Vargi-Kins on the cover of Decibal Magazine
Okay guys. While perusing the magazine rack at the local bookstore I came across the image of Varg Vikernes on the cover of Decibal magazine.
Ugh.
I know I'm going to get a shitload of flack for this post but I've got to comment on this.
I read the interview. Mainly about the music-which is good.
Okay, the problem I have with this is that anyone who is remotely interested in black metal and its history knows about Varg and his past. He says he is not a neo-nazi anymore or NSBM (but I'm sure some of the old ideologies/beliefs he had has still got some grip on him) . Oh yeah, and he is a murderer.
Why are we putting him on the cover as if he is to be idolized? But then I feel like a hyporcrite for saying that because wasn't I the one saying that it should be all about the music in my other post?
I know, I know. A lot of you say that lyrics/ideologies don't matter to you anymore and that you solely listen to music just for the music. >_>
And anyone that says metal is not political in anyway is a fucking liar.
However, as I've said before in the past, I simply will not/could not buy any of his records, even if I liked some of the songs. Knowing that I support someone who compared black metallers to black and homosexuals...and he tried to re-explain himself but it did not come out as an apology or sincere. Its was very brazen and matter of fact.
I don't think he should apologize for his views, per se. Lets be honest, me and about maybe a handful of other black people may know of him. And the rest of his fans are mostly whites-who when perusing the Internet don't seem as offended as I am by his statement. I guess it doesn't effect them in that way.
I know black militants who are just as racist as he is and they don't want to apologize for it either. Freedom of Speech and all. However, I'm not supporting him and his ridiculous radical ideologies in any way. I'm sure he is not lamenting over the loss either.
(From Metal Crypt magazine)
You once stated that "metal is nigger music", do you still believe this to be true? "Yes and no. I think the metal culture is nigger culture, in the sense that the traditional metal people look like, behave like and think like a bunch of "white niggers". It's (at least often) an extremely primitive, unintelligent and pointless subculture, like all rock 'n roll subcultures are. I too listened to metal music, but I never behaved like a nigger just because of that, and I don't understand what the point with this metal subculture is. Smoking pot or getting drunk, sleeping around and giving each other venereal diseases, partying all the time, going to concerts to meet other vacuum-heads, and so forth. What's the point? Even bush-niggers can be more sensible and constructive, and deeper than that. ‘The true attraction people have to this particular subculture is probably something else, like contempt for the modern world, fascination for death and the Gothic, romanticism and even Pagan values, but it all becomes so very wrong when mixed with traditional rock 'n roll or heavy metal culture."
I'm not supposed to be offended by that?
Yeah, right.
So, I want your opinion on this one, guys. Maybe I should just mind my own freaking business.
I'm anticipating some interesting comments from the Scandinavian readers, however.
Comments
I also definitely encourage everyone (of any race) to listen to his music, which by the way isn't anything like "hang the negroes" but rather about Tolkien themes and landscape of the Nordic soul. You can certainly avoid listening to music made by assholes, but then there really wouldn't be too much for you to listen, atleast in the field of black metal.
I think it could be said that almost any popular music scene (yes, I said popular) can be senseless and sophomoric at times.
Humans can are that way.
Not specifically negroes.
I bet I would probably like his music but I can't support him as an artist. Plus, everyone knows he is off his rocker.
Great comment VSM.
Anyway, if Varg did not have the reputation he has, then nobody would really care about his music. He is like a horror/splatter movie that has turned into a musician, and no matter how bad a splatter movie is, there will always be people who like such movies.
I can't for the life of me understand why ANYONE would look up to him. I could see if people went gaga over him because his music was actually good, but Burzum sucks. It just sucks.
Even if I liked his music, I just couldn't get past the murder, the hate speech, and the church burnings. You're right, his music isn't about neo-nazi stuff at all, but I can't look over it.
I genuinely wonder about the people who defend him because these are usually the same ones who listen to crap like grinded nig and arghoslent with no problem. They also think it's wrong for anyone to be offended by it.
To finish this off, this whole varg thing is one of the reasons why I'm kind of afraid to show up at a black metal show. Knowing that someone in the room worships this guy worries me. A lot.
