press on to read the interview I was able to do with Daniel of White Gardenia and learn more about why he does what he does. Also be on the look out for Vore/Gore soon to be released through TetroVideo.
Interview With Daniel Valient Of 'White Gardenia'
A few weeks ago I was asking around to see if anyone would happen to be interested in doing an interview with me. One of those people happened to be Daniel from White Gardenia and it couldn't have made me any happier to see him pop up in my inbox. Now I honestly knew nothing about them outside of this and XXX: Dark Web. After getting to know the man a little it really gave me a new point of view on their particular brand of art. They aren't here to simply shock us. They are here to get us thinking. Please read on and discover something about them and maybe yourself too.
Some Guy: Well first off, as someone brand new to your work and to your brand of artistic style what should we know about White Gardenia?
White Gardenia: Okay great question....I would say that people new to White Gardenia should know that we are an outgrowth of the Surrealist Movement of the 1920's and 30's. We draw heavy inspiration from people like Andre Breton, Jean Cocteau, Man Ray, Salvador Dali, Max Ernst, René Crevel etc etc...
Some Guy: Is it just a name you use for certain projects? Is it a group of likeminded individuals?
White Gardenia: Most everything that I do is put out under the name "White Gardenia," although I have collaborated with some other bands and filmmakers in the past (especially with the black metal band Geimhreadh). I would say that most people involved with the band have similar interests...although we might also have some minor disagreements (ie when it comes to political and/ or religious issues).
Some Guy: And where did the idea for the mysterious machine that is White Gardenia come from?
White Gardenia: The original idea of White Gardenia dates back to George Hodel and the “Flower Murders”. George Hodel (who is allegedly the White Gardenia murderer as well as the Black Dahlia murderer) represents this sort of Dark Side/ Qliphoth version of Surrealism. He viewed criminality as an artform...and so that's interesting to me. I'm interested in a theory of aesthetics that blurs the line between art and other more transgressive impulses.
Some Guy: It's such a refreshing take on violence. I've never been one to really see violence in surrealist art, not in any literal sense. How do you try and incorporate your love of that movement into your visual work?
White Gardenia: Well, I think that it was the leader of the Surrealist Group- Andre Breton who first proposed this idea of "Psychic Automatism". The idea that you should express your obsessions without paying any attention to aesthetic or moral concerns. I try to do that....although I suppose I follow certain rules without even realizing it.
Some Guy: Do you feel your visual work gets your message across to the more casual viewer of your work or do you feel it's more 'insiders only' knowledge?
White Gardenia: Well surrealists used dream logic and psychic automatism. And using those techniques, the message is definitely "Insiders only knowledge". In fact even the artist himself is generally unaware of the message. It all relates to this idea that the Surrealist had about expressing the subconscious. Y'know, painting a dream...or filming a dream...without even knowing what the dream means. But I do slip hidden messages into my films. I have snuck quantum physics equations disguised as chyrons into several films ("m.i.p.a.m.h" "teilhard de chardin" and the deleted scene in "XXX Dark Web"). And i have a very clear idea of why I want to put those equations in those particular films. So I suppose that would qualify as "insider only information".
Some Guy: So tell me a little about Cherokee. How did you two meet? I had read in a previous interview you had done that you said she was the strangest person you had ever met. Can you elaborate on that and does it still ring true? Has working with her given you any new ideas on how to show your work or is she more or less your ideal subject, your perfect blank canvas if you will?
