When I was in Bangkok last month I met an interesting guy named Jef, who was working at the guesthouse my friend Ben and I were staying at. I immediately knew I was going to like Jef because he was wearing a Swans shirt when I checked in. Plus, he's from Birmingham, which means he talks like Barney Greenway (and even sort of looks like him too.)
Jef and I were having a discussion about music, and I was telling him about the recent wave of black metal that's influenced by shoegaze bands like My Bloody Valentine and Lull.
"What it called?"
"Actually they call it 'black gaze.' "
He looked at me like I was crazy. "They're called 'black gays'?"
I was immediately doubled over with laughter. An obvious joke, for sure; but one that hadn't occurred to me before, and makes a silly sub-genre sound even sillier. So in dedication to Jef, and with thanks to Al Pacino's questionable career choices, enjoy cruising for blackgaze.
