Metal In The Mainstream
A recent post on Decibel Magazine’s blog discussed underground metal and its appearances in pop culture. Apparently, Cameron Diaz is into heavy music, while Taylor Swift is curious and wants to learn more about it. Nicolas Cage’s son is also currently fronting an extreme metal band called Eyes of Noctum. Who knew?
Aside from what the article mentions, the first thing that comes to mind is Jim Carrey’s admiration of Cannibal Corpse, which helped them snag a cameo in “Ace Ventura: Pet Detective”. TV sitcom “Friends” also dropped a reference to extreme metal, with Lisa Kudrow’s character admitting she is a Carcass fan. And just recently, Ryan Adams (I’m not going to pretend I know who he is or what kind of music he makes) listed Xasthur as one of his current playlist favorites, which is both surprising and pretty damn cool.
Filmmaker Harmony Korine, who is best known for writing the “Kids” screenplay, has also expressed interest in the black metal subculture. He’s interviewed in the upcoming “Until The Light Takes Us” documentary, and he included music from Absu, Bethlehem, Burzum, and Bathory in the soundtrack of “Gummo,” which he wrote and directed. From the descriptions and reviews I’ve seen, it sounds like a fairly bizarre movie. One of these days I’m sure I’ll break down and watch it, since I can’t otherwise conceive of how Landfermann-era Bethlehem songs could find an appropriate place in such a movie.