White Gardenia: Well me and Cherokee had a mutual friend named Jeff Simpson. He was a Christian musician with a big local following (and he was also briefly in the pop group Metro Station). He gave me an instrumental song called "Rain" and Cherokee ended up doing the vocals. Yeah she's still the weirdest person I know....And if I had filmed behind the scenes footage of the night when we made "Yummy Fur" ...well it would be ten times stranger than the actual film. Do you want to hear a strange story about that night?....... Actually...After thinking about it I guess I can't tell that story LOL. I'll just tell you that Cherokee is a very strange person. "Yummy Fur" contains footage where Cherokee is masturbating with a pair of scissors, licking blood off the scissors and (Spoiler Alert for anyone who hasn't seen the film) using the scissors to cut off a tiny piece of her labia, but that doesn't even touch the surface of how much strange stuff is going on with Cher. And I'm not saying that in a pejorative way...In my world being strange is a good thing. So to answer your question- yes she is an ideal person to work with. But so is Allison. And I should also mention Corrine ( I forgot to mention her in that Severed Cinema interview that you just referenced). Some of the very first White Gardenia mutilation clips were made with Corrine (not her real name). She appeared in "white gardenia - ...while in the driver's seat" and "white gardenia - precursor to a mutilation". And she is an amazing and interesting person. We were even briefly engaged (before she came to her senses).
Some Guy: I do want to get into everything that is 'Yummy Fur' but you bringing up other, I'm not sure if I should refer to them as members? Featured artists? Collaborators? But regardless of their role in White Gardenia, how do new faces come about in your projects? I don't imagine there are people beating down your door to be a part of this, for various reasons, but also I get that your rather particular about who you bring in and for what project. Also I imagine, at least from other interviews you've done, that your goal isn't taking it to the final end. There is some safety involved in picking your co-artists I imagine. After all your canvas is your bodies, so I take it to create more you have no desire to see someone take away the ability to create with(dying).
White Gardenia: Well, as far as the people I work with...It's all people who I've encountered by chance....here in this relatively small area around Belgrade Montana. It does sometimes seem strange that I'm encountering girls who are open to this kind of stuff. I'd like to know what percentage of the general population is into these kinds of blood and mutilation fetishes. I think one factor is that Montana is a lot more violent place than people might realize. We have the highest suicide rate in the country... we have really high rates of depression and mental illness...We have the most alcohol related car wrecks and drunk driving fatalities....And all of us...everyone involved with White Gardenia... have lived in or around Montana for most of their lives. So on some level, that must be a factor...Like maybe self-mutilation is a sublimation of that suicidal impulse. I'm not really sure?
As to the second question- No I don't want to take it to the final end, at least not until a safe and effective way to be resurrected has been perfected by my scientist friends.
Some Guy: So Vore/Gore. The monster forthcoming from that portal of hell known as TetroVideo. When you were approached about joining the project, was the idea for Yummy Fur already there? And the lovely Cherokee, was she everything you hoped to capture with your guys' segment? What kind of feedback have you both received about it?
White Gardenia: Well, one thing about White Gardenia's films is that...in the past... everything has been DIY. Because, besides directing most of the films, I've also had to star in them and do the lighting and framing and all of that stuff. And because I'm documenting real mutilations there are no second takes...everything has to be done in one take. So we can't make adjustments to make the lighting more perfect or to make the stars look more perfect. Once a scene has been shot, it's all over and we're stuck with that take. And our segment for XXX Dark Web really suffered because of that...specifically during the finger amputation scene, I was so preoccupied with how I would amputate the finger and how much force would I need to go thru the bone etc etc...Y'know I couldn't really focus on the technical stuff like the lighting and the sound and stuff like that. So when Domiziano approached me about Vore/ Gore, I wanted to let someone else star in the segment, so that I could focus exclusively on the directing. I had two different ideas of how to do this, both of which fell through. The second idea for "Yummy Fur"....was actually more relevant to the premise of the anthology, because it would have involved a third person... a man who was going to perform violent (but consensual) oral sex on Cherokee...he would have drawn blood with his teeth and and then he would have bitten off a small piece of her Labia which would go back and forth between his mouth and her mouth. But that approach fell through at the very last minute. So Cherokee and I decided to stick with that same fantasy (that idea of being "eaten out" in a literal sense) but we decided to approach it as a masturbatory act that would escalate in an act of auto-cannibalism... and so that's what happened. As far as the feedback...the responses from those who have seen the footage is pretty mixed. Some people are completely disgusted but other people seem to understand what we're going for. I personally think it turned out really, really well....and that's mostly because of Cherokee's dedication. Not only did she do all of the dangerous stuff in front of the camera...she had a ton of behind-the-scenes ideas about framing and make-up and all sorts of stuff. So I happily gave her a co-directing credit....and I actually think that if she ever wanted to pursue it, she would make an amazing director (not that I'm any sort of expert...)
