Everyone loves to hate him. Corrupt's Martin Regnen is a pain in the ass for most people reading him, yet few can deny he provides the kind of pain that makes you reassess what we usually take for granted in life. Martin has a curious way of turning long-established norms up-side-down and prove the opposite actually makes most sense. This, along with the charmy character of an intelligent brute, makes Martin a special voice in the blogosphere. I caught up with him recently to clear some ground on what he and his writing is all about.

Is a people ruled by a political elite necessarily an unhappy people?

Definitely not necessarily. I remember a few years ago Nigeria came out on top in some international happiness survey, and it sure as hell wasn't because their rulers did such a great job of running the country.

What's the greatest historical turning-point for Eastern Europe during the 20th Century?

The October Revolution. It ended up making life on half the continent a lot worse than it would otherwise have been for most of the century.

If democracy is not a lasting form of government, what better system could replace it?

In practice when democracy gets replaced it's usually by military rule, isn't it? I'm not sure if that's really better, but I think absolute monarchy would be a big improvement. I'd like to see it tried somewhere bigger than Liechtenstein, anyway.

Is there such a thing as innate musical ability?

Sure, some people gain certain skills with a lot less effort than others. That includes not only the kind of things you'd think of - the ability to recognize pitch intervals, or the ability to move your fingers quickly - but also less obvious stuff like joints which just naturally fall into efficient positions for playing your instruments, for example so you don't have to consciously practice keeping your wrist straight, for example.

In what way does or does not the arts compete on a market similar to that of an economic market?

It is an economic market. A part of the product is invisible and difficult to measure, and part of the payment for the product is not money, but that's not unusual. Hell, the restaurant business is the same way - you don't just pay for the food but also for atmosphere, and great chefs are rewarded not just in money but also in respect.

Which are your three favorite musical artists, and why?

Kevin Fowler. I lived in Texas for a while so I'm into a lot of Texas country. Fowler's not as good as, say, Guy Clark or Ray Wylie Hubbard, but I like him better anyway because I can identify with just about all his lyrics.
BrokeNCYDE. Music doesn't get any more fun than these guys, plus they attract amazingly intense hate. That appeals to the attention whore in me.
Cole Porter. He wrote the best songs of the XX century, and quite possibly the best popular songs ever.

William Faulkner once said that ”an artist is a creature driven by demons. He doesn't know why they choose him and he's usually too busy to wonder why.” What did he mean by that?

That his life sucked, and he thought he wouldn't be much of a writer if his life didn't suck. I think he was wrong about that second part.

What drives you to aggressively assert a culture for normal people?

I play music which means I meet quite a few artsy people who like to pretend they are superior to anyone less dysfunctional than themselves. I can work with them but refuse to put up with their bitterness or their fantasies.

You've probably pissed off more nerds than any other blogger. How come?

Losers of all kinds should instead work on the weaknesses which hold them back and keep them from making good use of whatever strengths they have. Nerds just happen to be a conveniently available example because this is the Internet and it's full of them. Back when I first started writing for Corrupt, a lot of metalheads used to read the site, so I'd annoy them instead of nerds.

If you would explain what your blog is about to someone who's just begun reading it, what would you say?

Aggressively asserting a culture for normal people!