M_C application backup
I am removing myself from it, and soon I am going to post a comment that explains why in not very nice terms. I do not know what the repercussions of that will be, so I am backing up my m_c application here.
The Basics
1. Name: Becca.
2. Age: 32
3. Gender: I have lady parts.
4. Significant Other (pics please if yes):
Yes.
5. Location: Olympia, WA, US.
Metal: The Music
Answer each as fully as possible, elaborating and explaining your responses in-depth wherever applicable.
6. Name 20+ metal bands you would classify as favourites. Optionally, you can include a small description of why your top five among that list appeal to you:
Merrimack, Secrets of the Moon, Antaeus, Vorkreist, Katharsis, Horna, Glorior Belli, Leviathan, Gnaw Their Tongues, Weakling, Ludicra, Darkthrone, Burzum, Emperor, Dissection, At the Gates, Impaled Nazarene, Impaled, Nunslaughter, Ghoul, Engorged, Bolt Thrower, Morbid Angel, Cannibal Corpse, Suffocation, Anaal Nathrakh, Hammers of Misfortune, Sabbat, Giant Squid, Black Math Horseman, Grayceon, Watain, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Dio, Twisted Sister.
Those are not listed in descending order of preference, because I don’t think I can do that. Also I probably forgot something really important.
7. Do you play an instrument? If so, are you in a band? Provide us with a link to your band's site if you've got one; as exposure can mean everything:
I play the QWERTY keyboard and the kazoo. I have been known to sit on the couch alone and hum Darkthrone riffs into the kazoo, but I lost mine about 6 months ago so that "project" is on hold.
8. Name several of your favourite songs:
I’ve always been in the habit of listening to whole albums beginning to end and comprehending it as a whole, so often am at a loss for the names of specific tracks. In addition to that, I am in fact a metal n00b despite my advanced years. But here goes:
Dissection- "Thorns of Crimson Death"
Engorged- "Architeuthis" (It’s about a giant squid, man.)
Blasphemophager - "Sign of Blazar Storm" (YAAARRRRRGGGGGGGHHH!)
Goatwhore - "Carving Out the Eyes of God" (the kick-drum triplets during the chorus get me every time.)
Funebrarum- "Incineration of Mortal Flesh" (aka Power Cookie)
Watain- "Stellarvore"
Ludicra- "Dead City"
Impaled Nazarene- "The Horny and the Horned"
Burzum - "En Ring Til Aa Herske"
Emperor - "I Am the Black Wizards"
Dissecton- "Night's Blood"
Secrets of the Moon - "Sulphur"
Ludicra - "Why Conquer?"
Grayceon - "Sounds like Thunder"
Zuckuss - the entire 28-minute hidden track on Gamorrean Gangbang. Which by the way is longer than the rest of the album.
Top albums, since that’s more of what I listen to. Though this is more of “First 20 I thought of” than a “Top 20.” My mind is more of a sieve than a steel trap.
Morbid Angel - Altars of Madness
Weakling - Dead as Dreams
Entombed - Left Hand Path
Carcass- Necroticism-Descanting the Insalubrious
Bolt Thrower - The IVth Crusade
Cryptopsy - None so Vile
Gnaw Their Tongues - Spit at Me and Wreak Havoc on my Flesh
Katharsis - Kruzifixxion
Impaled Nazarene - Ugra-Karma
Bathory - Blood Fire Death
Darkthrone - Transylvanian Hunger
Emperor - In the Nightside Eclipse
Dissection - Storm of the Light's Bane
Burzum - Hvis Lyset Tar Os
Sabbat - Karmagmassacre
Merrimack - Of Entropy and Life Denial
Anaal Nathrakh- In The Constellation of the Black Widow
Black Math Horseman - Wyllt
Giant Squid - The Ichthyologist
Grayceon - Grayceon
9. What lyrical themes, if any, do you look for when seeking out new bands?
For the most part, I care about riffs and atmosphere, not so much lyrics. I'll usually glance at the lyrics sheet if one is provided, but I rarely study them in depth. When I do catch and pay attention to lyrics, I get pretty stoked when it’s filthy, brutal, or warlike, or when the lyrics help create a brooding or mystical atmosphere. Oh, and gross-out lyrics are pretty awesome. I have long been a fan of schlock cinema, so it follows that I would enjoy the comedic use of body fluids in song as well.
10. What bands or specific songs would you say are the ones that got you into metal? How long have you been a fan of metal in general?
I’ve been a fan of some heavy metal bands since my childhood, but have only been actively listening and discovering new metal music for the last 4 years + a couple years as a teen. That’s plenty of time, I guess, but the time gap where I was avoiding the scene means that I also have some really interesting gaps in my knowledge.
Early 1980s: Iron Maiden's Powerslave and The Number of the Beast, and Twister Sister's You Can't Stop Rock n' Roll were favorites when I was a preschooler. This would be my then-teenaged uncle's fault.
1994: The first death metal song I think I ever heard was Cannibal Corpse’s “Force Fed Broken Glass,” and I was an instant fan. Other favorites of the time were Morbid Angel, Deicide, Suffocation, and Bolt Thrower.
[Cute about 11 years of not being involved in any metal scene due to a really hostile environment for women--or maybe just me personally--in the rural midwest death metal scene in the early/mid 90s.]
2006: I was living in a revolving-door filthy punk rental house, and somehow we kept trading out punk rockers and goths for metalheads, one at a time. Probably the 6-foot Slayer logo painted on the wall in the living room was attracting them. I told my housemates that I really would like to be listening to more metal but wasn’t sure where to start, since I’d been out of the loop for too long. They obliged, but mostly with classic death metal/NWOBHM bands that I’d already heard. Then one of them suggested I come with him see the band of one of the folks that frequented our parties.
Turns out that guy’s band played atmospheric black metal, which I immediately liked and listened to nonstop for a couple of months. Then, via those guys and their friends, I found out what had been going on since the mid-90s, and discovered black metal for the first time. I probably don’t have a lot in common anymore taste-wise with many of the folks who helped introduce me to black metal, but the beginnings were totally their fault.
Okay, now that I've told the story, I will mention the band. I just avoided it because it was more knowing them as people that influenced me than their music, and also because people seem to have really strong opinions about them these days, and it puts me in awkward positions to mention them. My friends are in Wolves in the Throne Room, and the album that was out when I got to know them was Diadem of 12 Stars.
11. Name and describe any albums you feel have truly influenced (and even defined) metal, in respect to your own personal tastes:
People have written entire books on the subject of what has defined metal in general, and then everyone thinks they’re wrong anyway, and how the crap would I weigh in on that with any credibility? So I’ll just go with shit I found influential to me, though probably no matter how much time I spend on this I’ll be missing something hugely important. Like I said, brain like a sieve.
Twisted Sister- You Can’t Stop Rock N’ Roll: This album is basically the definition of hard rock for me, probably because it’s the first hard rock I ever heard. The album has such a rebellious yet positive message, from beginning to end, and just about every song makes me pump my fist involuntarily during the chorus.
Iron Maiden- Powerslave: Epic. Adventure. Also impossible not to play air guitar to. My six-year-old self was smitten.
Judas Priest - Screaming for Vengeance: I think I was about 11 the first time I heard this album? It was probably the heaviest thing I’d ever heard at that point. Twisted Sister and Iron Maiden made me bop and play air guitar, but this was the first thing to make me really bang my head.
Metallica- Ride the Lightning: This was my--and probably many others’--first exposure to thrash. I like to tease my boyfriend by telling him that this album is a pile of crap, just because it winds him up, but I actually still love it.