Some Guy: What sort of ideas did she have in mind? I imagine a lot of fans would be greatly interested in knowing her capabilities behind the scenes. Had she done anything prior to Yummy Fur? Do you have plans for her in future White Gardenia projects?
White Gardenia: Oh yeah definitely....I'd love to keep working with both Cherokee and Allison. Cherokee has appeared in a bunch of White Gardenia clips...She appeared in "White Gardenia - Blood is Sweeter than Honey" and "White Gardenia - Mobius Strip" and "Lilacs Girl" and "Blood and Tears" and probably a bunch of others that I cant remember. As far as her ideas...it was stuff like putting her leg up on the chair....and other things that didn't seem important at the time, but in retrospect turned out to be really important. lt's also worth noting that Cherokee only appears in XXX Dark Web for a couple minutes....but she did a ton of the behind the scenes technical stuff. She's actually doing most of the filming. Some of the best camera work in that film is because of Cherokee and her, I guess you could say "unconventional" approach to cinematography. There is a really important scene where we are all in the bathroom....and Cherokee is holding the camera....She knows that it is really important because there is only one camera and we can only shoot it once, cuz I'm about to stab myself in the shoulder. But right after I have stabbed myself I look up at Cherokee and she has put the camera in her mouth, and has both of her hands on her crotch (either masturbating or pretending to masturbate). When I see this I can't believe my eyes, because I am already bleeding out and there is no way to say "cut" or to try and pause the action. So she is filming the sequence with the camera in her mouth and me and Allison just have to keep going and hope for the best. But the irony is that the footage Cherokee shot with her "Mouth Cam" is easily some of the best footage in XXX Dark Web. That entire sequence where Allison is drinking my blood in the bathroom is my very favorite sequence and in no small part because of how Cherokee filmed it (including doing unconventional angles, turning the camera sideways and other stuff that I never would have done...)
Some Guy: So what are your plans in the upcoming year? Do you have any plans on making a full feature or do you feel your work is better suited for anthologies?
White Gardenia: Um well I have one big upcoming project that I'm still preparing for...Besides that I have been trying to make this film about the crucifixion of Christ....It would kind of kind of combine the story from The Gospel of Matthew with some other elements like Quantum Theory and Hans Moravec's Simulation Theory. I want to try and film it like the 1950's Biblical epics (like "David and Bathsheba" with Susan Hayward or "Ten Commandments") or the Biblical paintings of Warner Sallman... lots of flowers and stuff. I would prefer to just direct that one, but I'll probably end up playing Christ as well...because it will require real violence--- nails being hammered through my hands and stuff like that. However if anyone reading this wants to play Christ (and lives in the Montana area) please contact me. Also anyone who knows a really good filter that can make video look like 1950's Technicolor....please hit me up as well. My e-mail address is whitegardenia1955@gmail.com Oh also, me and Allison filmed a lot of custom made porn films over the last year and a half. Especially at the height of Covid, a lot of people were commissioning us to make clips (some of which are posted on our XVideos page) Now that the Trump era is over, I'm trying to get away from the porno stuff...but anyone who's interested in commissioning a mutilation or bloodplay clip, please contact me at that same address - whitegardenia1955@gmail.com
Some Guy: So in a prior short you did for TetroVideo you cut your finger off. I'm curious if you're familiar with the Preston Anthony Hyde case? He is a friend of mine who got in a lot of trouble for a similar thing. And during that scene you have spoken about a vision you had, do you go to the same state of mind when watching these things happen? For instance when filming Yummy Fur, or do you find your very much aware and in the moment when filming?
