Shane and Amy Bugbee drove across America for a year-long epic road trip spent producing some 200 short videos featuring interviews with classic American figures, including metal- and punk-related ones such as Jeff Becerra (Possessed), Ian Mackaye (Minor Threat) and Averse Sefira. They called this project A Year at the Wheel and have released the extensive interview footage to the public.
Their footage has been featured on syndicated news shows, and even in the Peter Jackson documentary West Of Memphis. They financed their project with no grants, no sponsors, and not even a credit card, and began with only $180 between them. Since that time, their YouTube videos have received over 1.3 million views and they have published a 534-page book called The Suffering & Celebration Of Life In America including their interviews with the above musical figures.
In response to popular interest the Bugbees have made their archive available to others through Archive.Org. The footage can be not only viewed, but used by other filmmakers and journalists in their own projects. Subjects include internationally known photographer Joel Peter Witkin, anthropologist William H. McNeill, Craigslist founder Craig Newmark, Attorney for the American Atheists Edwin Kagin, punk icon Ian MacKaye, the Godfather of Death Metal Jeff Becerra, American Indian Movement activist Dennis Banks, the black metal band Averse Sefira, and eyehategod’s Mike Williams.
Tags: averse sefira, ian mackaye, jeff becerra, minor threat, possessed
I want to stir up some sheit, Brett-Brett or whoever pretty please approve this comment…
Everyone says that there is a problem with society now…If you look close, “modern” society is just like nature…In nature, most people are helpless, even the ones like on here and ANUS who call themselves trying to save the world, you literally have no control over anything (not even your own lives) and you don’t really know anything…All the philosophy and history books you read, how do you know if any of it is even real? How do you know that they haven’t been tampered with? How do you know these people aren’t just plain bullshitting you?
Why does everyone on here think the people who run shit on this planet are stupid? Have you ever heard of deliberate deception?
Who told you that mankind is capable of destroying the Earth?
Who told you that oil is running out?
Who told you that the average person can make a difference?
Who told you that democracy is real?
Think about it, who told you these things? You don’t like the “elite” but you believe every word they say and read all the books they put out and you fight against things that aren’t real…I watched some of the vids of the people that were interviewed, they are *totally* clueless about *everything*!!!
The frontier is real, but would you know what it looks like if you saw it, and would you want it?
This is real metaphysics I’m talking here, not that Evola-Guenon garbage…Those two clowns knew nothing…
Only Death is Real – Hail Satan
Nature is Hell, Hell is Nature
I’m cool with provocation about metal. I’d like people to be respectful and hold themselves to a higher standard.
I’m having trouble finding a cohesive point in your comment. Did you come from the David Icke forums?
Aren’t these people everything ANUS was against? I mean, they’re loudmouthed white trash incarnate: I saw a clip of them arguing in their community with citizens using the liberal “we’re different! Accept us!” argument – screaming at them while the others were speaking in a respectful tone.
Then their interview subjects:
Joel Peter Witkin – espouses perversity for shock value
Craig Newmark – runs a prostitution ring (craigslist)
Ian MacKaye – PC values indie rock/post-hardcore innovator
Averse Sefira – interview unintentionally parodies Burzum sentiments in low IQ form
Mike Williams – drugged out mess
Michale Graves – pop punk
Szandora Lavey – “edgy” child of “edgy” atheist book author; pornography
Ugly Shyla – pornography
Gene Hoglan – Strapping Young Lad; obesity and Deathclock (I won’t use the actual name)
Interviews with the Occupy Movement, strippers and hipsters. A Dimebag Darrel RIP video. “Free the West Memphis Three dude!” videos.
Funniest of all was the “big brother watches you” video… well, no shit! With deviants like these people running around threatening social order, a “evil Illuminati depopulation scheme” seems needed! These personality types mirror the ones of the people who turned metal into post-indie ga(y)ze-core!
Brett, what’s going on here? The Wolves at the Glory Hole review was one thing, but now this? I understand if this is some kind of a cautionary tale type of thing though.
You’re going to bash the new Opeth album at least right?
Dude, who even knows what this site is about anymore, or if it ever was really about anything at all…I listen to what band members say and I listen to what’s said on here and ANUS and I know for a fact that Metal has a spirit, but it seems like people on here are just interpreting Metal based on their own beliefs that they read from some book that the “elite” let you read and are going with that…Hell, the band members don’t even have a clue as to what they are doing! I think that it’s like with the classical composers, that they are receiving inspiration or direction from acasual forces or beings to make music to manifest in our casual realm…And that’s all there is to it…The value of this site to me is that they cover the best, but I don’t know if you can even say that anymore…
There have been some really mediocre bands that deserve trashing, but instead were heard out or even recommended by DMU recently.
Good for pointing out what metal spirit really is. I am completely on board with your description of the spirit being an influence from some acausal, non-linear aspect of awareness, or however you want to say it. Band members themselves are usually clueless conduits.
Richard, I have my own little theories, lol…I honestly think that whatever influenced or spoke through Lovecraft to write his stories spoke through Trey Azagthoth and Morbid Angel, for their early stuff anyways…I think that the whole Norwegian Black Metal scene had something to do with Odhinn, look at what Varg is doing now, the whole Burzum thing now is to push European heritage and he made songs for Odhinn and Freyja, even though he doesn’t really believe in them…People like to look at mythology and Gods as being something that man made up, but that ain’t the case, that’s an egocentric viewpoint that the “elite” tell you…
Evola said that back in the day there were rigid caste societies that were ruled by certain beings who could be described as Demi-Gods and there were other beings that were over them, it was like the Demi-God was the human rep for the God…So it doesn’t make sense to think that these same types of beings are not running things now because that’s how nature works, you just don’t see them…
To finish, I think that these beings used Metal to get their influence out in our casual realm and now notice that more people are turning to Paganism and Metal is getting popular again…I think something is about to go down, that’s why I feel like it’s a shame that this site went the way it did, I see little kids getting in to Metal, the new audience is coming….
If the spirit of this kind of music really does eminate from some acausal realm, then you don’t have to worry about it becoming drowned in a sea of ironic hipsterism or poseurs. Demi-gods don’t die as easily as trends.
True, and that’s why I think that this site shouldn’t be dumbed down, it’s alot more important than Brett or anyone thinks…Hipsters and all those others can’t kill Metal, and everything is powered by desire…You don’t need to water the site down to get views because there is a new generation of Metal listeners coming and when they get the desire to know more about Metal, they *will* find this site…
Oh here’s something to think about…I’m pretty sure that Lisa Gerrard and Brenden Perry are higher beings, watch their interviews and observe them…
Trey Azagthoth said something like this for early Morbid Angel. About being a vessel for the “old ones”. The thing is now anyone can do a wiki search on HP Lovecraft and make a tongue in cheek parody (even if unintentionally) of it. Like Portal.
If bands only use others forms and ideas without being inspired to do those things, you end up with crap like Satyricon.