Cannibal Corpse- The Bleeding: As I mentioned, the first death metal album I ever heard. The music pulverized my teenaged brain, and if I were a normal human being, the lyrics (as translated real-time by five really stoned guys all yelling over the top of each other) would have offended my sensibilities. But of course I’m not normal, at all. The lyrics are vile, but just so over the top that I couldn’t find them anything but funny, especially with the way they were presented (stoned dudes yelling and giggling). Plus, the music was so awesome that I didn’t really care that much.
Morbid Angel- Altars of Madness: Cannibal Corpse was an eye-opener, and definitely a face-melter, but this was the first death metal album I truly loved.
Emperor- In the Nightside Eclipse: This album came out in 1994, but I didn't hear it until 2006, when I asked a friend for some black metal. He obliged with something like four or five mp3 cds loaded with music. This was the album that made me go, “Oh! I like this!” I found later that I’m usually not so much a fan of symphonic black metal, but it’s because the synths often overpower the guitars, where in this case they just add to the ice-cold, moonlit night type of atmosphere and create a background to showcase the guitars.
Dissection- Storm of the Light’s Bane: If In the Nightside Eclipse made me go, "Oh! I like this!" this album made me go, "Holy shitbiscuits! I LOVE this!" I think literally every track on this album is solid awesome. Riffs that make me bang my head, vocals that make me clutch an invisible grapefruit. What can I say, I like the melodic stuff.
12. If you could attend the show of any band in concert, provided you have never before seen them live, who would you choose and why?
Well, Dio. I never managed for some reason, was going to at Hellfest 2010, and then he died. :(
As far as bands it is possible to see still, Bolt Thrower. I missed out on MDF 2009 due to stupidness that I'm still pissed about, and now I’ll probably have to fly overseas to see them. They are confirmed for Hellfest 2011, and I am going. Period. Have begun the budget-tightening and sale of unnecessary items in order to raise the money for a trip so soon after MDF.
13. Describe the best concert you have ever been to. What made it great, the music? The stage show? The atmosphere? Include whatever caused you to consider this particular show as your favourite.
Man, I have been to a lot of shows. I’m trying to even remember which ones/how many I left going, “That is easily my best show/set of the year!” in just the last 12 months.
When it comes to live shows, there are four major things that make it enjoyable for me: the musical performance, the crowd, the stage performance, and the venue/sound. One or more of these things being on the far end of the good or bad spectrum can make an otherwise okay show either earth-shatteringly excellent or so bad you want to stick your head in a woodchipper.
So since it’s pretty much impossible for me to pick one favorite show, I’m going to do a top several:
Secrets of the Moon, Hellfest 2010: This is one of those "Oh, wow, I didn’t know this was going to rule," sets for me. I had listened their last two albums and liked them fine, but mostly I went to that set because there was nothing else better going on, and also because I am a tiny bit fantarded for the bassist (Hell Militia, Antaeus, Vorkreist). I got my friend to come along with me to see them, and when he heard the band name, he was like, “What, are they going to sing songs about Twilight?” But seriously, live, the music and the stage show combined together to create this really amazing mystical atmosphere, like I might actually step through a veil and end up in a mystical, moonlit realm any second. Now I experience that again every time I listen to their albums.
Midnight/Engorged/General Surgery - Cherry Lofts- Olympia, WA, 2009 : This was a combination of the bands, the crowd, and the venue. All of the bands are right up my alley music-wise, and were amazing both in stage and musical performance. The crowd was full of super-excited but laid-back people, which meant a happy fun pit where people were punching each other in the nice way, rather than in the mean way. Seriously... if you don’t believe me, just watch for yourself: Someone got the entire Engorged set on video Oh, er, and this is also where I met my boyfriend, though we didn’t start going out for a while after that. :)
Twisted Sister, Hellfest 2010: This fulfilled a childhood dream, and I hadn’t even realized it *was* a dream until they were playing- we were there primarily for Immortal, Carcass, and Dark Funeral, but when Dee did the "Welcome to our show" opening, I flipped my shit and went running up to the front. Fortunately those European audiences are really polite and I was able to get way up there quickly without elbowing or pushing anyone. The performance was fantastic. It was all of the original members, and they are all still rocking hard, man. I had long since lost my boyfriend in the crowd and ended up arm in arm with a bunch of French guys, singing/screaming all he words.
Immortal/Dark Funeral/Carcass, Hellfest 2010 and Gorguts/Autopsy/Entombed, MDF 2010: This was completely about bands playing. They were why I flew all the way across the country/world, pretty much. The sound was great, the performances were great, and actually the crowd was pretty great once I got up past the arm-crossers and nearer to the pit. Major highlight: Carcass played pretty much all of Necroticism.
14. Name a band you consider to be underrated or even completely unknown, that you feel deserves more recognition than they get, and the reason you feel this way. Provide a link to their official website:
Ludicra. They’re getting quite a lot of press this year for their newest album, The Tenant, and their plays on last.fm seem to have gone way up since then, but those numbers are still pretty miniscule, so I'm still going with them. I don’t know what to say about it though, other than to quote Crispin Glover in Friday the 13th part IV, and say, "This, this is good!" It’s just good music, folks. Complex all the time, floaty here and there, thrashy here and there, just plain fucking crushing here and there. Plus when Christy and Laurie Sue harmonize their screams, I freak the fuck out.
15. If you could be in any metal band at any point in history, which would you choose to be in? What would be your role in the band?
Oh, uh. Uhhhh. What I'd prefer is to have the extra time and perseverance to get really (or just passably) good at playing an instrument and finally start that all female goregrind/funcore band I keep talking about when drunk, but life and my own lack of fortitude get in the way. While people have suggested I would front the band, I actually sort of suck at being the center of attention and rather prefer to be one point of attention among many. I suspect (but do not know from experience) that I would be better at melody than rhythm, so I would probably choose that over bass. I already know that I cannot hope to be a drummer, considering how I failed at piano.
As far as actual bands that exist/ed? I wish I were Jo Bench, and I would so take her place in Bolt Thrower. But then I guess the world wouldn’t have Jo Bench, so that wouldn’t be fair.
16. If you could meet any metal band or any metal musician, who would you choose to meet?
If I did, I would get completely tongue-tied and hide. But I guess if I consumed enough Xanax and chased it with some whiskey, I’d like to sit down and have a long chat with... HEY, Jo Bench! I’d also totally like to sit down and get blind drunk with Fenriz, because I think he'd be pretty funny. Oh, and Dee Snider. And Bruce Dickinson. I don’t know what I’d say to any of them, which is probably related to me clamming up anytime someone even remotely famous is near me.
17. Have you already met, or do you know, any metal bands or musicians? What were they like? Are they good with the fans, or do they need a bit of help in that department?
Well, I know a crap ton of unsigned local musicians, but I think they don’t really have fans so much as drinking buddies who come to their shows. As I mentioned, I do have one set of friends that are quite successful internationally, but I mostly know them in the context of kitchens and living rooms, not music.
Other than that, I haven’t met too many folks that are certifiably famous, or that I only know of from seeing them play. I've said some brief hellos to Luke Lemay of Gorguts, Alwin of Asphyx, and a number folks from slightly less well-known bands, but each time I just barely said hi and then clammed up and ran away as quickly as possible. Have stood nearby for many conversations with folks from many signed but largely-unknown west coast bands, but kept out of the conversation for fear of not being able to do anything but squeak. And those folks weren’t even really famous, just sort of connected.
