Onur Uz-Aziz Kedi.
If you have ever lived in Turkey in the early 2000’s, it is inevitable that you must have heard “Aziz Kedi” from the 2000s glittery television culture. From the addictive TV series to late night TV shows, the media culture of Turkey in late 90s and early 2000s was an era of liberation, colourfulness and a little craziness maybe.
As Londra Gazete, we have managed to get hold of one of the main actors of that era, given he had worked with one of the most known TV personas of that era alongside numerous projects he had been in. Aziz Kedi, as a writer, dreamer and a creative person was detected in London lately as we did not miss the chance of meeting him and asking some questions over good coffee in East London.
When we look to your past we can see you with Okan Bayülgen, a famous TV persona in Turkey, alongside your works at Ekşi Sözlük and works as a journalist. Can we go back a little and start from the beginning where you first started your journey as a rebellious kid?
Well, the ‘rebellion’ you refer to is all about wanting to make yourself happy rather than making your family happy. My story is as same as any other repressed child’s. As for ‘rebelling’, I of course don’t mean any noble resistance to my family. It has always been about resisting to them by “supressing” them. And thankfully everyone got happy in the end, not too bad is it? I also don’t really see myself as a versatile person – my passion is to write; everything else happened around it.
A funny question: do you identify yourself as an “author” or have you ever found yourself trying to find a “profession name”?
Well, when someone asks your occupation you have to answer it. However when I come out as a “writer” the questions follow whether I write novels, short stories or what genre I am more proximate to. So I just slur over saying I am an architect – the worst is them asking me whether I am an interior or exterior one!
Do you remember the first writer/book that shook your world
That’s a tough call – I started reading at a very young age. I remember dwelling in those fantasy worlds my books had to offer. Those who are book worms would understand what I mean by “getting lost” amongst books. That passion had such a hold on me that then it made me open a bookstore years later. I also would like to state there is a misconception that says “the more books you read a better person you become” – which I totally disagree with.
I think reading would only make you more moral in the time on a horizontal scale but doesn’t enhance you on a linear scale. Coming to your question, I have so many writer heroes who are very different in affecting me. Oscar Wilde, Charles Dickens, Kemal Tahir, Paul Valery or Sait Faik… the list goes on, all of them are different.
Let’s talk about Ekşi Magazine and your television days – some people even call you as the founder of Ekşi Sözlük, can you tell us more about those times?
Well, Ekşi Magazine and Ekşi Sözlük (Ekşi Dictionary, Sourtimes) are two different platforms however when I became the chief editör of Ekşi Magazine I had to Show up on some TV Shows and the name similarity created that misunderstanding I guess. Upon leaving the magazine, I started working with Okan Bayülgen for six years along with writing to national papers like Miliyet, Hürriyet, Tempo and Radikal. I cherish those years with great happiness.
Weren’t those days in Turkey magical? Early 2000s when the television culture was rather majestic with the Internet slowly showing its magic too?
Oh, without a doubt, yes! Those days were the best days to be young and energetic.
And now what? You are in London, looking refreshed and ready for the new chapter?
London is just amazing – it doesn’t look like Europe’s toyish cities. I sometimes find it hard to digest how crowdedness and magnificence can blend with silence and blissfulness. London is where I can trigger my new dreams. And also as you know, nowadays such talented people are coming to London to both enrich the city and themselves. I will start doing video projects in London, we have got many to share with the new comers. I am also not fully done with Turkey either – for example a script I wrote with Ali Atay and Feyyaz Yiğit is well on its way to be filmed. And finally, I will have the chance to engender some of my projects here. This is a great start!
