Marie Benoît persuades Sandro Vella, the blogger of bloggers, to give her a little time and answer her questions

Could you please explain for the benefit of those readers who do not know the meaning of a blog?

A blog is a mode of communication that changes with the ages. Virgilio had his poetry, Leonardo had his paintings, Chaplin had his cinematography, the Nationalists have PBS, and I have a blog.

Does Maltafly.com fall into the category of a blog?

Just as the Times of Malta falls into the category of a newspaper, so too does Maltafly.com fall into the category of a blog. Both offer a source of entertainment but Maltafly.com isn’t buried in adverts. Maltafly is not a blog but is rather the graffitti wall of free expression intended as an eye-opener for a population in mindless slumber.

When I read your blog, sandrovella.org, I always notice that you speak out against adverts. What do you have against advertising?

I have nothing against adverts other than those adverts that are commercial in nature and that become part of television programmes rather than interrupting them. The viewers are paying their licences to watch adverts, not programmes. It should be the commercial that interrupts the programme and not vice-versa.

So where will programmes get funding from if not from advertisements?

Well… for example, if TVM were to become pay-per-view, cutting out the advertisements and the State-funding funded by the taxpayers, then the people would end up paying less than the current situation. This is because the advertising costs get transferred to the products advertised - and the prices keep rising.

Let’s get back to Maltafly.com. So are you the mastermind behind it?

I am a lot of things but behind it I am not. If anything I am at the forefront because, unlike the true creators, I had no qualms about showing my face and my true identity. The pseudonyms of the true creators are Mug, Kult and Pietru. I joined in some weeks after creation and was given my own sections and got promoted as spiritual orchestra director. My pseudonym was Dante until I was tossed to the jackals by Pietru, and MaltaToday likewise got a bite into Pietru.

What is the concept of Maltafly.com?

It is the same concept as my own blog, sandrovella.org, although we have very different methods of getting our messages across.

Alright. But what is the message?

Heck if I know!

Maltafly.com and yourself have on multiple occasions interviewed Mr Norman Lowell. I have information suggesting that you are part of Norman Lowell’s circle. Is this true?

Many times I have seen Peppi Azzopardi interviewing and physically acting buddy-buddy-like with democratically elected Eddie Fenech Adami during the L-Istrina shows. It never occurred to me to link Peppi Azzopardi to Zeppi the bare-footed.

Oh… right… but why interview Norman Lowell, of all people?

Because back then we didn’t know about James Cauchi…

Lowell was initially interviewed for entertainment purposes, but when certain entities tried everything in their power to interfere with our fun, then it became more a matter of rising to the challenge than just fun. Posting the interviews online showed that Maltafly.com believes in the right to free expression, as Maltafly.com finds little agreement in totalitarian oppression beneath the rule of the European Union.

So we agree that Maltafly.com is a satirical website. In your opinion - what is the official status of satire in the country today? Is satire accepted?

Not at all! Nowadays it is only accepted when the client accepts it. For example, before including any personalities into the building of carnival floats, the artists have to gain the permission of the respective personalities concerned. Yet for them to make fools of us, an entire population - that is fine. No permission needed. After all, they can always count on our renewed permission every five years.

Satire has become the victim of society rather than the other way round. Rather than the client paying for the haircut, it is the barber who pays for the privilege of shearing the client’s curly locks.

Which is your favourite blog?

Firstly and foremost my own blog, sandrovella.org, and then all those blogs that choose not to pander to the demi-biblical verses of the mainstream partisan political entities, nor falling to the greed-driven temptation for advertising space. A virgin example for others to follow in both cases is Jacques René Zammit’s blog, jaccuse.wordpress.com

Obviously I mention Jacques because I know that he will grab this article and post it to his own blog, which may lead to many more hits upon my blog, not necessarily because I actually believe what I just said.

You believe that bloggers are present-day journalists. What is the situation of journalism in Malta?

I find myself somewhat confused about journalism in this day and age as I once had a toothache, went to the dentist and found to my dismay that my sensitive oral nerves were being mishandled by Amanda Ciappara.

Are you a Nationalist or Labour supporter?

I shall inform the general public once the elections have been decided.

But can’t you tell us who you think is going to win the election?

I don’t know who will be winning but I do know who will be losing – the Maltese.

www.sandrovella.org