18. Name one band you feel is a detriment to the world of metal, and the reason behind this opinion. Try to elaborate more than "Slipknot, they suck":
I actually saw Slipknot in 1999 sort of by accident (and for free), and I thought they were pretty entertaining. There are plenty of bands that fall into the category of "metal" that I think are crap, but if people want to like them, that's not really a problem for me, and I don't really think for the world of metal, either. There's room for everyone, yo, and mostly we don't have to share the same physical space if our tastes are *that* incompatible.
But um, let’s see. Attack Attack! makes me want to jam a railroad spike into my head. Oh, god, it’s so douchey! I’m getting the chills just thinking about it! But really, it’s not that they’re a detriment to the world of metal, they’re just a detriment to the entire world. *shudders*
19. Have you ever found it hard (or even shameful) to enjoy certain music because of the stigma attached to it, its place in the mainstream, or its general fanbase?
When I was a teenager, sure. I was constantly terrified that my friends would not approve of my taste, so if I liked something that was outside of the short list of Bands that are Cool, I would hide it. Hell, I was so crippled by this need to fit in that I actually hid from all my friends that I had or used a computer, lest they think I was a “nerd.” (Dude, I am totally a nerd, and I was not succeeding at hiding it.)
I probably still have some of that trauma left in me somewhere, but these days I’m pretty okay with just liking whatever I like. If I have a problem with the fanbase of a particular type of music I like, I just won't go see them live, no big. And I don’t really give a fuck if some too-trve dude gives me a judgmental look for saying I like/went to see some band that isn't metal. Which has in fact happened to me twice in the last month. Whatever, bro. Go cut your flesh and worship Satan.
Response Questions
Agree or disagree with the following statements in depth, and defend your opinions intelligently.
20. I prefer it when metal bands take their images very seriously.
Agree, sort of.
It just depends on the band and their schtick. In the case of more over-the-top theatrical stuff, it totally makes sense for a band to engage in a lot of costuming and media image-spin. It’s part of the mystique. But then again I am also greatly impressed with folks who just show up and shred, no pretense.
I suppose I do want bands to take *some* sort of care with their image, though, in the sense that if I see them acting like/looking like total douches, I might have a hard time enjoying their music after that. But I guess my preference would truly be that people actually not engage in douchery, not just look like they don't.
21. It is wrong to download metal songs or albums, and to trade mp3s. The only real way to show support for bands you admire is to purchase their albums in stores or online.
Disagree, with qualifications:
For many unsigned bands, trading mp3’s is the only way to GET their music because they don’t have the means to press physical copies. Even for many bands that do have that ability, the exposure of word-of-mouth is doing them a lot more good than a few dinky CD sales.
But when it comes to bands that are actually signed and touring and trying to do it for real, I do agree that the best way to support them is to make sure some actual money gets into their hands. Then again, I do not have unlimited piles of money, so I do make some selfish compromises so that I can still listen to new music even if I don’t have the money to spend on a physical copy. My general rule is that I will download an album, and then when I see them live, I will purchase albums and other merch directly from their band. For those bands that I cannot see, I try to purchase physical copies from independent shops (versus chains) as much as possible. But I still do download plenty of stuff, and I honestly do not always find the cash to get the physical copy right away if I like it. I like to think that I'll get to it all eventually.
22. The metal scene today is only a shadow of what it was years ago, and the quality of the new, emerging bands has also decreased.
Disagree.
I think many people (myself included, often enough) like to put a rose-colored tint on the “good old days,” when in fact they may not have been so good. It all depends on your perspective and taste. Musically, well, I’m no expert on the history of heavy metal, but I find that I am absolutely loving a lot of the stuff that has come out in the last 5-10 years. But I also am aware that what they are doing is entirely because of what Mayhem, or Deicide, or Bathory, or Venom, or Black Sabbath, or The Rolling Stones, or J.S. Bach, or some Cro Magnon beating on a log with a spear, already did.
From the a purely social perspective, the metal scene has is a million times better for me than what it was 17 years ago. (Though it still has a lot of room for improvement.) Some of that could be geography, though; not sure. On the other hand, from the perspective of someone who is 100% into orthodox black metal and nothing else, then probably the early/mid 90s looks like the best time to have been into the scene.
23. Kids who weren't even born when their favourite bands were in their prime can't possibly be as loyal of fans as the ones who were around at the time.
Oh, that’s just a pile of crap, that is.
While it's true that a younger person's reason for enjoyment is a bit different from folks who are older and were actually around to see the bands and really experience the cultural context they were coming from, that doesn’t mean that they aren’t exactly as sincere in their enjoyment. The emotions being conveyed are timeless: it’s not like one generation has the patent on love, hate, loneliness, alienation, violence, or misanthrope.
24. 'Classic' heavy metal bands should quit while they are ahead; the latest offerings from giants of the genre are far inferior to what they put out in their heyday.
Depends on the band. I can't actually speak with any authority on new material being released by any of the true "Giants" of classic heavy metal, because I tend to go see them so that I can hear their old material. That’s probably narrow-minded, but I’ve only got so much time in the day to listen to music.
I don’t know if they qualify as “classic,” as far as the intent of this question, but Overkill comes to mind as an example of a band who has been around forever and is still releasing awesome new material. I thought Ironbound was fantastic, and holy crap, those guys still have plenty of energy. They’re like a million years old, and they played for so long that *I* got tired and had to retire to the bar and just listen.
As far as touring on old material, or even new: the guys that are too old and decrepit to put any energy into their performance should just give it up, yeah. I thought that was the case with Pentagram the last time they came to Seattle, but I hear they totally killed it at MDF VIII. I was there but was doing something else while they were playing. Probably vomiting or sleeping. It’s sort of an exhausting 4 days.
25. When a band gets a lot of recognition, it is pretty much a given that they will, one day, sell out. A band's music and merchandise being easily accessible in stores is not necessarily a good thing.
I’m hesitant to even comment on anyone “selling out,” since I feel the term is ill-defined and the accusation is thrown at a lot of folks who don’t deserve it. To me, if you are making music or art you don’t like and that doesn’t feel authentic to you just so you can bring in some more money, then that’s selling out. But if you are creating something that is genuine, and that comes from your soul, and you happen to be making money, then you’re doing just fine in my opinion.
Anyway, to directly answer the question: No, I don’t think that’s true. I think you can get internationally, hugely famous and probably still be for real. Drug addicted and oversexed, sure, but still for real artistically.
26. Record labels couldn't care less about quality in music, and pass over the bands who deserve the most recognition.
Yes, I am a nerd and corrected the wording of that question.
That is probably true for the most successful ones, yeah. I don’t have a lot of insight into the record industry, but it makes sense to me that since their goal is to make money, the ones doing the best financially are not focusing on quality or talent so much as what will sell.
I have met several people running small time labels that only sign and promote bands they truly like and believe in and whom they feel produce quality music. They seem to be paying the bills, but not truly profiting. So yeah, there are definitely a number of bands I’ve seen that are unsigned or on dinky little labels that have no money to do any decent publicity for them, that are a million times better in my opinion than a lot of the big time bands that are touring constantly.
27. The quality of a band's music is more important than their ideology.
Agree, for the most part. There are several bands whose members probably hate what and who I am whose music I just absolutely love. But for many metal bands, it’s not the same as like, Nazi punk bands who are pretty fucking clear in their lyrics and stage performance what their ideals are. So when a message that is truly offensive to me becomes overt, I usually can’t hang. And yeah, sometimes I get stabby when I listen to Varg talk for too long, but I also mostly dismiss him as having a screw loose, which doesn’t make him any less of a talented artist.
