LAist: Scary Movies: True Norwegian Black Metal

Elise Thompson

Tue, 16 Oct 2007 11:03:42 -0800

WE could talk about violent and shocking bands all day. GG Allen anyone? But this is a movie review about a black metal documentary. It is not a history of music. And for people who want to go off on "Also aka"... you are only allowed to cast stones if you have never said "PIN number".

bobzilla77

Tue, 16 Oct 2007 09:12:05 -0800

True but those aren't Satanic metal bands. I didn't say the Norwegians are the first violent entertainers of all time. There's been some amount of Satanic crime in other countries but it has not usually involved prominent musicians.

anthonyt

Mon, 15 Oct 2007 20:27:31 -0800

didn't the entirety of 50 cent's marketing revolve around the fact that he was shot 9 times?

anthonyt

Mon, 15 Oct 2007 20:25:37 -0800

The point I was trying to make was, you didn't see American, English or Swedish bands, en masse, turning from violent fantasy to violent reality. oh? TI? Suge Knight? Hell's Angels at Altamont? metal is neither the first or only music associated with murder/violence.

bobzilla77

Mon, 15 Oct 2007 13:20:33 -0800

Anthonyt - The point I was trying to make was, you didn't see American, English or Swedish bands, en masse, turning from violent fantasy to violent reality. While there are a handful of incidents to speak of in other countries, relatively few metal bands oustide of Norway have racked up serious criminal charges aside from obscenity. Are you saying Norwegians have more cause than Brits to rise up against theism? And I admit I could have written in more detail about the distinction between devil-worshipping Satanism as opposed to Heathenism, Paganism or what Varg calls Odalism. The piece is really about the Gorgoroth documentary as opposed to an all-round primer on black metal, and those guys still talk about Satan, so I left it in. Guest- I take full responsibility for spelling & capitalization errors & will tighten those up. "Also aka" is indeed a forehead-slapper. Sorry. However I reserve the right to use sentence fragments if I feel like it. -Bob T.

Tony Pierce

Mon, 15 Oct 2007 12:07:43 -0800

dear devoted reader, guest comments are about to go the way of the dingo, so think up a good name. i recommend your real name. as for being a writer and wanting to be taken seriously and being professional and the kids today, etc... baby this is a blog. the fact that we can get ads on it are beside the point. deep down, its a blog. as editor its my job to pull that blogginess up to the surface where it belongs instead of being ashamed of it. i know that there are some people who flinch every time they see spelling/grammar errors, or freak out when omg the editor tells someone to get bent, all i can say is - this is part of blogging. the rawness, the honesty, the friction. there are many many outlets to get pro writing and editors who wont say a peep to its readers. and if you notice most of those outlets are also going the way of the dingo. justly. which is why i wasnt being negative either, when i reminded you and the other readers of this thread about the drinking game. me, i drink champagne every time i play that drinking game, because im celebrating the freedom that is blogging. i appreciate your readership. i do.

Elise Thompson

Mon, 15 Oct 2007 12:07:21 -0800

I like to think that we have comments so that we can have interesting discussions about the topic, not so that readers can get out their red pens and start marking our papers. By the way, you have a comma splice in the first sentence of the second paragraph of your comment. You should probably use a semi-colon there. I hope I don't sound defensive. I don't mean any harm, but you asked, so I answered. Now, let's get back to the lighter topics of torture and Satan worship!

guest

Mon, 15 Oct 2007 11:48:56 -0800

I didn't comment negatively. I'm not spamming or flaming. I'm simply pointing out that it's disappointing to read what one expects to be a professional blog and be confronted with this kind of lax editing. I really disagree with this whole "shut up, grammar teacher, way to overreact!" b.s.--as Americans, we're seen as stupid to begin with. Kids enter college having no clue how to write a decent essay. This is really upsetting to me--if we stop learning how to communicate effectively, we lose the ability to make any difference in anything. As a writer, I'm sure you understand this! The elements of style are there for a reason. If you are writing professionally, please use them! Not only does it make you look intelligent, it shows respect for your readers. And Tony--I love LAist. I love the content, I love pretty much everything you cover, I think on the whole it's a great blog. I read it several times a day. I know that you're smart enough to know the difference between complaining and constructive criticism. If you didn't expect feedback--good and bad--from your readers, then you wouldn't have put comments up. Just because I don't feel like signing up for an account (where I could easily use a fake name and be just as anonymous) doesn't mean I'm not a valid reader. You don't always have to be on the defensive; in fact, this blog would be even more rad if you weren't, and I say that with as much humility and respect possible to appeal to you so that you'll listen. XO --Devoted Reader

Tony Pierce

Mon, 15 Oct 2007 11:31:45 -0800

everytime theres a sentence fragment we drink everytime theres a negative anonymous commenter / grammar teacher we drink get with it

anthonyt

Mon, 15 Oct 2007 11:20:07 -0800

Starting in the early 1990s, the Norwegians started taking the Satan shit a little bit more literally than most. With a pile of corpses, burned-up churches, blown-up buildings, and grave desecrations on their respective records, even Slayer wouldn’t call them poseurs. It's somewhat naive to frame black metal as "taking the Satan shit a little bit more literally than most". the music (and by extension, lifestyle) is, at it's core, protest music against theism. surely you wouldn't write "Starting in the early 1970s, the Americans started taking the anti-war shit a little bit more literally than most", but somehow it's ok if the people in question are wearing spikes? If homicidal entertainers become trendy in America, say if they had their own reality show that got popular, a Burzum slot on the second stage of Ozzfest might be imminent. If? Homicidal entertainers are trendy in America. Also, Burzum is not a live band.

guest

Mon, 15 Oct 2007 10:42:08 -0800

This is an interesting post, but c'mon, LAist, you have better standards for writing than this! "Also aka"? Sentence fragments? Starting a sentence with a lowercase letter? The content is great, but please proofread! This is supposed to be a professional blog.

Elise Thompson

Mon, 15 Oct 2007 10:06:12 -0800

I bet Gaahl wears those armbands to keep pigeons off his arms.