Yes, I think it is obvious that blacks aren't the only ones who act this way as even Varg disapproves especially whites acting this way. Why then Varg (and many Europeans for that matter) regard acting senless and acting "nigger" as synonyms is a different topic.
DareDevil,
You gotta remember that we're talking about black metal here. Nobody would have heard about the genre unless it had been so tightly linked with widespread criminal acts.
"Even if I liked his music, I just couldn't get past the murder, the hate speech, and the church burnings."
Well, I would definitely say that black metal isn't for you then, because the genre is about murder, hate and desecration.
There's a difference between writing lyrics about hatred/murder and actually acting them out. Most of the black metal bands I've listened to, to my knowledge, don't have any members who burned down churches and served a jail sentence for murder.
Even then, not all black metal bands have songs about hating christians/races/etc.
That said, there is a point where it becomes too blatant, and I will avoid that (e.g. when you name your band Rotting Christ). And Varg I will not support because of his criminal acts and lack of remorse, but not necessarily because of his ideology.
Varg acts like a child, and would only sound intelligent or thoughtful to a person who is neither.
Are you saying that it would be alright for example for Arghoslent(well, death metal but since you mentioned it) to write lyrics about the genetical flaw of the black race if they don't act it out? You do understand that black metal bands have to atleast support murder and "church burning" in order to even be a black metal band? I would say that most likely the bands you listen to as black metal aren't black metal at all, but rather bands who like to boost themselves with the genre's notoriety. You're welcome to drop some names.
You seem to be in a serious need of a history lesson about the origin of black metal and for that I would recommend that you read Michael Moynihan's Lords of Chaos, which gives a pretty good idea what black metal is about (although the perspective is very centered on Norway).
Yes, I believe in the "freedom of speech" thing, but what I find is that when I written that it is my choice to avoid bands / band members who publicly share their negative views on race, religion and GBLT issues, people have looked at me funny. Is it about not only caring about people who look like you and being concerned with those who hold views that can lead to physically harming others. Seems that a lot of people are really only concerned with themselves and their kin, which is sad.
For Decibel to put him on the cover? I didn't buy that issue. I felt that because of the media hype, it made sense to cover that particular album he was selling at the time, but I found that because the cover, it could alienate a number of readers....from all backgrounds...I thought it was insensitive.
I agree with the commenters, there are probably a lot of bands who share similar views, but does this make everything okay? Depending on who you are as an individual, you can choose to avoid those who you know for sure hold these kind of views, or if you are like a number of my friends, separate the music from the person.
I must say that in discussing this particular issue on other blogs, non-POC's seem to get very angry when I provide a dissenting view, like they are taking it personally that I will not listen to a murderer, racist and homophobic. Just because they can, doesn't mean everyone wants to.
For instance there are Viking Black Metal bands like Bathory who's focus is diferrent than say Blasphemy. Black metal can do with nature and fantasy too.
And even Kjetil Manheim and Necrobutcher of Mayhem didn't agree with the church burning necessarily, saying that it was basically for acceptance from the scene (which is why Varg is a hyporite for all his gripe about conformity. He followed this 'herd mentality' in the scene.
For the record, black metal was never created to be pc in that sense. It's supposed to be for spefically the people who made it. It's very individual based.
Sure, nature and fantasy can be themes in black metal, but they still can't be the only themes where as anti-christianism or satanism can. Bathory is a pretty bad example since Quorthon "wimped out" already in the eighties and hasn't been considered black metal since. But ofcourse there are those blurrier examples of viking black metal like Enslaved. But still, being viking is pretty much the same as being anti-christian.
Manheim & Necrobutcher both dropped out, Manheim earlier as he lost interest and Necro as things got too violent but got back when he smelled the money, so their comments are pretty indifferent. I really don't think Varg can be "accused" of conformism as he was the first to burn churches so rather he was a trendsetter than a follower. Sure, the idea about this probably came from somewhere else(most notably from this song from 1984 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DgVGDnV2g2Y), but hell, all human innovation is based on the ideas of those who came before.
Individualism and black metal is quite a challenging topic, but it certainly doesn't mean that just anyone can play around with it. And for that reason I wouldn't recommend anyone to go to a real black metal show unless they can defend themselves as there likely are intolerant and violent people there.
Therefore, I find absurd to judge Varg on his art whose isn't a political piece. You can judge the individual if you want but not the art. In Burzum, you can't listen ideology of white power or Fascism as in Absurd or Ad Hominem for example.