This is a pretty rocky territory for me, and I honestly haven’t sussed out what I think about it all. I’m also kind of tired of talking about it, because it always just ends up going in a circle. So mostly I just choose to care about the music. Mostly.
Oh, also I am way more tolerant of (moderately) nationalistic messages coming from Europeans/Scandinavians than from Americans. Part of it is my ability to distance and take on a sort of academic, anthropological view of bands from a different culture. Another part of it is that I get the complexities of the historical context for those beliefs, even if I feel that they’re ultimately misguided. Because I am so intimately familiar with xenophobia and racism--from the standpoint of a victim as well as understanding of the historical and cultural (lack of) context--in America, American NSBM makes me wanna hurl, and I mean rocks as well as vomit.
28. Mainstream metal, and 'metalcore', is in no way truly 'metal', and should not be associated with the rest of the genre.
Depending on how one would define mainstream metal, I would disagree with that part. I’ve already professed my love for Judas Priest, among other household-name type bands that I would most definitely still call heavy metal.
As for metalcore- I honestly don’t have a lot of familiarity other than with over-the-top awful bands like Attack Attack!, and that was because Cracked.com did an article on one of their music videos and how awful it was. But if that’s representative, then yeah, I’d prefer that their douchey antics not be associated with anything that I like and care about.
29. Besides being a genre of music, metal is a way of life.
It feels super-choady to say this but: Yeah, kind of. It’s not so much what many folks seem to think it is, which is being constantly brutal and violent and satanic and rebellious and drunk. That’s just silly, and I don’t think anyone can maintain that lifestyle forever. I also do NOT in any way think that it has anything to do with the "uniform."
It’s just that I don’t think you can possibly be a sincere fan of heavy music and not have that affect/reflect your worldview somewhat. It’s just clear to me that if you are into that type of music, there is something of a dark side to you, and if you’re not connecting with the music on that level, then I would say you don’t “get it,” and aren’t a true fan.
Note that I’m not saying that one has to be mean and super serious and never smile or joke about anything. I am well known for being extremely goofy, probably to the point where I piss off a lot of black metal guys who want to take everything really seriously, but I am 100% sincere in my emotional connection to the dark and violent side of the music. I just also happen to want to grin like an idiot when you sing about violence and warfare, and especially when you sing about Satan.
More About You
30. Share several interesting facts about yourself and your hobbies:
I've studied 7 languages, but I don't really speak any of them very well, or really at all other than French and a bit of Irish. The other five are: Dutch, American Sign Language, Russian, Hungarian, and German.
I'm really into mushrooms. Specifically I'm into mycology, not just the culinary/psychedelic applications.
I have a very restrictive diet due to life-threatening food allergies (corn, wheat, dairy), and usually end up having to pack food with me wherever I go, unless I have access to a well-appointed grocery store and a kitchen. This does not stop me from traveling, and often. I eat a lot of tuna salad on the road. Really, a lot of it.
Unsurprisingly for a Pacific NW resident, I'm pretty into backcountry hiking. I haven't done a super lot of it lately, but I still have all the gear. My dog even has his own little backpack and carries his own sleeping roll.
31. If you could go back to any time period/place in history, where would you choose to go and why?
The Jurassic period. Fuck human history, I wanna hang out with dinosaurs. I don’t think this requires further explanation. DINOSAURS.
Alternatively, Vienna in the 1960s, so I could hang out with the Viennese Actionists. Again, do I really need to expand upon why I would want to see them doing completely depraved shit firsthand?
32. If you could visit any foreign land of your choosing, which would it be?
There isn’t really anywhere I don’t want to go. I’ve already been a number of places in the British Isles and Western and Central Europe. I think next on my list would probably be India, then more places in Southeast Asia (I’ve only been to Thailand to briefly visit my extended family) , and after that probably Russia and Karelia. And I guess I could stand to visit some Scandinavian countries after that. Oh, and Antarctica. And most of South America. The Middle East, too. Seriously, everywhere.
33. Name several of your favourite movies, if any:
Er, geez, that's even harder than naming favorite music. I’ll try to keep it somewhat short. The Thing, Suspiria, Zombi II, Pieces, The Plague Dogs (animated), Grave of the Fireflies (animated), Harold and Maude, Sleepaway Camp, Night of the Demons, Tokyo Gore Police, Videodrome, The Fly, Nightbreed, Demons, Blood Freak, the entire Friday the 13th series including Jason X, Blue Velvet, Cannibal! The Musical, Kill the Movie, Cannibal Holocaust (er, this is more "notable" than "favorite"), Highlander, Braveheart, River's Edge, Female Trouble, Wild at Heart... way, way more but I'm tired of typing.
34. Name several of your favourite books, if any:
Off the top of my head, and probably missing many important things:
Comics: Sandman, Books of Magic, Preacher, Moonshadow, The Filth, Strangers in Paradise, Ghost in the Shell, Nausicaa of the Valley of Wind
Non-illustrated books: Watership Down, Through the Looking Glass, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, The Little Prince, The Lord of the Rings trilogy + The Hobbit, Snow Crash, Cryptonomicon (but not so much the rest of what became the Baroque Cycle), the Darkover series (Marion Zimmer Bradley), Stranger in a Strange Land, the Deverry series (Katharine Kerr), Godel, Echer, Bach (by Douglas Hofstadter)
35. Name several some of your favourite television shows, if any:
Twin Peaks, Buffy, Firefly, The West Wing, Sports Night, How I Met Your Mother, Red Dwarf, The Young Ones, The IT Crowd, Misfits, Community... okay out of steam/patience.
36. What are some non-metal bands that you listen to?
Sonic Youth (mostly Daydream Nation and previous), Bauhaus, Joy Division, Cranes, Mono, Kíla, Hedningarna, Altan, Misfits, Skinny Puppy, Andrew W.K., Jason Webley, et cetera, ad infinitum.
37. Show that you've got a sense of humour by telling us one of your favourite jokes. Don't make it too long, though:
So a dyslexic walks into a bra...
Really, I’m terrible at jokes. My sense of humor is highly contextual and usually involves non sequiturs and deadpan sarcasm. Or a well-timed belch.
38. What is the story behind your username?
Not as interesting as I’d like. One of my internet friends from waaaaaay back used to address emails to me to “becca beca becala.”
39. Do you have any tattoos or piercings? Where?
I’ve had probably 10 or more piercings at various times, but all I have left are 2g ears. I have 8 tattoos: 3/4 backpiece, full sleeve, leg from stomach to middle calf, one small, terrible one on my knee that I did myself but with a real tattoo gun and actual autoclaved needle, and 4 small ones on my feet.
40. Do you do any drugs? What ones? [This includes alcohol]:
I don't do street drugs (anymore.) I drink socially, and have a low tolerance so am possibly known for being a lush, but I am perfectly capable of rocking out sober. Unless I am camping at a multi-day European festival and only getting an hour of sleep a night, in which case I must be drunk the entire time or I will not survive.
Promotion and Pictures
41. Promote to another community or to a LiveJournal, to help spread word about the community around. Link to where you did:
Right here.
42. Post one rather silly picture of yourself.
Um, there are thousands of goofy pictures of me all over the internet, but not really too many where I am doing anything normal and don't look awful. Usually if I am sitting still long enough for a "normal" picture, it's because I'm too tired/sick to move.
43.Post 3+ regular photos of yourself. Make sure they are clear so we can see your face, and please try to avoid any Photoshopped ones. (Omitting this section results in an immediate rejection):
As I said, there aren’t too many decent ones where I am doing anything normal that are less than 5 years old. But I can probably find some that aren't too goofy.
Deleting comments on your application will result in your immediate banning.