White Gardenia: No I had never heard of his case....that's an interesting story....Id almost like to talk to your friend. It sounds like they got in trouble because they had to go to the ER. A friend of mine was almost committed for doing something similar. I knew I would never go to the hospital, but I was lucky cuz my friend Chris is a Med Student. But he's also a Satanist so he's super open minded. So for the next week or two after I chopped it off I would stop by Wal-Mart (he was working the night shift there in addition to Med School) and get advice on how to treat the finger. But anyways, before I had filmed XXX Dark Web, I studied a few different people who had cut off their fingers....Its actually pretty common. One of the best ones I ever saw was this Asian fellow who cut off two or three fingers at once. For some reason, there are also a lot of businessmen who cut off their fingers to protest (what they perceive to be) unfair legal decisions. One Portuguese guy named Silva cut off his finger right in the courtroom....But it didn't seem like anyone cared lol. I guess that cutting off your finger is so common that no one even cares anymore. Like I think Johnny Depp even cut off his finger...LOL! Yeah as far as the hallucination.... that happened while we were getting ready to eat the finger. And it was a very clear and very vivid hallucination wherein I saw Santa Claus (or some kind of older "Father Christmas" type iteration of Santa Claus). There seem to be a lot of Synchronicities involving Santa Claus. I was aware of the ways in which St Nicholas, Odin, Good King Wenceslas and various other figures had fed into the story of Santa. But what really surprised me was this-- several months after the hallucination, I was discussing the incident with the artist Erica Frevel (who's also an occultist) and she informed me that Odin's followers used to perform blood offerings as part of their rituals. This completely blew me away... because when I first saw the hallucination it seemed totally random, But if Santa Claus and Odin are actually the same person (as many historians claim) then it seems as if we might have accidentally summoned Santa Lol. Or at least a kinder, gentler Christianized form of Odin. In actuality, I'm a very skeptical person...and its probably just a coincidence. But I do love Santa Claus....so id love it if he turned out to be real. As far as experiencing stuff like that while making other films....No not really....I think there was a pretty logical explanation for why I hallucinated during that particular shoot was ...Y'know I had just lost so much blood...I think that's all it really was. But at the same time I'm not completely opposed to the idea that there is some supernatural component to reality. I have experienced a couple things that definitely verge on the supernatural.
Some Guy: Well Daniel, I have to say this has been a very cool experience for me. You've really opened my eyes to a new visual world and now when I see videos that mimic your personal brand of entertainment I'll be able to see past the inital shock of it all. Is there anything else you'd like us to know about any upcoming projects? Or any parting words of wisdom?
White Gardenia: Thanks alot... this has been a great conversation. And "Some Guy's Horror Blog" is an awesome blog... thanks for letting us be involved.
Hmmm.... as far as upcoming projects.... There are a few interesting projects in the works.... but I shouldnt talk about them just yet. I do hope that everyone will order a copy of Vore/ Gore when it comes out. IMDB says that its coming out April 19th but I'm not sure if that's accurate. In the meantime the XXX Dark Web Standard Edition is still available to order from Tetro Video.com ( https://tetrovideo.com/shop/xxx-dark-web-standard-edition/ )
Oh also, the great horror writer, Magnus Blomdahl, is devoting a chapter of his upcoming book to White Gardenia. His last book "True Horror" included interviews with Marian Dora, Nick Palumbo, Joel M. Reed and other luminaries from the world of underground horror....so we're very pleased to be included with such great company. Hmmm other than that, you can visit the White Gardenia FilmFreeway.com page at https://filmfreeway.com/danielvalient Most (but not all) of our short films are posted there....
Anyways I think thats about it...thanks again.... its been a lot of fun my friend.
And there you have it folks. A little insight into White Gardenia. Check out all the links provided below to get your blood fix. Trust me. I'm Some Guy
To purchase Vore/Gore when it's released or for any other TetroVideo releases go to their page - TetroVideo
White Gardenia's Youtube Channel - White Gardenia Music
White Gardenia's Film Freeway Page - White Gardenia Videos
White Gardenia's Homepage - Mutilation Theater
For another great interview with Daniel that was done with the folks over at Severed Cinema go ahead and click HERE
