Last Friday Sluggo and I finally got out to see Until the
Light Takes Us, a documentary
about the Norwegian black metal scene … sort of. If I hadn’t read Lords of
Chaos years ago, I probably wouldn’t have been able to follow the
film at all. And I still don’t understand why Harmony Korine was doing a little
dance in it, although the title—“The Sigil of the Cloven Hoof Marks Thy
Path”—was pretty hilarious. (So! I looked it up. He’s dancing around in
blackface because he’s supposed to be O.J. Simpson. Apparently Johnny Depp was
there too, as Kato Kalin. Odd.) Throughout the film, Fenriz from Darkthrone
complains about the “popularization” and supposed trendiness of black metal, so
maybe that’s what it’s about, a demonstration of that.
Fenriz, Varg Vikernes, and the other guys in the film
consistently express their disdain
for fans. In one hilarious scene where
Fenriz is doing a telephone interview with a reporter, he really goes off on
his admirers and compares them to dogs. There were five Youngs in black-metal
mallwear (Hot Topic!) sitting just in front of us in the theater; afterwards I
enjoyed listening to the girls in the restroom discussing whether or not Fenriz
really meant to be so critical… of them. (Luckily, Sluggo and I look like Dad
and Mom who wandered in by mistake, and nobody thinks any of this applies to
us.)
The most interesting part of the film, for me, was some
early rehearsal footage, and an interview where Varg described recording his
first album, seeking out the crappiest microphone and worst amps possible in
order to get a really “cold,” black, ugly sound—or beautiful sound, depending
how you look at it. He obviously had a very strong musical concept and worked hard to
realize it. It was pretty much the only time in the movie that I believed him,
although it was interesting to see him talk about the church burnings and the
murders, in order to judge for myself. He got out of jail last May and is living near Telemark with
his wife and kids, working on a new album. There are two Varg websites, but
only one that he says is “official.”
Another movie about the Norwegian black-metal scene is being made from the book Lords of Chaos, and is set to be released in 2010. The movie's website shows some highly anachronistic graffiti writing, the director is Japanese, and some guy from the Twilight movies is playing Vikernes. No word on who is playing Harmony Korine in blackface, though.
Bronwyn-
It's always so comforting to read your posts-
I wish it was your voice, but hey-
thanks!
D
Posted by: davo | December 13, 2009 at 11:38 PM