Hermes Phettberg is an Austria

Austria

Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...

n artist, comedian, actor, author and talk show host. His nom de plume is taken from the ancient Greek god Hermes

Hermes

Hermes is the great messenger of the gods in Greek mythology and a guide to the Underworld. Hermes was born on Mount Kyllini in Arcadia. An Olympian god, he is also the patron of boundaries and of the travelers who cross them, of shepherds and cowherds, of the cunning of thieves, of orators and...

.

Early life and career

Phettberg grew up in the village of Unternalb near Retz

Retz

Retz is a town with a population of 4,168 in the district of Hollabrunn in Lower Austria, Austria.- Geography :Retz is located in the north western Weinviertel in Lower Austria. The municipality's area covers 45,01 km². 11.83 percent of this area is forested...

 in a family of winegrowers

Winemaking

Winemaking, or vinification, is the production of wine, starting with selection of the grapes or other produce and ending with bottling the finished wine. Although most wine is made from grapes, it may also be made from other fruit or non-toxic plant material...

. Following a brief stint as a bank clerk and continued education, he became assistant vicar with the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Vienna.

In the mid-eighties, he was co-founder of the groups Libertine Sadomasochismusinitiative Wien and of project Polymorph Perverse Klinik Wien.

1990s

Beginning in 1991, he participated in productions of the theatre group Sparverein Die Unz-Ertrennlichen.

In 1992, Phettberg began writing the column "Phettbergs Predigtdienst" (Phettberg's sermon

Sermon

A sermon is an oration by a prophet or member of the clergy. Sermons address a Biblical, theological, religious, or moral topic, usually expounding on a type of belief, law or behavior within both past and present contexts...

) for the weekly Vienna magazine Falter

Falter

Falter is a weekly magazine published in Vienna, Austria.Founded in 1977, it is published weekly on Wednesdays. Since Spring 2005 a local edition has also been published in Styria. The magazine reports from a broadly left-liberal perspective on politics, media, culture and the life...

. The column is written in the form of a sermon, building upon the scripture passages for each respective Sunday in the Catholic liturgical year

Liturgical year

The liturgical year, also known as the church year, consists of the cycle of liturgical seasons in Christian churches which determines when feast days, including celebrations of saints, are to be observed, and which portions of Scripture are to be read. Distinct liturgical colours may appear in...

. After a health-related hiatus (see below), he resumed writing in early 2007.
From November 12, 1994 and throughout 1995, he was the host of the ORF

ORF (broadcaster)

Österreichischer Rundfunk, ORF, is the Austrian national public service broadcaster.Funded from a combination of a television licence fees and revenue from limited on-air advertising, ORF is the dominant player in the Austrian broadcast media...

 talk show Phettbergs Nette Leit Show, which featured interviews with primarily Viennese celebrities, scientists, and people from exotic occupation groups. The opening question for the guests, "Frucade oder Eierlikör?" (Frucade

Frucade

Frucade is a soft drink created in 1953 in Rosenheim, Bavaria by Adalbert Conrads and Karl Grün. It is a carbonated orange drink, with a slight taste of exotic fruits.For many Austrians, the rather distinct shape of the glass bottle is a childhood memory....

 or eggnog) became well-known and was also used as the title of a book featuring excerpts from interviews during the show's run.

When ORF broadcast 19 episodes of the show from June 1995 to April 1996, Phettberg quickly gained fame with a larger audience in Austria as well as Germany and Switzerland, owing to his unconventional questions and the relentless presentation of his own problems, sexual phantasies, and celebration of gaps in his general education.

A draft résumé from 1999 translates as: "Am pornographer, columnist and wreck. Would like to talk."

2000s

In 2000, Phettberg pioneered internet broadcasting with a weekly show, in which he delivered his Phettberg's sermon column while being bonded

Bondage (BDSM)

Bondage is the use of restraints for the sexual pleasure of the parties involved. It may be used in its own right, as in the case of rope bondage and breast bondage, or as part of sexual activity or BDSM activity.- Private bondage :...

 and whipped

Sadism and masochism

Sadomasochism broadly refers to the receiving of pleasure—often sexual—from acts involving the infliction or reception of pain or humiliation. The name originates from two authors on the subject, Marquis de Sade and Leopold von Sacher-Masoch...

