This is a very entertaining little doc about the Norwegian Black Metal scene, focusing mainly on the infamous Gaahl, lead singer of Gorgoroth. If you’re not familiar with Gaahl, you may remember him from his interview in the film ‘Metal: A Headbangers Jouney.’ When asked what his musical inspiration was he paused, and with his trademark deadpan delivery replied, ‘Satan.’ See An Interview with Mayhem for a clip.

Be sure to watch the final clip in the series, where the interviewer asks one too many dopey questions (approx 6:30).

To watch the complete series go to the Music World page @ VBS.TV

We went to Norway to interview Gaahl, lead singer of the band Gorgoroth. Gaahl really believes in this whole ideology behind what he’s doing—he’s not just some rockstar fronting a band. The thing with Black Metal is, in Norway, everybody is exactly the same. There’s nothing to rebel against, because everybody’s really well off. It’s one of the richest countries in Europe. There is no lower class, it’s like middle-class white kids everywhere—no one has anything to complain about. And he’s this sort of eccentric figure amidst this sea of contentment and sameness. The way I see it is, in America you have guys like 50 Cent who are supposed to be the “villain.” Kids like him cause they’re parents hate him, and that’s basically what Gaahl is. He’s their musical villain so to speak. But there’s a lot of different sides to the scene.

It should come as no surprise that I love tribute artists and bands. Ever since I saw my first Elvis impersonator I’ve held a strange fascination for these artists. I’ve seen more than my fair share of acts, more than a well-adjusted, grounded, all-around great person like myself should admit to.

The biggest kick I get from attending these shows is talking to members of the bands. Pretend Jim Morrison played the part onstage, and off and acted like a pretentious, spaced out acid head. He was a make-believe hippy poet! There stands the difference between cover bands and tribute acts, cover bands play the music - tribute acts metamorph into the artist in varying degrees. For some its only onstage, for others it begins take over their lives. The latter are the ones I love.

So, I was pretty happy when I stumbled across the old tv documentary “Tribute: A Rockumentary.” This follows four different acts; KISS, The Monkees, Queen and Judas Priest, over the period of about two years. The movie was kind of hacked together, and the storylines were jumbled and hard to follow at times, but overall it was worth the watch. I was expecting it to follow these people around and show how ridiculous their lives were and have a good laugh, but it went deeper and showed how much work goes into putting together a good tribute act, the trials and tribulations of faux stardom, mental illness, delusions, success, primadonnas…and how ridiculous they are.

The oddest part for me was the interviews with ‘Superfan,’ the self described biggest Queen fan in the world. Superfan is so infatuated with the Queen tribute act ‘Sheer Heart Attack’ that he gets so nervous he can’t eat on the days when this band is playing. When the lead singer moves to Germany, the guys world falls apart around him.

All of the bands were pretty good, but my favorite had to have been the guy who played Mike Nesmith in the Monkee’s tribute act, ‘The Missing Links.’ Apparently he started this band with another guy who screwed him over. The band had a bad break up, and he quit playing music for a year. During one interview he explained how during that time if he picked up his guitar he’d just cry. Finally he got together with a couple of former bandmates, found a new Davey Jones, and put together a new act which lasted two or three rehearsals. The entire time, cursing The Missing Links. The hatred brewing in this guy was unreal, every sentence seemed to end with, ‘…Not like the Fucking Missing Links!” It freaked out the new fake Davey Jones enough to send him packing.

It could have been better, but who cares. If you like this sort of thing you’ll like this movie.

I don’t know where you can find a copy, but here are two great clips to check out.
The first is KISS tribute Larger Than Life auditioning for a new Gene Simmons. The second clip shows former members of The Missing Links rehearsing for the first time with their new outfit : Head.

I’m from Hollywood is a one hour documentary outlining Andy Kaufman’s brilliant, if career killing foray into professional wrestling. If you haven’t yet seen it, its worth the watch just for his promos taunting southern folks with instructions on how to use soap, or the chance to see Kaufman strutting around Memphis wearing a crown and singing about being the king of wrestling, while 10,000 people want to kill him.
As fun as this was to watch, it was entirely too short. There were only a few promos, and for some reason the producers didn’t include the infamous David Letterman appearance (seen here unedited) where he enticed Jerry Lawler to bitch slap him while wearing a neck brace (recreated perfectly in Jim Carrey’s biopic Man on the Moon).