Varg themes in his music are only related to mythology, legends, culture of his country.
By cons, it's true that listeners of black metal are more often right wing than left wing. And that's rare in a music where artists are often left classifiable. That's what most discomfort in Media with Varg Vikernes, beyond the fact that he is a racist and murderer.
Other more recent interview :
http://stereogum.com/295222/haunting-the-chapel-no-8/franchises/haunting-the-chapel/
STEREOGUM: How do you feel about having gay fans? Black fans? Jewish fans? Christian fans? Do you feel that you’ve failed to transmit your message properly if people who aren’t from your white/Nordic/heterosexual/pagan demographic feel something in the music that isn’t tied to shared membership in that demographic ? Does it mean the music has failed to transmit its message properly?
VARG VIKERNES: And what is my message? When did Burzum ever address political/racial matters? I don’t think Burzum has ever even addressed religious matters, other than describing different European myths. Burzum is not a political or religious band, or even an anti-religious band. Burzum is music ; art if you like, and the interpretation of art lies in the eye of the beholder. I might be Nordic, heterosexual and have a Pagan ideology myself, but why would I expect the fans of my music to be just like me ?
I am a narrow-minded ultra-conservative anti-religious misanthropic and arrogant bigot, alright, and I have a problem with just about everything and everyone in this world, but I am not demented, and if those who are not like me are able to enjoy my music that is all fine by me. Be a Christian-born black gay feminist converted to Judaism for all I care, or worse ; a Muslim. Just stay off my lawn…
Oh, and I may add that I have a problem with most Nordic heterosexuals with a Pagan ideology as well.
We must make the difference between an artist and his work. Especially since the subject of Burzum have nothing to do with fascism or any racial superiority. In Burzum, you can not listen remarks that advocate white supremacy or calling the murders of black people.
You know that Varg Vikernes is racist just because of his interviews, and not because of the lyrics of his work, Burzum, unlike bands such as Crystalium, Ad Hominem or Absurd, who can be hurtful or harmful.
Worse, you can not tell if an artist is of particular ideological obedience if he did not express in interviews or in his band. In this regard, you may well have bought an album from an artist unknowingly racist. Varg Vikernes was at least honest enough to say what he thinks unlike many hypocrites.
And just because someone does not like a particular community or humanity (misanthropy is very close to racism), this does not mean that this person will attack you or will tell you unkind or bad words to you.
Myself, I am a "racist" but in everyday life, I am a very courteous and respectful guy. You never see me insult a person because his race is different from mine even though I have no particular sympathy for the people of his race. For my part, I always judge "the actions of individuals" in front of me and not an entire community. If a black person does well, I should judge well, even though I do not like the community to which she belongs. Do you understand?
Another thing: "Black Metal" is often a genre of metal located more to the right wing than the other genres of metal, it is a fact. Black Metalhead are often narrow minded (i don't speak "black people" :-)).
http://stereogum.com/295222/haunting-the-chapel-no-8/franchises/haunting-the-chapel/
STEREOGUM: How do you feel about having gay fans? Black fans? Jewish fans? Christian fans? Do you feel that you’ve failed to transmit your message properly if people who aren’t from your white/Nordic/heterosexual/pagan demographic feel something in the music that isn’t tied to shared membership in that demographic ? Does it mean the music has failed to transmit its message properly?
VARG VIKERNES: And what is my message? When did Burzum ever address political/racial matters? I don’t think Burzum has ever even addressed religious matters, other than describing different European myths. Burzum is not a political or religious band, or even an anti-religious band. Burzum is music ; art if you like, and the interpretation of art lies in the eye of the beholder. I might be Nordic, heterosexual and have a Pagan ideology myself, but why would I expect the fans of my music to be just like me ?
I am a narrow-minded ultra-conservative anti-religious misanthropic and arrogant bigot, alright, and I have a problem with just about everything and everyone in this world, but I am not demented, and if those who are not like me are able to enjoy my music that is all fine by me. Be a Christian-born black gay feminist converted to Judaism for all I care, or worse ; a Muslim. Just stay off my lawn…
Oh, and I may add that I have a problem with most Nordic heterosexuals with a Pagan ideology as well.
http://www.burzum.org/img/gallery09/big/photo06.jpg
I wouldn't say that I appreciate the message, but I do prefer them making songs as opposed to going out on the streets and lynching black people.
