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Saints Alive >
Celebrity Interviews
I met up with Richard Gere look-alike Josef Brown at the
café at The Wharf in Sydney – home of Graeme Murphy's Sydney
Dance Company. Josef has been dancing with the Sydney Dance
Company for the past 3 years and before that he was a soloist
with the Australian Ballet for 6 years. He's also a committed
member of Animal Liberation.
Josef is 30 years old, (but looks 22) he's 6 feet tall
(183cm), extremely fit and healthy and he's been vegetarian
for 7 years. I found him to be a totally down to earth guy
because I must confess that I was a bit nervous about meeting
him. I had a stupid preconceived notion that he might be a bit
'stuck up' or 'arty farty' .... but he was nothing like that
and he very quickly put ME at my ease! He was very articulate
and very chatty – in fact I could barely get a word in – which
is highly unusual for The Birdster!!! |
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Interview by June Bird, April 2000.
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| June: |
It's great to hear that you're a
vego Josef – but what about veganism? |
| Josef: |
Yes, that's the next step for me
definitely. I haven't drunk any milk for years let's put it
that way, and I love my rice milk! I just care for animals so
much that I would do almost anything to raise the awareness in
people about the unnecessary suffering of animals. |
| June: |
We're all conditioned to live and eat a
certain way – my father was a butcher when I was growing up so
meat and two veggies was my staple diet. Sunday was a big
roast day and we all looked forward to it. I've been
vegetarian for 13 years now and my Dad still can't see what
I'm yammering on about! He'll never change – my mother has
come around though. But I came to see that eating animals was
wrong and I have had to discipline myself. |
Josef taking time out from rehearsals to have a
chat. |
| Josef: |
Exactly. Some people just say "I can't do it"
and that's that .... umm .... maybe they could try harder! A
lot of people seem to struggle with what I call 'the seafood
issue'. They just can't seem to give up their prawns and
lobsters etc. My girlfriend is one of them but I don't push it
– she'll just come to her own conclusions in her own
time. |
| June: |
Have you noticed that just about everybody says
"But I don't eat MUCH meat!" |
| Josef: |
Ha ha ... yes .... people do say that don't
they! |
| June: |
Gee – you look so sickly and undernourished
Josef it's a wonder you have the strength to even pull on your
leotard! Nah, only kidding, you look so incredibly fit and
healthy – seems like the vego diet is doing you a power of
good. Do you take vitamin supplements? |
| Josef: |
No way! Why would anybody need to? Being
vegetarian is totally natural and if you eat correctly you
don't need any supplements at all. You don't need extra iron
or protein – or anything, that's ridiculous. I'm in good shape
and I work hard with my body – my diet is perfect for athletes
– I suppose I consider myself an athlete – and there are so
many top athletes that are vego these
days. |
| June: |
Do you keep your animal rights beliefs quiet or are you
'out there' promoting the compassionate way to live? |
| Josef: |
I am constantly doing "press" stuff and always try to push
the vegetarian issue, though sadly and unbelievably – it
rarely comes to print at the end of the day. I was greatly
influenced by Professor Peter Singer and became vege for
ethical reasons. The bottom line here is – if I could be of
any help promoting the vegetarian cause I would love to do so.
I just did a photo shoot for a top Australian magazine and I
made sure that my book 'Ethics Into Action' was lying across
my chest! |
| June: |
So what 'turned you' ... what helped you decide that you'd
eaten your fair share of animals? |
| Josef: |
I was walking out of a supermarket one day in Melbourne
and I came across a stall where some people were handing out
leaflets and selling animal rights stuff – books and whatnot.
So I bought a few books and that put the seal on it for me ...
I just decided there and then that I wasn't going to be a part
of the cruelty anymore. For instance, nowadays when I am
watching a sheep truck going past I feel that I'm watching
something from the holocaust – whereas before I wouldn't have
thought anything at all – it was just ... .a sheep truck going
past. I have changed so much in every way since I altered my
diet. There are so many things that we use animals for –
things that we take for granted – and suddenly you start to
see things in a completely different light. |
| June: |
Any trouble finding good vego food either here or
overseas? |
| Josef: |
No, no trouble at all really. Though it used to be hard,
people would look at you strangely when you asked for
vegetarian food – now it seems that every menu in every
restaurant has a list of good vege fare. But when I travel,
which is nearly 8 months of the year, I have found that it can
be really hard in some Asian countries. I actually learnt how
to ask for vegetarian food in a Chinese, Burmese and Turkish.
Just don't ask me what they are now – because I can't
remember! |
| June: |
Have you got friends and family that are
vegetarians? |
| Josef: |
A few of my friends have turned vege and so has my
girlfriend. I'm also very happy to say that my mother and
brother have also now 'turned'! I don't ram it down anyone's
throat, I just like to show by example. I did though, show
them a couple of books and they decided to read them to see
where I was coming from – and I'm very happy to say that they
changed their outlook completely. |
| June: |
What about attending BBQs? I ask this question because in
Australia we love our BBQs but it's a party atmosphere where
copious amounts of burnt steaks and sausages are consumed!
It's a sort of Aussie ritual isn't it – where carnivores stand
gleefully grilling the charred bodies of animals! |
| Josef: |
I go to quite a few BBQs but I always take my own
vegetable patties .... so I don't have problems there at all!
