A Response from Olvator

Dear Isabelle ( I assume that the “female member of the group” must be you) and dear other members of MAGMA…

I cannot begin to tell you how disappointed I am about your recent statements concerning the accusations that have been made.

Understandably, you have come forward with statements that defend yourselves. This is your given right, and you should do so, because you were never meant to be attacked personally. I am also unhappy about the fact that the discussion has turned towards the music itself or other members of Magma personally. Which is something that at least I have never wanted to happen.

I want to start off with telling you, very honestly, how important Magma has been to me in my life. Being a musician, the experience of Magma´s music has totally changed my life. It was a revelation, in all kinds of ways, musically, philosophically, and spiritually. I would not be the person I am today, be it not for the knowledge of Magma, and that is something I cannot erase from my life, I don´t want to erase it, I am thankful for it and I will carry it inside me for the rest of my life . So many things that Christian has said, especially about music and about "the Earth" are just so precious and very valid. All of your (and any ex-member of Magma´s) dedication to the music and the amount of energy and time you put into it is indisputable and that deserves to be respected. It is not what I talk about.

First off, this very statement of mine is also NOT about the accusations made by Manu, they were really only the tip of the iceberg. It is not that I don´t believe him, but his accusations are not relevant concerning what I want to say to you.

There are two things, which have repeatedly turned up during the recent “witch hunt” as you call it, that just cannot, I repeat, CANNOT be ignored. These are facts, and there is just no other way to look at them: first the citation of Joseph Goebbels (on both the first edition of the Trianon DVD and the MDK score) and secondly the use of a picture on the Bobino cover that is equivalent to the “Deutsches Stadion” (German Stadium) designed by Nazi chief architect Albert Speer. I was the one who first brought up the J.G. problem publicly on the Magma Yahoo forum as early as 2003. And it was not an easy decision to do so. Let us only talk about these two things, OK?
I want to know: how can you say that these things are lies and baseless? What proof do you still need that J.G. is Goebbels and that the picture in the Bobino cover is a reproduction of the "German stadium"? How can you close your eyes to the fact that these two things have sadly found their way into Magma´s history?
I just cannot accept that.

You might have said that you did really not know yourselves who J.G. was, or that the Bobino cover was a suggestion by some graphic designer and you just liked it without knowing where it came from. And you might have said that if so, "you are SORRY that it happened and apologize if it hurt anyone and will make sure that such things will not happen again"...but nothing. You don´t mention these things with ONE word, while at the same time you talk about spirituality, the pain of life, the struggle to keep up with it and the sadness of seeing the planet go down into ruins.

Now, maybe it is not such a big thing in France , I don´t know, and you might call it a “certain dose of provocation”, but I am from Germany , I have had to face my own people´s history and crimes throughout my whole life, and it is a very sensitive and problematic topic for me. One of my grandmothers and some more uncles & aunts were massacred by Nazis just for thinking differently, by the same people that have been singing the “Horst Wessel Lied” (the basis for the J.G. quote) while marching through the streets of German cities in the 30ties.

You say that it is "jealousy" or "lack of a life" which is the basis for speaking up. But you are completely wrong. The basis for speaking up is being severely hurt emotionally. And I ask you to respect that instead of trying to make me look like the idiot who only wants to harm Christian´s and Magma´s legacy out of boredom. This is not a "witch hunt" to destroy Magma. The opposite is the case. It is an attempt to SAVE Magma and to clarify what Magma stands for.

But you don´t say yes, and you don´t say no. Your statements are all valid, but not in any way taking positions about the actual debate. Of course you are hurt as well, I understand that and I am sad about it.

But it was my duty to speak up. I owe it to my relatives, I owe it to the millions of people that have been slaughtered because of a propaganda machine established by Goebbels and I owe it to myself and I even owe it to Magma and to what Magma means to thousands of people on this shattered planet.

Think about it. Why is this planet going down into ashes, why is money taking over everything and why is our struggle so tough? Because too many people choose to remain silent and to not speak up.

That is is why I did, and do now. If any of you want to get in touch with me, I am sure you can get my contacts from the admin of this blog. And as along as I do not get an excuse or an explanation of what has happened, I will quite naturally have to terminate my relationship with Magma. And I will, of course, continue to speak up! If that also causes you to label me as "your enemy", I am ready for it.