King of More, a.k.a Dane Lukic, is packing in Bosnian music, interactions, dance, laughter, tears, science, ancestors and interdimensional wool into just one hour in his upcoming Adelaide Fringe show Veza. We managed to catch up with the King for a pixelated pint to unpack the links between all of those things, human connection, and what colourful yarn has to do with it. Join us in the Binge Fringe Virtual Pub to dive into the show.

You can catch King of More: Veza at Mercury Cinema, the Iris, every day until the 2nd of March at 6pm. Tickets are available through the Adelaide Fringe Online Box Office.

Jake: Greetings your Highness! We last caught up with you when we came to your FOMO Clinic in London. Tell us about what you’ve been up to since then.

King: Aw, we don’t have to use these formalities. The full title is Dr King of More, but I am not into hierarchies so you can just call me… King. Since last time I saw you in my previous show, I have been trying to fully embrace my FOMO remedy – JOLIF, the joy of letting it flourish. Sometimes successfully, sometimes not. Also, I left my full-time university job in the meantime so I can embody a bit more the struggling solo artist archetype. It’s doing wonders to my skin. Now I am on a journey to weave the threads of my Veza around the world.

Jake: You’re taking your unique show Veza to Adelaide Fringe – tell us about it and what the audience can expect.

King: I think I struggle to explain what my shows are until people experience them. I heard punters who have come and loved it here Adelaide tell me they struggle to explain to others what it is. Each time I enlist my show Veza at a festival or venue I wonder what to put as categories, or I try a different box: Comedy, Theatre, Clown, Cabaret, Interactive…I settled on Variety this time for Adelaide Fringe because, whatever it is, it is at least varied. Putting Comedy might help explain and market it, but it also feels stifling. Like, crap, do I need to be funny every time? Sometimes we talk about war in Bosnia. But we also dance with colourful yarn.

My show Veza is an exploration of human connections and the relationships we develop across time and space. Going from current personal relationships, through people before us, to people we never met but have an impact on our life and vice versa. It is inspired by two versions of an old Bosnian song Tajna Veza, which means secret connection/thread. The show is fun, joyful and silly but also explores challenges around human connections in a more heartfelt way.

We use colourful yarn as a prop to demonstrate the intricacies of connections like co-dependency, ghosting and open relationship. But we don’t stop there, we go into quantum physics and quantum entanglement, and then divine perspectives, questioning why we are so connected and giving your great grandmother a call. It is interactive but in a gentle and optional way and people can do as much as they want. With an invitation to embrace the moment at least 5% more (King of More’s mission), even if that means leaving the venue halfway through which I welcome as a relaxed show. Or even having a nap (which happened twice😊). As long as you are doing it 5% more fully, you are good to go.

Jake: What are you hoping the audience might take away from the experience, if anything?

King: The audience can enter and exit the Veza show in and from any layer they want. They could just leave with the idea that we danced and played with yarn with a silly man wearing makeup. Or leave with a thought that we had an existential crisis. Each show is a bit different based on how we create it together. On some nights people took away yarn jewellery they randomly made in the show. On another night I got super entangled in yarn and my own shoes while the CEO of Adelaide Fringe watched me struggle my way out for quite some time. Last night we had the spirit of Donna Summer appear and join us for the ride. 

Deep inside I hope that people leave with reflections on how and why we are all connected beyond just people we know. Every way you slice it, we are intricately interconnected with each other, other living beings and the environment. There is a golden invisible thread reaching out between all things. If we take the pandemic for example: it could have showed us how connected we all are and that even closing borders doesn’t stop us being affected on a bodily level.

Yet, for the most part what we took from it is becoming more closed off and focussed primarily on our own individual needs or at most our families and friends. In the times of separation, conflicts, wars, lack of solidarity it is more important than ever to realise that we are in this together and that both suffering and joy of others are also our own. We are experiencing this miracle of a shared human experience, shared consciousness if you will. Also, we play Lady Gaga music in the show. So, you can take whatever you want from the show.  

Jake: Now we’re in the throes of Adelaide Fringe, what are you most excited for?

King: It might sound weird, but right now as I am responding, it is my free ticket holders that I am the most excited about! I am new in Adelaide Fringe and it has been a struggle to promote my show and gain some visibility, despite trying to invest more in marketing than I usually do. I know that many shows struggle this year, but mine remains still quite unknown and all my efforts have been of little avail.

So, I decided to give a lot of free comp tickets, bingo prizes and similar promo channels. Initially I wanted to see if it could help with the word of mouth. Then I just continued doing it as it would be a shame to come all this way from UK and not have people experience my creation, whatever they think of it. I was at first more worried about small audiences, the amount of free tickets and all the work and effort it has gone into bringing my show here. But as of late, I really changed my perspective and am excited. These free ticket holders might be people who would never come to my show, maybe never go to the Fringe or cannot afford a ticket (the cost-of-living crises is hitting hard in Australia as well).

In the moments I am not freaking out about the financial ruin and months of work invested, I do honestly believe that the people that should see my show – will. So come ye free ticket holders, prize winners, full ticket holders, free half price, promo code, artists pass, award judge comp and insiders. Come and let’s do this. Together!

Jake: Given the themes of Binge Fringe, if your show was a beverage of any kind (alcoholic, non-alcoholic – be as creative as you like!), what would it be and why?

King: Negroni. On the one hand, I am just a middle-aged performer who started their artistic career relatively late, so I enjoy a negroni. My younger self would probably spit it out. On the other hand, a negroni can give you a different flavour at different times. Sometime sweet, sometimes bitter, sometimes zesty and orangy, sometimes all of that in one gulp.

You can catch King of More: Veza at Mercury Cinema, the Iris, every day until the 2nd of March at 6pm. Tickets are available through the Adelaide Fringe Online Box Office.