I'm not sure why it isn't acceptable for me to not listen to varg because of who he is and what he's done. Yes, black metal is pretty much against christianity, but it's much more than that.
Black metal bands I've listened to who HAVEN'T burned down churches or killed people? Pretty easy- Secrets of the Moon, Arckanum, Code, Ragnarok...
I don't listen to much of the "troo" wave, admittedly (Mayhem, Darkthrone, etc), but I think it's pretty silly to limit myself to only that era of black metal. It's evolving, just like everything else in the world. Perhaps you should accept that.
I really don't think anybody cares if you listen to Varg or not. What I find odd is your attitude. It's pretty much the same thing as saying that you can't listen to 50 cent because he advocates drug use and treating women as sex objects but at the same time listening to other gangsta rap with no problem.
The bands you mentioned pretty much summarize my point of your black metal knowledge as they really can't be said to be black metal with the exception of Ragnarok which then again seems to be pretty heavy into supporting anti-christian action. Funnily enough though, some members of the other bands do have a known history in violence related to black metal scene although not for murder and church burning if you want to split hairs.
I don't think anybody should limit their musical tastes, I sure don't. Hell, just last night we were playing Rihanna with acoustic guitars and having a ton of laughs. I still don't think that just anything can be said to be black metal. As I commented earlier to BGiHM (the message got erased but maybe she can get it back), black metal is a scene where there are violent and intolerant people. If you can't handle it, then it's not your scene.
Another thing, Metal in Europe is much less heavy, leaden, than American Metal.
It's for this reason that the U.S. Black Metal is almost exclusively Black / Doom / Drone like Burzum. For my part, I think that Black Metal is much more punk and thrash metal than heavy metal (Destroyer 666, Mayhem, Darkthrone just to name a few). I mean the oldschool black metal with its simplistic couplets, its primitive structures. You don't believe me? Listen the title Sverddans of Burzum for example. This is very obvious. "Killing Joke" is more black metal that 90% of american Metal Band. Visually, black metal has also recovered the visual appearance of the Gothic movement.
It's also true that black metal is an art classifiable "right" as opposed to rock, punk and hardcore, metal or even american metal in general, just like IMPALED NAZARENE (who are clearly right-wing anarchists ).
Yes, black metal is hateful and violent by nature, but some members go a little too far for my liking. The solution? I don't listen to said people and instead pick other bands. That's all there is to it.
Have fun with Arghoslent then. I suppose ignorance is bliss for some.
@everybody
Since many are horrified about the fact that Varg is a killer, I thought to ask you that doesn't he get some moral reduction for the fact that the victim wasn't any innocent teen or a nice senior citizen but another violent fuck who had openly made death threaths towards him? Atleast in my perspective Euronymous was a very justifiable target for him, although for the sake of black metal I hope it had been the other way around. Live by the sword, die by the sword.
Anyway, to answer your post, there's a very clear difference between nationalism & racism. Racism is like you stated when one race feels superior to another & nationalism is the preservation of one's own race. I for one hate racism but support nationalism. I empathize for Europe as it's being overrun by Muslims & understand the emergence of NSBM there. (I do love some early Graveland) However, I don't care for white nationalist in America. I don't know of many NS American Black Metal. The only ones I can think of are Grom & they fuckin' suck.
Anyway, I'm rambling. Keep it metal. \m/
"You do understand that black metal bands have to atleast support murder and "church burning" in order to even be a black metal band?"
Sorry, but this is one of the most clueless statements about black metal I have ever heard. Whether or not black metal must be an ideology, there is still a definable musical compoment to black metal that many many bands play whether they adopt the black metal ideology. (And which one? There a ton of differing ideologies within the scene). I see you're getting your essentialisms about black metal from Lords of Chaos, which, although it provides some entry level understanding of what happened in Norway in the ealry '90s is full of inaccuracies and terrible tenuous arguments about the supposed spiritual qualities behind it. Despite his best attempts to enshrine black metal as this doctrine of "resurgent atavism" there really isn't one monolithic thing that defines black metal. Some black metal bands are more fanatical and perhaps more "genuine" than others, but even within the Norwegian scene various people though the church arsons were stupid. Darkthrone and Immortal took no part in it, and those are two of the most important bands in that scene. Are they "less" black metal because they distanced themselves from the teenage hijinks?