I am always amused when I see people raving how much they love
animals or how much they love lambs for example while tucking
into a lamb roast! |
| June: |
Yes! When people say to me "I love lambs!", I reply "What
... with mint sauce?!" |
| Josef: |
Mind you I never talk about my beliefs at the dinner table
anymore! If people want to talk about vegetarianism, which
they invariably do when they see what I'm eating – I just say
"Can we talk about it after dinner?" – it just ends up ruining
MY meal if I have to get into a big discussion about
it. |
| June: |
Having any problems getting rid of your leather gear? I
just bought a pair of black PVC trousers and they look great –
luckily plastic is really 'in' now and as a woman I don't have
any problems buying non-leather alternatives when it comes to
shoes and handbags etc. |
| Josef: |
The only problem I have is with parting with my
motorcycle jacket. I have an old leather jacket which I intend
to wear until it falls apart – and I do know that you can buy
great non-leather shoes but at the moment I'm just wearing
canvas and rubber tennis shoes which are really comfortable
and they suit me just fine. I also just bought a doona for my
bed and I specifically looked for one that didn't contain
feathers – I found there are lots on the market so really
there's no need for anyone to use animals in any way
whatsoever. |
| June: |
What about cute 'n' furry friends ... do you have any? You
can see that I'm owned by cats ... look at the scratches on my
hand!! |
| Josef: |
No, no pets at this stage in my life I'm not able to look
after an animal as I travel so extensively .... even a plant
would die with my lifestyle at the moment! My father lives
near the bush and he has possums that come onto his verandah
every night and they're great ... they just take the bread out
of your hand, gently curl their tails around your finger then
go back into the trees when they've had enough of you! That's
what I'd like; not to own an animal, but to live somewhere
where wild animals, kangaroos and wombats etc, come to eat
some of your food occasionally but then go when they want to.
Wombats in particular – I love 'em! |
| June: |
Zoos, animals in circuses – what's your thoughts on
these? |
| Josef: |
Oh they're both terrible and totally redundant nowadays.
There's just no need whatsoever for zoos for instance. I mean,
if you want to look at a wild animal go on a safari – or go
and see a movie or look in a book. To keep an animal in a cage
or enclosure for our pleasure is just totally wrong – outdated
and cruel – a thing of the past and not a thing of the future.
I went to the zoo in China the last time I was there and it
was appalling. All of these magnificent animals suffering from
'Zoochosis' ... they were just swaying and walking backwards
and forwards – in a stupor – they'd gone totally crazy. |
| June: |
So we can see little vegetarian or vegan Brown children at
some stage? |
| Josef: |
I would definitely bring my kids up to be vegetarian or
vegan. There's no doubt in my mind about that. It's the right
way to live and I would want that for them – absolutely. |
| June: |
Will I be seeing you at an animal rights protest in the
near future? |
| Josef: |
Oh yeah, you sure will! It's not something that I've had a
lot of time to do in the past but I know that I've got to get
out there and make my presence felt. |
| June: |
What's the main thing you want to tell people
about being vegetarian, about being compassionate towards our
friends in the animal kingdom? |
| Josef: |
It's necessary – it's definitely the future – it's got to
be an inevitable part of the human species if we're going to
survive well on this planet, and it's not as hard as you
think. Going vegetarian really ISN'T difficult at all. That
slaughtering animals for food or clothing etc. is wrong, that
going vegetarian is just the right and proper way to live,
that it's extremely healthy for you, that you'll have more
energy plus you'll also be helping the planet.
People who say they're environmentalists make me laugh –
you just CAN'T be if you're part of the destruction of it –
and raising cattle instead of crops is certainly not the way
to go. |
| June: |
Thanks Josef ... great to meet you – and please,
please keep spreading the vego message far and wide. |
| Josef: |
Yes, I'll certainly do that! |
 Josef Brown – Body Of
Work
1989 - International Opera Company
1990 - The Australian
Ballet Company
1994 - Promoted Soloist
1995 - The multi-media
production, "In the Body of the Son". Darwin
1996 - Modern Dans
Toplulugu. Ankara-Turkey
1997 - Sydney Dance Company
Principal Roles
"Onegin" in
Onegin, Lescaut in "Manon", Pinkerton in "Madam Butterfly",
Soldier/Lover in "Nutcracker", Danilo in "The Merry Widow", John the
Baptist in "Salome", The Prince in "Beauty and the Beast", Jardi
Tancat, In the Middle Somewhat Elevated, Las Hermanas.
Nominated
in the "Best Male Dancer" category in the 1999 Green Room Awards.
Choreographic
Created "3 +
Distraction" for an Australian Ballet Workshop. Created "Hala" for a
Sydney Dance Company workshop. Created "The Step Beyond Dreaming"
for the C.G. Jung Society.
What's critics have said about Josef's
performances
"Josef Brown's strongly athletic grace is evident even in moments
of stillness."
– Jenny Stevenson The Dominion New Zealand
"More than anyone else Brown had grasped that Cranko tells the
story, conveys the emotions of his characters through every inch of
the body, at every moment of the piece."
– Michelle Potter Dance
Australia
"The brutal sharpness of Brown's movements convey a real sense of
menace."
– Daily News Ankara. Turkey
"Only the darkly handsome Brown, who is eaten up with frustration
and rejected love looks as if he is being swayed by dangerous
passions."
– Judith Mackrall The Independant London
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