Vienna is undoubtedly famous for being one of the unfriendliest cities – our “Grant” (meaning anger/unfriendliness) is world famous and we are quite proud of it. Today, we want to introduce you to Andreas Rainer, the founder of the Wiener Alltagspoeten (translating to Viennese daily life poet)
Andreas, who studied at the University of Vienna and has worked abroad for a couple of years, has made a name for himself in the social media community here in Austria. And even though it may seem as if a bigger team is working on their Instagram, Facebook and their website, it is just him doing the work on his own.
We got the chance to sit down with Andreas for a short interview.
SV: How did you come up with the idea of the Wiener Alltagspoeten?
AR: I was planning on doing something like this for weeks, it was also my very first Instagram account – and still is my only one. I gotta say, I get bored quite easily and I no longer could do a forty hour job, I need a bigger variety in my work life.
SV: How long did it take for your idea to evolve?
AR: I had somewhat of an idea of doing something similar to the Wiener Alltagspoeten for a few months before starting the account. I already had a collection of quotes I’ve heard on Vienna’s streets. Today, most of the quotes I post are sent to me via social media or via our website. At the beginning it was just me and the quotes I’ve collected.
SV: Do you have a favorite post?
AR: I like the posts that aren’t that humorous, I prefer the ones with a deeper meaning. My favorite one at the moment is the one I’ve posted today.
SV: Would you say that there are some spots in Vienna where most of the quotes come from?
AR: No, not really. But most quotes come from the spots where more people get together, where more is going on. A lot of our quotes come from the metro, where lots and lots of people sit together – spots where Vienna is more exciting.
SV: How was the Lockdown situation for you? Did Vienna’s mentality change?
AR: Yes, Vienna’s mentality did change, definitely. Especially in the first lockdown, where most people followed the rules and stayed at home barely any quotes were sent in. Nevertheless, Viennese people were very solidary to one another. Now things have changed, a lot of the quotes circle around Corona, most people talk about it, it’s a very prominent topic. Us Viennese, we deal with Corona with humor and sarcasm. But Vienna is overall very “grantig”.
SV: Vienna’s Grant is somewhat of a trademark for Vienna. Would you say Vienna is that grantig or is that more of an exaggeration?
AR: I’d say Vienna is that grantig, even though it feels like an exaggeration. But I can’t think of a more unfriendly city than Vienna, which is quite sad. I do believe that the Viennese Grant has a humorous potential, which I try to focus on with the Wiener Alltagspoeten. Nevertheless, I do find it awful, it would do us good if we’d be more friendly to one another.
SV: If you’d have to describe Vienna to tourists, what would you say to them?
AR: Vienna is a fascinating mixture of different trends, which has to do with our history and our geographic location, which has had quite an impact on our city. On one hand we have this Balkan mentality, on the other hand we have this German culture – which we live very differently than the Germans. We are relaxed, the Viennese can sit in a coffee house for hours but we are also awfully tense, if we have to queue at the supermarket for a few minutes we lose our sanity – Vienna is marked by contradictions. Also the relationship between megalomania and inferiority complexes – which is something you’ll only find in Vienna. We think Vienna is the center of culture but at the same time we say that Vienna is an awfully small city nobody is interested in.
If you want to learn more about the Wiener Alltagspoeten visit Andreas’ website and his online shop, where you can also buy Andreas’ Wiener Alltagspoeten book. We thank Andreas for his time!