I do not care for Varg the person. I do not care for Burzum. I find the music to be turgid and self-indulgent.
My politics are classically U.S. liberal. It can make it very difficult to reconcile my politics and my love for metal.
Often, it is a splitting of hairs when people defend and try to define nationalism and racism. The "nationalism" often espoused by people like Varg isn't a "Hey, I'm proud to be blankety-blank citizen." It is "I don't like people with different color skin but I hope to distract you from that by claiming that this is less predicated on looks and more on behaviour."
We all have biases, prejudices, etc. What makes a more interesting person to me is one who acknowledges their biases and attempts to shatter them by opening dialog and cultivating empathy.
Then again, what the hell do I know?
I must admit that I really don't understand the first part of your comment. Are you saying that black metal is just a musical style with no apparent message? About ideologies in black metal, there definitely isn't just one. But all the ideologies from anarchist devil worshippers to neonazis tend to have something in common and those things are hatred, anti-christianity and morbid themes/death.
I'm not getting my essentialisms (?) from Lords of Chaos but from the over a decade of time I've been in and around black metal scene. Lords of chaos definitely has it's flaws especially when it starts to describe later developements and it's Norwaycentric point of view, but it gives a pretty good picture of what kind of ideas black metal was based on.
Well then, who did what, why and when? Immortal quite obviously distanced themselves from black metal early on (Holocaust metal, anyone?) and they did it out of respect so I think it's a no-brainer if they supported actions taken although not being capable of doing them themselves. Darkthrone then again was during the time part of the "Inner Circle" so it is quite obvious that they supported the action. As a side comment I might mention, that although Darkthrone was a definite musical influence they also seem to be the most easily influenced guys ever as they sure did a lot of wagon jumping from "trendy" death metal to Euronymous' black metal and from there to Varg's vision. And they still keep jumping.
Isn't it just adorable when Europeans try to use an American racial epithet? It's like hearing little kids curse; you just want to pinch their cheeks.
yeah and the same white folks who love Varg probably talk shit about OJ all the time.
He's an idiot, his music sucks, lets move on shall we.
Now I think I'm going to go listen to some old Charlie Manson albums.
Kelly said being anti-god is worse than being racist, well that's stupid, because being anti god hurts no one, not even the spaghettified invisble pink unicorn of a god himself.
and I loved the last Rotting Christ album, I highly recommend it.
Plus I never liked his music!
That is my opinion of Varg.
I like the album Belus quite a lot, though. Usually I really support buying the actual albums of metal bands if people can afford it, but in the case of Varg, I kind of refuse to put any of my money even vaguely in his direction, ahaha...
His views are likely based on the same, age old propaganda that Nationalist Socialists have passed around for years (ironically, not too dissimilar from Islamo-fascist tracts: replace black with white, but leave in the 'Jew') and possibly from Hollywood, who have never portrayed African descendants (or any non-European cultures for that matter) in the best light.
You could tell him he was wrong in his beliefs, shit, I'm sure I could get on with the guy on a purely musical level. But then, his argument, at it's core, isn't even about "I don't like black people / jews / gays / asians, etc.", it's about the survival of the Caucasian bloodline - specifically his native Norwegian DNA.
When someone lives under that deep, existential fear of the 'other', there's simply nothing to be done.
The church burnings and the murders - I think people don't take into account that these were the actions of teenaged dumbasses not thinkng out the consequences of their actions - as ever.
For whatever reason, these things enter into popular myth as signs of 'authenticity' rather than signs of wild stupidity - a perfect analog would be rappers shooting each other - which was exactly what I thought reading "Lords of Chaos".
Of course, it makes the listener feel like they're somehow more legit for listening to someone who 'walks the walk' - without ever having to do so themselves. Embarrassing, really.
Do I listen to Burzum? I have - as I said, I do find his music compelling, but I generally don't monetarily support someone whose ultimate dream includes my eradication, just as I don't support a bunch of goons who glamorize the destruction of our own neighborhoods. But they should all have the right to do so - I'm full blown into Freedom of Speech.