When Stomach Matter Becomes Charming

I feel I've been a bit of a negative Nellie over the last few days, taking digs at the work of people who at least stopped talking about writing a book and actually did something about their ambitions. At any rate, to prove I'm still capable of smiling with enjoyment at the written word, I'll offer up a quote I found yesterday while doing some research. Behold, in an Observer article dealing with one of the bands from Norway's black metal scene in the 1990s, author Chris Campion describes Mayhem frontman's stylings thusly: “At its grotesque best, his singing sounds like vomit.” (1)

Because of this well-written, engaging article (which also includes a description of said vocalist as "com[ing] across as a stoned Bela Lugosi"), I actually found myself interested in this one-time phenomenon about which I had initially started reading only because the particular project I was working on demanded it. Even Campion's employment of a substance more often used as a descriptive reference by fifth-grade boys was, in this instance, perfect.

Here's to you, good journalism. Even--or maybe especially-- when it involves vomit.



(1) Chris Campion, "In the face of death," The Observer, 19 February 2005.