Leave it to me to take a questionnaire of already epic length and make it even longer than appears to be the norm.
The Basics
1. Name: Becca.
2. Age: 32
3. Gender: I have lady parts.
4. Significant Other (pics please if yes):
Yes.
5. Location: Olympia, WA, US.
Metal: The Music
Answer each as fully as possible, elaborating and explaining your responses in-depth wherever applicable.
6. Name 20+ metal bands you would classify as favourites. Optionally, you can include a small description of why your top five among that list appeal to you:
Merrimack, Secrets of the Moon, Antaeus, Vorkreist, Katharsis, Horna, Glorior Belli, Leviathan, Gnaw Their Tongues, Weakling, Ludicra, Darkthrone, Burzum, Emperor, Dissection, At the Gates, Impaled Nazarene, Impaled, Nunslaughter, Ghoul, Engorged, Bolt Thrower, Morbid Angel, Cannibal Corpse, Suffocation, Anaal Nathrakh, Hammers of Misfortune, Sabbat, Giant Squid, Black Math Horseman, Grayceon, Watain, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Dio, Twisted Sister.
Those are not listed in descending order of preference, because I don’t think I can do that. Also I probably forgot something really important.
7. Do you play an instrument? If so, are you in a band? Provide us with a link to your band's site if you've got one; as exposure can mean everything:
I play the QWERTY keyboard and the kazoo. I have been known to sit on the couch alone and hum Darkthrone riffs into the kazoo, but I lost mine about 6 months ago so that "project" is on hold.
8. Name several of your favourite songs:
I’ve always been in the habit of listening to whole albums beginning to end and comprehending it as a whole, so often am at a loss for the names of specific tracks. In addition to that, I am in fact a metal n00b despite my advanced years. But here goes:
Dissection- "Thorns of Crimson Death"
Engorged- "Architeuthis" (It’s about a giant squid, man.)
Blasphemophager - "Sign of Blazar Storm" (YAAARRRRRGGGGGGGHHH!)
Goatwhore - "Carving Out the Eyes of God" (the kick-drum triplets during the chorus get me every time.)
Funebrarum- "Incineration of Mortal Flesh" (aka Power Cookie)
Watain- "Stellarvore"
Ludicra- "Dead City"
Impaled Nazarene- "The Horny and the Horned"
Burzum - "En Ring Til Aa Herske"
Emperor - "I Am the Black Wizards"
Dissecton- "Night's Blood"
Secrets of the Moon - "Sulphur"
Ludicra - "Why Conquer?"
Grayceon - "Sounds like Thunder"
Zuckuss - the entire 28-minute hidden track on Gamorrean Gangbang. Which by the way is longer than the rest of the album.
Top albums, since that’s more of what I listen to. Though this is more of “First 20 I thought of” than a “Top 20.” My mind is more of a sieve than a steel trap.
Morbid Angel - Altars of Madness
Weakling - Dead as Dreams
Entombed - Left Hand Path
Carcass- Necroticism-Descanting the Insalubrious
Bolt Thrower - The IVth Crusade
Cryptopsy - None so Vile
Gnaw Their Tongues - Spit at Me and Wreak Havoc on my Flesh
Katharsis - Kruzifixxion
Impaled Nazarene - Ugra-Karma
Bathory - Blood Fire Death
Darkthrone - Transylvanian Hunger
Emperor - In the Nightside Eclipse
Dissection - Storm of the Light's Bane
Burzum - Hvis Lyset Tar Os
Sabbat - Karmagmassacre
Merrimack - Of Entropy and Life Denial
Anaal Nathrakh- In The Constellation of the Black Widow
Black Math Horseman - Wyllt
Giant Squid - The Ichthyologist
Grayceon - Grayceon
9. What lyrical themes, if any, do you look for when seeking out new bands?
For the most part, I care about riffs and atmosphere, not so much lyrics. I'll usually glance at the lyrics sheet if one is provided, but I rarely study them in depth. When I do catch and pay attention to lyrics, I get pretty stoked when it’s filthy, brutal, or warlike, or when the lyrics help create a brooding or mystical atmosphere. Oh, and gross-out lyrics are pretty awesome. I have long been a fan of schlock cinema, so it follows that I would enjoy the comedic use of body fluids in song as well.
10. What bands or specific songs would you say are the ones that got you into metal? How long have you been a fan of metal in general?
I’ve been a fan of some heavy metal bands since my childhood, but have only been actively listening and discovering new metal music for the last 4 years + a couple years as a teen. That’s plenty of time, I guess, but the time gap where I was avoiding the scene means that I also have some really interesting gaps in my knowledge.
Early 1980s: Iron Maiden's Powerslave and The Number of the Beast, and Twister Sister's You Can't Stop Rock n' Roll were favorites when I was a preschooler. This would be my then-teenaged uncle's fault.
1994: The first death metal song I think I ever heard was Cannibal Corpse’s “Force Fed Broken Glass,” and I was an instant fan. Other favorites of the time were Morbid Angel, Deicide, Suffocation, and Bolt Thrower.
[Cute about 11 years of not being involved in any metal scene due to a really hostile environment for women--or maybe just me personally--in the rural midwest death metal scene in the early/mid 90s.]
2006: I was living in a revolving-door filthy punk rental house, and somehow we kept trading out punk rockers and goths for metalheads, one at a time. Probably the 6-foot Slayer logo painted on the wall in the living room was attracting them. I told my housemates that I really would like to be listening to more metal but wasn’t sure where to start, since I’d been out of the loop for too long. They obliged, but mostly with classic death metal/NWOBHM bands that I’d already heard. Then one of them suggested I come with him see the band of one of the folks that frequented our parties.
Turns out that guy’s band played atmospheric black metal, which I immediately liked and listened to nonstop for a couple of months. Then, via those guys and their friends, I found out what had been going on since the mid-90s, and discovered black metal for the first time. I probably don’t have a lot in common anymore taste-wise with many of the folks who helped introduce me to black metal, but the beginnings were totally their fault.
Okay, now that I've told the story, I will mention the band. I just avoided it because it was more knowing them as people that influenced me than their music, and also because people seem to have really strong opinions about them these days, and it puts me in awkward positions to mention them. My friends are in Wolves in the Throne Room, and the album that was out when I got to know them was Diadem of 12 Stars.
11. Name and describe any albums you feel have truly influenced (and even defined) metal, in respect to your own personal tastes:
People have written entire books on the subject of what has defined metal in general, and then everyone thinks they’re wrong anyway, and how the crap would I weigh in on that with any credibility? So I’ll just go with shit I found influential to me, though probably no matter how much time I spend on this I’ll be missing something hugely important. Like I said, brain like a sieve.
Twisted Sister- You Can’t Stop Rock N’ Roll: This album is basically the definition of hard rock for me, probably because it’s the first hard rock I ever heard. The album has such a rebellious yet positive message, from beginning to end, and just about every song makes me pump my fist involuntarily during the chorus.
Iron Maiden- Powerslave: Epic. Adventure. Also impossible not to play air guitar to. My six-year-old self was smitten.
Judas Priest - Screaming for Vengeance: I think I was about 11 the first time I heard this album? It was probably the heaviest thing I’d ever heard at that point. Twisted Sister and Iron Maiden made me bop and play air guitar, but this was the first thing to make me really bang my head.
Metallica- Ride the Lightning: This was my--and probably many others’--first exposure to thrash. I like to tease my boyfriend by telling him that this album is a pile of crap, just because it winds him up, but I actually still love it.
