1998 Itvw True Vampire Raphael Osiris aka Ralph SpindellTRANSCRIPTSONDRA:What is the number one thing that most people believe about vampires that is not true?RAPHAEL:That we all think we are immortal. The majority have no pretenses to immortality whatsoever. Some very few in our culture and society believe in slightly enhanced longevity, or at least being able to have a greater vitality through their lifespan. Just to be healthier, younger-looking, to be more vital, because of their lifestyle choices, whether it be energy feeding through a psychic energy, or direct essence with blood feeding. SONDRA:Do you drink blood?RAPHAEL:No, I don't.SONDRA:Do you think people should not drink blood? Or do you try to get people to drink blood?RAPHAEL:I don't try to get people to drink blood. Some people are blood fetishists, which is mostly they enjoy the aspect of blood-drinking, and some to the point where it is a sexual turn-on. Then there are blood feeders, who actually have a physical need or intense desire to consume blood. We like to keep these people in a separate group because they have a serious problem.SONDRA:Do they have a medical disorder?RAPHAEL:Yes, we are trying to promote the view that these people have a medical disorder that hasn't fully been looked into yet. SONDRA:Glen Rogers has porphyria, and as you know, this is a blood disorder that has been called in past times "the vampire disease." RAPHAEL:The porphyria itself is probably mostly erroneously diagnosed as "the vampire disease." There are several different types of porphyria.SONDRA:Eight.RAPHAEL:Seven or eight, and there's only one, the advanced congenital porphyria, that has the smallest amount of symptoms related to the consumption of blood. Usually it's just the desire to bite, or to consume flesh, and other types of physical traits which may have been attributed in the past to the vampire stereotype amongst some cultures who didn't understand what was going on. SONDRA:I noticed that some of the physical changes in the advanced stage, like actual body hair, one of the medical books I looked at pointed out there may be some overlap between that and the werewolf myth.RAPHAEL:Right, the loup-garou or werewolf myth, just as well. But we don't put a lot of strength in porphyria as the clinical reason for that. It could be something that has been entirely overlooked up to this point. There are some other things, some diseases, which are an inability to assimilate certain types of protein. SONDRA:But these people are possibly patients, they are not going to self-identify and dress in black and go to a vampire store to buy vampire accouterments. RAPHAEL:Right.SONDRA:It's a different group of people. RAPHAEL:Very good point. There is some overlap so far as dressing vampirically, and what you'd call a vampire lifestyle. Anybody could choose to become a vampire in lifestyle, whether they are clinically... SONDRA:Speaking of vampire lifestyle, your coat is so beautiful. Would you tell me something about it? RAPHAEL:Well, there are very few of these coats available. This was from a boutique in New York which has a lot of very interesting velvet and gowns and dresses and stuff. It's a very good shopping choice for the vampire lifestyle, on the aesthetic.[plug]