Thanks to the kindness of strangers, here’s a youtube playlist containing the entire documentary:

continue reading "Andy Kaufman-I’m From Hollywood"

You heard right, George A Romero has a new zombie movie in the works!

Finally, a sequel to Diary of the Dead. A sequel nobody wanted… A film so full or horror nobody watched it. What? Oh sorry, so full of horrible. I’m being a dick, Romero invented the genre. Dawn of the Dead still stands as one of the formative film experiences of my life. Hell, I even liked the remake.

Diary had a good story, some great lines, and a lot of really good gory action. My beef with was with the suspension of belief factor, the one you need to really enjoy a movie like this, felt like it had been brutally raped…and the acting stunk. Usually those are the two things I really enjoy while watching a horror movie! It probably all boils down to unreasonably high expectations on my part. Whaddyagonnado?

continue reading "Diarrhea of the Dead"

Dominating the news cycle this morning is this video clip from U.S. president George Bush’s visit to Iraq yesterday, when a Iraqi journalist Muntazer al-Zaidi from Al-Baghdadia television network hurled both his shoes at Bush during a press conference. This quickly disintegrated into a decadent orgy of dance, as the spirit of Elvis took over GW’s body. The horrific results can be seen here:

This is Jake E Lee, Axemaster extraordinaire. His credentials include 80’s metal monsters Ratt and Rough Cut, as well as shredding it out for Ronnie James Dio and Badlands. He is probably most famous for salvaging Ozzy’s Diary of a Madman tour after Randy Rhodes untimely death. No small feat, filling those shoes. He stayed on with Ozzy and recorded the killer Bark at the Moon album. Without further ado, here’s Jake slaying them on a 1983 tour with Ozzy.

This is what happens when its are unclear about what sort of guitarist you’re trying to find for your black metal band.

Apparently this was pulled off by The Original Pranksta.

Hank III telling it like it is, what more is there to say?

continue reading "I’m here to put the Dick back in Dixie"

It’s Elvis! It’s Guns’N'Roses! Its…

continue reading "Metal Elvis"

The Strangers has been causing a lot of controversy for its alleged true story angle. Comparing the film to the facts (see: Keddie Cabin Murders -vs- The Strangers) hopefully helped to clear up a few misconceptions, although even if it did, it probably didn’t help anybody sleep better at night because of it.

This movie was inspired by true events, as opposed to being based on true events. What this means in Hollywood lingo, inspired by allows the directors imagination run rampant while implying everything portrayed is true, whereas based on is supposedly based on fact, albeit with a few embellishments (and usually a love interest). When interviewed about The Strangers, director Bryan Bertino said his main inspiration for the story was Helter Skelter: The True Story of the Manson Murders.

continue reading "The True story of The Strangers, part two."

I never thought anything could make this song listenable!
Well, I was wrong. Briefly.

continue reading "Hey Jude, Baby"

GG Allin meets Elvis Presley in the fever dreams of Artaud.

Extreme Elvis is possibly the greatest living Elvis tribute artist alive today. If he’s still living, that is. His site was permanently shut down years ago by the FBI and Homeland Security for copy write infringement and other heinous crimes…or was it? Reality becomes a blur. Aside from a few online interviews, a story in Gigs From Hell and fading memories of the fascinating biography from his old site, nothing remains but a small handful of unforgettable performances which remain seared into my brain.

Extreme Elvis burst on the about scene eight years ago, leaving a trail of carnage, urine stained blue suede shoes, feces soaked mikes and broken hearts. What happened to him? Was he taken out by some muscle from the Memphis Mafia? Did he self destruct in a delirious haze of fame? Is he living in obscurity in Hollywood, appearing randomly on bagels or treating unsuspecting locals with the occasional sighting in the Midwest? I don’t claim to know, I just wish he’d reignite the faltering Elvis scene with his brilliant interpretation.

Below are clips of two of my favorite E.E. performances. They’re actually quite tame compared to the rest of the existing performances which can be found on his
old video page, including a legendary full length performance at the Covered Wagon from 2001. I’ve saved them in case they suddenly disappear as well, and recommend you do the same. Be aware that these videos aren’t work safe, so quit your crappy job. In fact, they’re probably not safe for any situation or location. Please enjoy responsibly, or better yet - don’t. Go on with your life and be happy with Elvis Karaoke on Tuesday nights at the Bingo Hall, unhampered by the reality of these powerful and emotionally charged renditions. You cannot unsee this.

continue reading "Extreme Elvis"

So I wrote earlier that The Strangers was based on the true story of the Keddie Cabin Murders. Well, there are some fallacies that should be cleared up. There were unsolved murders at Keddie Cabin, this much is true. Its also true that the murders are still unsolved.