Cannibal Corpse- The Bleeding: As I mentioned, the first death metal album I ever heard. The music pulverized my teenaged brain, and if I were a normal human being, the lyrics (as translated real-time by five really stoned guys all yelling over the top of each other) would have offended my sensibilities. But of course I’m not normal, at all. The lyrics are vile, but just so over the top that I couldn’t find them anything but funny, especially with the way they were presented (stoned dudes yelling and giggling). Plus, the music was so awesome that I didn’t really care that much.
Morbid Angel- Altars of Madness: Cannibal Corpse was an eye-opener, and definitely a face-melter, but this was the first death metal album I truly loved.
Emperor- In the Nightside Eclipse: This album came out in 1994, but I didn't hear it until 2006, when I asked a friend for some black metal. He obliged with something like four or five mp3 cds loaded with music. This was the album that made me go, “Oh! I like this!” I found later that I’m usually not so much a fan of symphonic black metal, but it’s because the synths often overpower the guitars, where in this case they just add to the ice-cold, moonlit night type of atmosphere and create a background to showcase the guitars.
Dissection- Storm of the Light’s Bane: If In the Nightside Eclipse made me go, "Oh! I like this!" this album made me go, "Holy shitbiscuits! I LOVE this!" I think literally every track on this album is solid awesome. Riffs that make me bang my head, vocals that make me clutch an invisible grapefruit. What can I say, I like the melodic stuff.
12. If you could attend the show of any band in concert, provided you have never before seen them live, who would you choose and why?
Well, Dio. I never managed for some reason, was going to at Hellfest 2010, and then he died. :(
As far as bands it is possible to see still, Bolt Thrower. I missed out on MDF 2009 due to stupidness that I'm still pissed about, and now I’ll probably have to fly overseas to see them. They are confirmed for Hellfest 2011, and I am going. Period. Have begun the budget-tightening and sale of unnecessary items in order to raise the money for a trip so soon after MDF.
13. Describe the best concert you have ever been to. What made it great, the music? The stage show? The atmosphere? Include whatever caused you to consider this particular show as your favourite.
Man, I have been to a lot of shows. I’m trying to even remember which ones/how many I left going, “That is easily my best show/set of the year!” in just the last 12 months.
When it comes to live shows, there are four major things that make it enjoyable for me: the musical performance, the crowd, the stage performance, and the venue/sound. One or more of these things being on the far end of the good or bad spectrum can make an otherwise okay show either earth-shatteringly excellent or so bad you want to stick your head in a woodchipper.
So since it’s pretty much impossible for me to pick one favorite show, I’m going to do a top several:
Secrets of the Moon, Hellfest 2010: This is one of those "Oh, wow, I didn’t know this was going to rule," sets for me. I had listened their last two albums and liked them fine, but mostly I went to that set because there was nothing else better going on, and also because I am a tiny bit fantarded for the bassist (Hell Militia, Antaeus, Vorkreist). I got my friend to come along with me to see them, and when he heard the band name, he was like, “What, are they going to sing songs about Twilight?” But seriously, live, the music and the stage show combined together to create this really amazing mystical atmosphere, like I might actually step through a veil and end up in a mystical, moonlit realm any second. Now I experience that again every time I listen to their albums.
Midnight/Engorged/General Surgery - Cherry Lofts- Olympia, WA, 2009 : This was a combination of the bands, the crowd, and the venue. All of the bands are right up my alley music-wise, and were amazing both in stage and musical performance. The crowd was full of super-excited but laid-back people, which meant a happy fun pit where people were punching each other in the nice way, rather than in the mean way. Seriously... if you don’t believe me, just watch for yourself: Someone got the entire Engorged set on video Oh, er, and this is also where I met my boyfriend, though we didn’t start going out for a while after that. :)
Twisted Sister, Hellfest 2010: This fulfilled a childhood dream, and I hadn’t even realized it *was* a dream until they were playing- we were there primarily for Immortal, Carcass, and Dark Funeral, but when Dee did the "Welcome to our show" opening, I flipped my shit and went running up to the front. Fortunately those European audiences are really polite and I was able to get way up there quickly without elbowing or pushing anyone. The performance was fantastic. It was all of the original members, and they are all still rocking hard, man. I had long since lost my boyfriend in the crowd and ended up arm in arm with a bunch of French guys, singing/screaming all he words.
Immortal/Dark Funeral/Carcass, Hellfest 2010 and Gorguts/Autopsy/Entombed, MDF 2010: This was completely about bands playing. They were why I flew all the way across the country/world, pretty much. The sound was great, the performances were great, and actually the crowd was pretty great once I got up past the arm-crossers and nearer to the pit. Major highlight: Carcass played pretty much all of Necroticism.
14. Name a band you consider to be underrated or even completely unknown, that you feel deserves more recognition than they get, and the reason you feel this way. Provide a link to their official website:
Ludicra. They’re getting quite a lot of press this year for their newest album, The Tenant, and their plays on last.fm seem to have gone way up since then, but those numbers are still pretty miniscule, so I'm still going with them. I don’t know what to say about it though, other than to quote Crispin Glover in Friday the 13th part IV, and say, "This, this is good!" It’s just good music, folks. Complex all the time, floaty here and there, thrashy here and there, just plain fucking crushing here and there. Plus when Christy and Laurie Sue harmonize their screams, I freak the fuck out.
15. If you could be in any metal band at any point in history, which would you choose to be in? What would be your role in the band?
Oh, uh. Uhhhh. What I'd prefer is to have the extra time and perseverance to get really (or just passably) good at playing an instrument and finally start that all female goregrind/funcore band I keep talking about when drunk, but life and my own lack of fortitude get in the way. While people have suggested I would front the band, I actually sort of suck at being the center of attention and rather prefer to be one point of attention among many. I suspect (but do not know from experience) that I would be better at melody than rhythm, so I would probably choose that over bass. I already know that I cannot hope to be a drummer, considering how I failed at piano.
As far as actual bands that exist/ed? I wish I were Jo Bench, and I would so take her place in Bolt Thrower. But then I guess the world wouldn’t have Jo Bench, so that wouldn’t be fair.
16. If you could meet any metal band or any metal musician, who would you choose to meet?
If I did, I would get completely tongue-tied and hide. But I guess if I consumed enough Xanax and chased it with some whiskey, I’d like to sit down and have a long chat with... HEY, Jo Bench! I’d also totally like to sit down and get blind drunk with Fenriz, because I think he'd be pretty funny. Oh, and Dee Snider. And Bruce Dickinson. I don’t know what I’d say to any of them, which is probably related to me clamming up anytime someone even remotely famous is near me.
17. Have you already met, or do you know, any metal bands or musicians? What were they like? Are they good with the fans, or do they need a bit of help in that department?
Well, I know a crap ton of unsigned local musicians, but I think they don’t really have fans so much as drinking buddies who come to their shows. As I mentioned, I do have one set of friends that are quite successful internationally, but I mostly know them in the context of kitchens and living rooms, not music.
Other than that, I haven’t met too many folks that are certifiably famous, or that I only know of from seeing them play. I've said some brief hellos to Luke Lemay of Gorguts, Alwin of Asphyx, and a number folks from slightly less well-known bands, but each time I just barely said hi and then clammed up and ran away as quickly as possible. Have stood nearby for many conversations with folks from many signed but largely-unknown west coast bands, but kept out of the conversation for fear of not being able to do anything but squeak. And those folks weren’t even really famous, just sort of connected.
