Götz Kühnemund of Germany's Rock Hard magazine (web site) recently conducted a revealing interview with Gorgoroth frontman Gaahl (real name: Kristian Espedal) in which the controversial black metal singer spoke publicly for the first time about his sexual orientation and his political beliefs. The chat, which appears in issue 258 of the magazine, was translated exclusively for BLABBERMOUTH.NET and appears below in its entirety.

For a long time Gorgoroth frontman Gaahl was deemed "the evil face of black metal." There was nothing anyone wouldn't put past him or try to pin on him. In his native Norway, he regularly finds himself on the front page of the biggest daily newspapers — as Satan personified or national bogeyman supreme. But now this villain of all people has outed himself as gay and reveals a few sides to his personality very few people would've thought possible.

Rock Hard: I think it's pretty ballsy that you've outed yourself as gay. I'd love to ask you two or three questions on the subject, if you don't mind.

Gaahl: "Sure, no problem."

Rock Hard: When I met you, we talked pretty extensively about an old JUDAS PRIEST live video that had made a strong impression on you. Was Rob Halford coming out a partial factor in your publicly acknowledging your own sexual preference?

Gaahl: "No. Rob Halford is a big musical inspiration for me, but nothing more. It doesn't feel to me as if I've outed myself because up until now the whole thing was a non-issue for me. All this evolved very naturally. I feel how I feel and I've never made any secret about it."

Rock Hard: But there are people that do not accept homosexuality. Isn't it true that you were in fact attacked by someone in the backstage area at Wacken [Open Air festival in Wacken, Germany]?

Gaahl: "That's something that went down behind my back. Nobody has ever said anything derogatory to my face in person."

Rock Hard: But King (GORGOROTH bassist) witnessed something and told me about it later (Note: there was a vicious brawl backstage at Wacken, which involved King among others. It was reportedly triggered by anti-gay remarks by a certain person who found himself in a hospital shortly thereafter). How are people treating you?

Gaahl: "Absolutely positive. I haven't felt any animosities directed toward me."

Rock Hard: But there are likely people on the right fringe of the black metal scene for whom you as an avowed homosexual have become an enemy.

Gaahl: "Possibly, yes. My idea of art, and black metal especially, is the depiction of honesty without compromise. I really don't care how other people react to it or the feelings it might provoke."

http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermo...aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=107859

whatever makes him happy, I guess.

I've said it before and I'll say it again:

I suppose that one of the most anti-christian thing you can do is blow another dude.

so I'm not the only one that always thought he was gay?

when you listen to gorgoroth now, do you have to say "no homo" first?

hahaha good one

yeah, but it might be too late... I mean how many times have we all listened to them already?

He wasn't even present in Gorgoroth back when they made great (not just "OK better than average") music.

I mean, I can see some honor in him coming out - especially a man of his "stature" in the black metal scene. Honor in the sense that he has nothing to hide and does not care what people think.
I bet you there's a huge number of gay metal musicians that are too afraid to come out as it would likely ruin their image.
Now, don't get me wrong, I love Ulver, but I'm starting to think that Trickster G (Garm) of Ulver needs to come out. haha

At this point, the crowd has won. Coming out results in zero repercussions. If any black metal musician were to say openly "All gays should be neutered," he'd find himself in jail.

A black metal guy is gay??? I am absolutely shocked. Shocked I tell you.

From the genre that brought us band names like Sodom... how could it be?

Expurse into Sodomy.

I wish Dani Filth would come out... and then get hit by a bus.

the metal underground is pretty fucking gay when you think about it. i'd say it's 85% predicated on the premise of dudes impressing dudes. just look at this forum (sorry aaron). lots of homosexual bumsnoggery to be had here.

np, a sweet beej and we are square

I've never had more women hit on me than while I was getting paid to take photos of a Hanson show last week.

Cougars?

I still remember 2 years ago, there were girls sleeping outside The Chance in Poughkeepsie because HANSON was coming the next night....

I had just gotten out of a Finntroll show I think.

A friend of mine trolls the H-town gay bars for Cougars. Says the sex is reckless and anal is a snap of the fingers.

h-town?

It's in the Southern part of the United States.

Houston.

oh, how I miss thee.

gay bars for Cougars? that makes no sense...
Cougars are old ladies...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Age_disparity_in_sexual_relationships

Pretty much the only reason I didn't get laid after that show was because I didn't have time for it.

You would think it makes no sense, wouldn't you?

But Houston is a traditionally conservative town which has always had a very vital gay community in the Montrose. Coincidentally, the gay bars are often the best place to drink. (There's hard gay and soft gay -- hard gay is Mary's, where butch fags hang -- soft gay is South Beach or some other club, just down the street from the necro-clubs where you'd see Ministry but far removed from the goofy, extreme places like Meridian or Walters on Washington, where most metal shows appear and are attended by 50 disinterested hipsters.)

So the Cougars go to the safe bars, where people aren't going to freak out because they're not college students (like in Rice Village), and that's the soft gay bars. You will find them in groups. If they do not succeed at a bar, they go to a coffee shop or pub afterwards. Want to get plugged by an older woman on a Wednesday night? Agora or Brazil, fo' shoa~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~i'm fukcin.

When/if you ever make it down here, I will arrange for some gay negroes to take you on a world tour.

2 c00l 4 sk00l

well, this whole thing explains why he adopted that kid.

I'll just be hangin' out at the Randall's in Cypress.

GIANT BONG HITS

conservationist, those are FAG HAGS not COUGARS. Cougars would go where the college guys are. a lot of times attending these bars with their college aged daughters.

Naw, FAG HAGS tend to spend time with gay men. Cougars in gay bars do not.

okay ill come back for one more post. I used to be gay and in gorgoroth.