But thats about where the ‘true story’ angle ends. Truth is stranger, and more disturbing, than ‘based on truth.’ There were four murders in cabin 28 that night. Glenna Sharp, her 15 year old son John and 17 year old family friend Dana Wingate were found beaten and stabbed the next morning by Glenna’s 14 year old daughter Sheila, who luckily spent the night with a friend. Thirteen year old Tina Sharp was missing from the cabin, and her decapitated remains were discovered three years later, buried 95 miles away. Her other two sons and another friend, all toddlers, were spared and found hiding in a separate room.

continue reading "Keddie Cabin Murders -vs- The Strangers"

Thanks to Cialis, limp loined losers can now get laid in as little as 30 minutes! It lasts up to 36 hours! Erectile dysfunction, impotence, heartburn, acid, diarrhea. This’ll cure what ails ya thanks to the mysterious new miracle chemical tadalafil. The home grown bone toner was purposely named to sound like a falafel stand, because the main ingredient is chick please.

continue reading "The New Cialis Campaign"

Nothing fills people with dread more than the words ‘based on a true story.’
It was this claim that instilled absolute terror at the mere mention of Amityville. Even the director of the live action Scooby Doo movie scored a huge horror hit with his remake of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, which was based on the original TCM movie instead of the story of Edward Gein. As far from the truth as that movie was, it still served to scare the hell out of a lot of people. I’ll admit the original still freaks me out. But that’s horror.

continue reading "The Strangers in the Night"

I never felt the urge to see Super Size Me. That movie always seemed like a cheap shot at a faltering giant. ‘Wow, nothing negative has ever been said about McDonald’s before, what an original idea!’ What’s next, Smoking: It may or may not be good for you! I read Fast Food Nation, even before it became a movie starring Avril Lavigne. I read Slaughterhouse: The Shocking Story of Greed, Neglect, and Inhumane Treatment Inside the U.S. Meat Industry. Well, I read the book flap in the store. Needless to say, Super Size Me seemed like a waste of time for someone as knowledgeable and in tune with the world as me.

continue reading "Want some fries with that terrorist?"

A few nights ago I was watching TV with my girlfriend when a trailer for the new film The Stone Angel came on. My mind raced during that thirty second slot. I began to feel angry that somebody had remade this awful movie. Admittedly, I occasionally get stone and cement confused; this is why I lasted only one summer as a masonry apprentice. Somehow I had mistaken it for ‘The Cement Garden’ by smarmy englishman Ian Mcewan. This was a book that, to put it mildly, I didn’t love. After reading it I threw it from the window of a moving bus. Don’t worry, crap is biodegradable.

continue reading "Requiem for a Stone Angel"

When I was visiting Japan a few years ago we went to Yoyogi Park on a Sunday afternoon. There were so many performers lining the walkway it was incredible. Every ten to fifteen feet or so you’d run into a new band, street performer, dancer, musician, comedian, or some other kind of performance or costume that I couldn’t quite describe.
My favorite was the first group was saw at the front gates of the park, The Tokyo Rockabilly Club. A circle of eight to ten massively pompadoured, tough looking leather clad rockers, all dancing to Japanese rockabilly played over a small boombox so loudly that it was distorted almost beyond intelligibility. And damn, these guys could really cut a rug. Usually in the middle of a song one of them would take a ‘dance solo’ while the others clapped and encouraged him to go harder, when he finally exhausted himself the group would all start dancing again.
It was very strange, and very cool. Unfortunately our camera had about 10 seconds of film when we got to the park, but these clips should give you an impression of what a performance is like. If you’re ever in Tokyo make sure to head to Yoyogi Park on a Sunday afternoon, you won’t be disappointed.

continue reading "The Tokyo Rockabilly Club"

Damn, this lady can shred!

Her name is Belinda Bedekovic, and she’s the self proclaimed ‘fastest finger on the remote keyboard’ in the world. Aside from completing her album TORNADO ON THE REMOTE KEYBOARD, she has also been offered a love explosion inside of her by Borat.

continue reading "Keytar Lady from Hell!"

What the hell is wrong with those morons, this video is brilliant. Not only is it catchy and entertaining, it also demonstrates why you shouldn’t eat cleaning products and features washroom sign sex and a talking toilet. Brilliant!

continue reading "Mr. Clean commercial that didn’t make the cut."