18. Name one band you feel is a detriment to the world of metal, and the reason behind this opinion. Try to elaborate more than "Slipknot, they suck":
I actually saw Slipknot in 1999 sort of by accident (and for free), and I thought they were pretty entertaining. There are plenty of bands that fall into the category of "metal" that I think are crap, but if people want to like them, that's not really a problem for me, and I don't really think for the world of metal, either. There's room for everyone, yo, and mostly we don't have to share the same physical space if our tastes are *that* incompatible.
But um, let’s see. Attack Attack! makes me want to jam a railroad spike into my head. Oh, god, it’s so douchey! I’m getting the chills just thinking about it! But really, it’s not that they’re a detriment to the world of metal, they’re just a detriment to the entire world. *shudders*
19. Have you ever found it hard (or even shameful) to enjoy certain music because of the stigma attached to it, its place in the mainstream, or its general fanbase?
When I was a teenager, sure. I was constantly terrified that my friends would not approve of my taste, so if I liked something that was outside of the short list of Bands that are Cool, I would hide it. Hell, I was so crippled by this need to fit in that I actually hid from all my friends that I had or used a computer, lest they think I was a “nerd.” (Dude, I am totally a nerd, and I was not succeeding at hiding it.)
I probably still have some of that trauma left in me somewhere, but these days I’m pretty okay with just liking whatever I like. If I have a problem with the fanbase of a particular type of music I like, I just won't go see them live, no big. And I don’t really give a fuck if some too-trve dude gives me a judgmental look for saying I like/went to see some band that isn't metal. Which has in fact happened to me twice in the last month. Whatever, bro. Go cut your flesh and worship Satan.
Response Questions
Agree or disagree with the following statements in depth, and defend your opinions intelligently.
20. I prefer it when metal bands take their images very seriously.
Agree, sort of.
It just depends on the band and their schtick. In the case of more over-the-top theatrical stuff, it totally makes sense for a band to engage in a lot of costuming and media image-spin. It’s part of the mystique. But then again I am also greatly impressed with folks who just show up and shred, no pretense.
I suppose I do want bands to take *some* sort of care with their image, though, in the sense that if I see them acting like/looking like total douches, I might have a hard time enjoying their music after that. But I guess my preference would truly be that people actually not engage in douchery, not just look like they don't.
21. It is wrong to download metal songs or albums, and to trade mp3s. The only real way to show support for bands you admire is to purchase their albums in stores or online.
Disagree, with qualifications:
For many unsigned bands, trading mp3’s is the only way to GET their music because they don’t have the means to press physical copies. Even for many bands that do have that ability, the exposure of word-of-mouth is doing them a lot more good than a few dinky CD sales.
But when it comes to bands that are actually signed and touring and trying to do it for real, I do agree that the best way to support them is to make sure some actual money gets into their hands. Then again, I do not have unlimited piles of money, so I do make some selfish compromises so that I can still listen to new music even if I don’t have the money to spend on a physical copy. My general rule is that I will download an album, and then when I see them live, I will purchase albums and other merch directly from their band. For those bands that I cannot see, I try to purchase physical copies from independent shops (versus chains) as much as possible. But I still do download plenty of stuff, and I honestly do not always find the cash to get the physical copy right away if I like it. I like to think that I'll get to it all eventually.
22. The metal scene today is only a shadow of what it was years ago, and the quality of the new, emerging bands has also decreased.
Disagree.
I think many people (myself included, often enough) like to put a rose-colored tint on the “good old days,” when in fact they may not have been so good. It all depends on your perspective and taste. Musically, well, I’m no expert on the history of heavy metal, but I find that I am absolutely loving a lot of the stuff that has come out in the last 5-10 years. But I also am aware that what they are doing is entirely because of what Mayhem, or Deicide, or Bathory, or Venom, or Black Sabbath, or The Rolling Stones, or J.S. Bach, or some Cro Magnon beating on a log with a spear, already did.
From the a purely social perspective, the metal scene has is a million times better for me than what it was 17 years ago. (Though it still has a lot of room for improvement.) Some of that could be geography, though; not sure. On the other hand, from the perspective of someone who is 100% into orthodox black metal and nothing else, then probably the early/mid 90s looks like the best time to have been into the scene.
23. Kids who weren't even born when their favourite bands were in their prime can't possibly be as loyal of fans as the ones who were around at the time.
Oh, that’s just a pile of crap, that is.
While it's true that a younger person's reason for enjoyment is a bit different from folks who are older and were actually around to see the bands and really experience the cultural context they were coming from, that doesn’t mean that they aren’t exactly as sincere in their enjoyment. The emotions being conveyed are timeless: it’s not like one generation has the patent on love, hate, loneliness, alienation, violence, or misanthrope.
24. 'Classic' heavy metal bands should quit while they are ahead; the latest offerings from giants of the genre are far inferior to what they put out in their heyday.
Depends on the band. I can't actually speak with any authority on new material being released by any of the true "Giants" of classic heavy metal, because I tend to go see them so that I can hear their old material. That’s probably narrow-minded, but I’ve only got so much time in the day to listen to music.
I don’t know if they qualify as “classic,” as far as the intent of this question, but Overkill comes to mind as an example of a band who has been around forever and is still releasing awesome new material. I thought Ironbound was fantastic, and holy crap, those guys still have plenty of energy. They’re like a million years old, and they played for so long that *I* got tired and had to retire to the bar and just listen.
As far as touring on old material, or even new: the guys that are too old and decrepit to put any energy into their performance should just give it up, yeah. I thought that was the case with Pentagram the last time they came to Seattle, but I hear they totally killed it at MDF VIII. I was there but was doing something else while they were playing. Probably vomiting or sleeping. It’s sort of an exhausting 4 days.
25. When a band gets a lot of recognition, it is pretty much a given that they will, one day, sell out. A band's music and merchandise being easily accessible in stores is not necessarily a good thing.
I’m hesitant to even comment on anyone “selling out,” since I feel the term is ill-defined and the accusation is thrown at a lot of folks who don’t deserve it. To me, if you are making music or art you don’t like and that doesn’t feel authentic to you just so you can bring in some more money, then that’s selling out. But if you are creating something that is genuine, and that comes from your soul, and you happen to be making money, then you’re doing just fine in my opinion.
Anyway, to directly answer the question: No, I don’t think that’s true. I think you can get internationally, hugely famous and probably still be for real. Drug addicted and oversexed, sure, but still for real artistically.
26. Record labels couldn't care less about quality in music, and pass over the bands who deserve the most recognition.
Yes, I am a nerd and corrected the wording of that question.
That is probably true for the most successful ones, yeah. I don’t have a lot of insight into the record industry, but it makes sense to me that since their goal is to make money, the ones doing the best financially are not focusing on quality or talent so much as what will sell.
I have met several people running small time labels that only sign and promote bands they truly like and believe in and whom they feel produce quality music. They seem to be paying the bills, but not truly profiting. So yeah, there are definitely a number of bands I’ve seen that are unsigned or on dinky little labels that have no money to do any decent publicity for them, that are a million times better in my opinion than a lot of the big time bands that are touring constantly.
27. The quality of a band's music is more important than their ideology.
Agree, for the most part. There are several bands whose members probably hate what and who I am whose music I just absolutely love. But for many metal bands, it’s not the same as like, Nazi punk bands who are pretty fucking clear in their lyrics and stage performance what their ideals are. So when a message that is truly offensive to me becomes overt, I usually can’t hang. And yeah, sometimes I get stabby when I listen to Varg talk for too long, but I also mostly dismiss him as having a screw loose, which doesn’t make him any less of a talented artist.
This is a pretty rocky territory for me, and I honestly haven’t sussed out what I think about it all. I’m also kind of tired of talking about it, because it always just ends up going in a circle. So mostly I just choose to care about the music. Mostly.
