#52 – On the Metaphysics of Death: Philosophical roundtable on the metaphysical and ontological side of reality in terms of the inevitable expiration date, correlations to metal, the human condition, and so forth. There’s a lot to unpack in this episode. Brett Stevens from www.deathmetal.org and the author of “Nihilism: A Philosophy Based in Nothingness and Eternity” joins alongside David Burke who is a PhD student specializing in Metal Studies, as well as Raphael who is a metal writer and psychology major.
Hate Meditations 
Yes mate.
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I’ve read that piece which is why i was surprised and taken aback that you would give someone with such an obviously moronic and externally imposed teleology on the history of metal, not to mention piss-poor understanding of history, economics politics and philosophy (see e.g amerika.org) anything resembling a platform where he is treated as an equal at the table and not the moron he self-evidently is. This is after all the man who inspired Anders Breivik, the Norwegian mass murderer and terrorist, and I was wondering how you square this sort of engagement with your generally left-of-centre politics. Ciao
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I’ve read that piece which is why i was surprised and taken aback that you would give someone with such an obviously moronic and externally imposed teleology on the history of metal, not to mention piss-poor understanding of history, economics politics and philosophy (see e.g amerika.org) anything resembling a platform where he is treated as an equal at the table and not the moron he self-evidently is. This is after all the man who inspired Anders Breivik, the Norwegian mass murderer and terrorist, and I was wondering how you square this sort of engagement with your generally left-of-centre politics.
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I’m not sure I can give a satisfactory answer here given the strength of feeling, but I’ll try and offer some context.
Prozak’s writing on metal in particular remains hugely influential within the underground, I think you would be surprised how many anus.com alumni litter the scene, this is not tantamount to endorsing his political views, which I abhor. (I am not aware of the Anders Breivik connection)
I have no problem acknowledging the influence he had on me, and the possibility that he still has value to contribute on metal discourse. However, be assured that I had (have) plenty of misgivings about this episode being on the channel (I did not appear on this particular episode), but I accept that curation on the figure of Prozak should probably be added to disavow the broader philosophy of anus.com if it is to stay up at all.
In regards to platforming, deathmetal.org and the DMU have an exponentially larger platform than HM, so on a practical level it’s not possible for HM to amplify Prozak as an individual, his infamy stretches far beyond the small reach of this site.
Lastly, because of HM’s roots in anus.com (and judging from many of the comments and messages I receive), my readership is broadly alt right/conservative. The style of my music discourse appeals to them despite the fact that I sit at the opposite end of the political spectrum.
Whilst I do not believe in the liberal ideal of legitimising their views by sitting at the same table to debate the issues as equals, I believe there is value in using music discourse to bridge the political divide in metal particularly (Prozak was brought on to discuss death in metal after all), with a view to diffusing the extreme far right tendency by exposing more moderate right wing elements to left political theory and the value of making metal a more inclusive place without sacrificing quality music. This is reconciliation via music.
This idea is a work in progress, so I completely accept that all of the above may look like a very weak response to your concerns, and perhaps too naïve to survive contact with reality. But I do thank you for commenting and for getting me to look again at this.
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Any update on what your writing? You have an unique perspective I haven’t seen much of online, I’d be interested in reading more.
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Thanks for the background, I’ll save responding to each point individually, suffice to say there’s plenty of food for thought here, and I broadly agree with what you’re saying, so thanks for taking the time to reply (and no need to apologise for the wall of text).
In regards to your last point, this definitely chimes with where I see HM going at some point, finding a route to save the history of extreme metal from the “enormous condescension of posterity” whilst detaching this from the legacy of anus.com and its orbital sites and toxic legacy. Unfortunately this is something I do in my spare time so my capacity is somewhat limited at times.
I’ll save saying much more for now, other than I would be very interested corresponding if you’re serious, I can be reached at hatemeditations@gmail.com
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