How To Look

I like looking at pictures of black metal bands. The makeup and off-the-scale contrast makes the people involved look so vague, they're almost unreal. That's my favorite type of non-live band picture. So many bands have stupid-looking, posed press pics. The worst is the "look how badass and hot we look" shot. To me, that's not good salesmanship for rock and roll. Rock and roll bands should look more mysterious and vague so that you can't tell if they're badass, or poseurs, or what.

"What do these fuckers have to hide? Why don't they show their faces clearly?"

Hidden faces are intriguiung to me, whether they're hidden by lighting, angles or whatever. Makeup... not so much, but there are exceptions (see above).

With the internet, it's easy to get anything you want. I like the idea of a band saying, "no, you can't have a clear shot of us". To me, that's the essence of rock and roll, right there. To rework an old cliché, "never leave them wanting less" (of your ugly mug, that is).