.

In March 2001, together with Thomas Holzinger, he produced a full week, or 168 hours of continuous live internet broadcast, during which Phettberg was guarded in the prison of the so-called Arche Phettberg (also the title of the show) by half-naked young men in blue jeans.

Also in 2001, he appeared as himself in the TV documentary Gipfeltreffen - Hermes Phettberg trifft Helge Schneider

Helge Schneider

Helge Schneider is a German comedian, jazz musician and multi-instrumentalist, author, film and theatre director, and actor....

by Roger Willemsen

Roger Willemsen

Roger Willemsen is a German author, essayist and TV presenter.-Biography:Willemsen was born and passed his Abitur in Bonn, Germany. He studied German philology/studies , philosophy and history of art in Bonn, Munich and Vienna and was awarded a scholarship by the "Evangelisches Studienwerk"...

.

In 2003 and 2004, Austrian terrestrial TV station ATVplus featured him in a show called Beichtphater

Confessor

-Confessor of the Faith:Its oldest use is to indicate a saint who has suffered persecution and torture for the faith, but not to the point of death. The term is still used in this way in the East. In Latin Christianity it has come to signify any saint, as well as those who have been declared...

 Phettberg, produced and directed by his recurring team of artist companions: Thomas Holzinger, Mandy E. Mante and Paul Poet.

Since then, Phettberg has participated in a variety of artistic and public sexual performances, as well as in numerous talk shows. He is also presently a proponent for the foundation of a "Hochschule

Hochschule

Hochschule is a German term with two meanings.The literal meaning of the word Hochschule is “high school” which is not appropriate as a translation.- Generic term :...

 für Pornographie und Prostitution".

Kurt Palm did a documentary about and with Phettberg in 2007, "Hermes Phettberg - Elender" (Hermes Phettberg - Miserable). The documentary revolves around Phettbergs stroke as well about Phettbergs childhood and early life, trying to explain his interest in sadomasochism and his chronic depression.

Health issues

On October 23, 2006, Phettberg suffered a stroke

Stroke

A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...

, followed by another shortly after. His condition and the subsequent long therapy and rehabilitation

Stroke rehabilitation

The primary goals of stroke management are to reduce brain injury and promote maximum patient recovery. Rapid detection and appropriate emergency medical care are essential for optimizing health outcomes. When available, patients are admitted to an acute stroke unit for treatment. These units...

 phase forced him into a work hiatus. During rehab, he lost 70 kilograms in weight.

Phettberg in fiction

In 1995, Fritz Ostermayer

Fritz Ostermayer

Fritz Ostermayer , lives and works in Vienna as popular radio broadcaster , author, DJ and musician.Ostermayer compiled a highly acclaimed CD about funeral marches: "Dead & Gone"...

 and Hermes Phettberg together wrote and published Hermes Phettberg räumt seine Wohnung zamm ("Hermes Phettberg tidies up his apartment").

In 1999, Austrian author Franzobel

Franzobel

Franzobel is the pseudonym of the Austrian writer Stefan Griebl. He was born on March 1, 1967 in Vöcklabruck. He now lives in Vienna.- Books :* Der Wimmerldrucker. Ein Lexikaroman. Eigenverlag, 1990....

 published a play named Phettberg: Eine Hermes-tragödie which premiered at the Vienna Volkstheater

Volkstheater, Vienna

The Volkstheater in Vienna was founded in 1889 by request of the citizens of Vienna, amongst them the dramatist Ludwig Anzengruber and the furniture manufacturer Thonet, in order to offer a popular counter weight to the Hofburgtheater...

. The play is loosely centered around an exaggerated version of Hermes Phettberg's life and character.

External links

• www.phettberg.at — official homepage