Oh, also I am way more tolerant of (moderately) nationalistic messages coming from Europeans/Scandinavians than from Americans. Part of it is my ability to distance and take on a sort of academic, anthropological view of bands from a different culture. Another part of it is that I get the complexities of the historical context for those beliefs, even if I feel that they’re ultimately misguided. Because I am so intimately familiar with xenophobia and racism--from the standpoint of a victim as well as understanding of the historical and cultural (lack of) context--in America, American NSBM makes me wanna hurl, and I mean rocks as well as vomit.
28. Mainstream metal, and 'metalcore', is in no way truly 'metal', and should not be associated with the rest of the genre.
Depending on how one would define mainstream metal, I would disagree with that part. I’ve already professed my love for Judas Priest, among other household-name type bands that I would most definitely still call heavy metal.
As for metalcore- I honestly don’t have a lot of familiarity other than with over-the-top awful bands like Attack Attack!, and that was because Cracked.com did an article on one of their music videos and how awful it was. But if that’s representative, then yeah, I’d prefer that their douchey antics not be associated with anything that I like and care about.
29. Besides being a genre of music, metal is a way of life.
It feels super-choady to say this but: Yeah, kind of. It’s not so much what many folks seem to think it is, which is being constantly brutal and violent and satanic and rebellious and drunk. That’s just silly, and I don’t think anyone can maintain that lifestyle forever. I also do NOT in any way think that it has anything to do with the "uniform."
It’s just that I don’t think you can possibly be a sincere fan of heavy music and not have that affect/reflect your worldview somewhat. It’s just clear to me that if you are into that type of music, there is something of a dark side to you, and if you’re not connecting with the music on that level, then I would say you don’t “get it,” and aren’t a true fan.
Note that I’m not saying that one has to be mean and super serious and never smile or joke about anything. I am well known for being extremely goofy, probably to the point where I piss off a lot of black metal guys who want to take everything really seriously, but I am 100% sincere in my emotional connection to the dark and violent side of the music. I just also happen to want to grin like an idiot when you sing about violence and warfare, and especially when you sing about Satan.
More About You
30. Share several interesting facts about yourself and your hobbies:
I've studied 7 languages, but I don't really speak any of them very well, or really at all other than French and a bit of Irish. The other five are: Dutch, American Sign Language, Russian, Hungarian, and German.
I'm really into mushrooms. Specifically I'm into mycology, not just the culinary/psychedelic applications.
I have a very restrictive diet due to life-threatening food allergies (corn, wheat, dairy), and usually end up having to pack food with me wherever I go, unless I have access to a well-appointed grocery store and a kitchen. This does not stop me from traveling, and often. I eat a lot of tuna salad on the road. Really, a lot of it.
Unsurprisingly for a Pacific NW resident, I'm pretty into backcountry hiking. I haven't done a super lot of it lately, but I still have all the gear. My dog even has his own little backpack and carries his own sleeping roll.
31. If you could go back to any time period/place in history, where would you choose to go and why?
The Jurassic period. Fuck human history, I wanna hang out with dinosaurs. I don’t think this requires further explanation. DINOSAURS.
Alternatively, Vienna in the 1960s, so I could hang out with the Viennese Actionists. Again, do I really need to expand upon why I would want to see them doing completely depraved shit firsthand?
32. If you could visit any foreign land of your choosing, which would it be?
There isn’t really anywhere I don’t want to go. I’ve already been a number of places in the British Isles and Western and Central Europe. I think next on my list would probably be India, then more places in Southeast Asia (I’ve only been to Thailand to briefly visit my extended family) , and after that probably Russia and Karelia. And I guess I could stand to visit some Scandinavian countries after that. Oh, and Antarctica. And most of South America. The Middle East, too. Seriously, everywhere.
33. Name several of your favourite movies, if any:
Er, geez, that's even harder than naming favorite music. I’ll try to keep it somewhat short. The Thing, Suspiria, Zombi II, Pieces, The Plague Dogs (animated), Grave of the Fireflies (animated), Harold and Maude, Sleepaway Camp, Night of the Demons, Tokyo Gore Police, Videodrome, The Fly, Nightbreed, Demons, Blood Freak, the entire Friday the 13th series including Jason X, Blue Velvet, Cannibal! The Musical, Kill the Movie, Cannibal Holocaust (er, this is more "notable" than "favorite"), Highlander, Braveheart, River's Edge, Female Trouble, Wild at Heart... way, way more but I'm tired of typing.
34. Name several of your favourite books, if any:
Off the top of my head, and probably missing many important things:
Comics: Sandman, Books of Magic, Preacher, Moonshadow, The Filth, Strangers in Paradise, Ghost in the Shell, Nausicaa of the Valley of Wind
Non-illustrated books: Watership Down, Through the Looking Glass, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, The Little Prince, The Lord of the Rings trilogy + The Hobbit, Snow Crash, Cryptonomicon (but not so much the rest of what became the Baroque Cycle), the Darkover series (Marion Zimmer Bradley), Stranger in a Strange Land, the Deverry series (Katharine Kerr), Godel, Echer, Bach (by Douglas Hofstadter)
35. Name several some of your favourite television shows, if any:
Twin Peaks, Buffy, Firefly, The West Wing, Sports Night, How I Met Your Mother, Red Dwarf, The Young Ones, The IT Crowd, Misfits, Community... okay out of steam/patience.
36. What are some non-metal bands that you listen to?
Sonic Youth (mostly Daydream Nation and previous), Bauhaus, Joy Division, Cranes, Mono, Kíla, Hedningarna, Altan, Misfits, Skinny Puppy, Andrew W.K., Jason Webley, et cetera, ad infinitum.
37. Show that you've got a sense of humour by telling us one of your favourite jokes. Don't make it too long, though:
So a dyslexic walks into a bra...
Really, I’m terrible at jokes. My sense of humor is highly contextual and usually involves non sequiturs and deadpan sarcasm. Or a well-timed belch.
38. What is the story behind your username?
Not as interesting as I’d like. One of my internet friends from waaaaaay back used to address emails to me to “becca beca becala.”
39. Do you have any tattoos or piercings? Where?
I’ve had probably 10 or more piercings at various times, but all I have left are 2g ears. I have 8 tattoos: 3/4 backpiece, full sleeve, leg from stomach to middle calf, one small, terrible one on my knee that I did myself but with a real tattoo gun and actual autoclaved needle, and 4 small ones on my feet.
40. Do you do any drugs? What ones? [This includes alcohol]:
I don't do street drugs (anymore.) I drink socially, and have a low tolerance so am possibly known for being a lush, but I am perfectly capable of rocking out sober. Unless I am camping at a multi-day European festival and only getting an hour of sleep a night, in which case I must be drunk the entire time or I will not survive.
Promotion and Pictures
41. Promote to another community or to a LiveJournal, to help spread word about the community around. Link to where you did:
Right here.
42. Post one rather silly picture of yourself.
Um, there are thousands of goofy pictures of me all over the internet, but not really too many where I am doing anything normal and don't look awful. Usually if I am sitting still long enough for a "normal" picture, it's because I'm too tired/sick to move.
43.Post 3+ regular photos of yourself. Make sure they are clear so we can see your face, and please try to avoid any Photoshopped ones. (Omitting this section results in an immediate rejection):
As I said, there aren’t too many decent ones where I am doing anything normal that are less than 5 years old. But I can probably find some that aren't too goofy.
Deleting comments on your application will result in your immediate banning.
Leave it to me to take a questionnaire of already epic length and make it even longer than appears to be the norm.