I’ve been a slave to heavy metal for as long as remember.I regularly listen for messages from Satan so that I might better do his bidding.And I also own spiked bracelets and pants made from assorted animal skins (I’m not saying I wear any of them with great regularity- it’s just that I have them with me in case I need them, which is the important part).The reason I bring this up is, a few years ago, when I was doing some of my regular metal research, I began scouring the Internet for information about Saint Vitus, one of my favorite metal bands.I was doing this because a lot of the time when I’m listening to metal I also like to read about metal.And while I was reading up on Saint Vitus, I saw a mention of a band they list as an influence, Pentagram.Somehow, even though- as mentioned- I am a slave to metal, I had never heard of them.Still, I figured if they were good enough to influence Saint Vitus (who are totally sweet), they must be pretty fucking sweet, so I decided to seek them out.And I’m glad I did because they are basically the best band ever, a mix of Black Sabbath, Blue Cheer, Deep Purple, the Yardbirds, and more drugs than any of those bands have ever consumed combined.I was instantly hooked and listened to pretty much nothing but Pentagram for the next few months straight.I forced everyone who came over to my apartment to listen to them too.And I tried to bring them up in conversation whenever possible.It must have been kind of annoying now that I think about it.
Given my affinity for metal research, I soon began to read up on Pentagram too.Turns out they formed in Maryland in the ‘70s and- thanks to the lead singer/songwriter/founder Bobby Liebling’s appetite for drugs and other forms of self-destruction- achieved repeated liftoffs before repeatedly crashing to the ground and starting all over again, kind of like the Wright Brothers before they finally got it right or something, I guess.
The reason I bring all this up is this past weekend I finally got around to watching “Last Days Here”, a documentary about Bobby Liebling, on Netflix Instant.The movie has been on the festival circuit for a while but now you can and should totally watch it in your home without having to wear a laminate or a wristband or anything.You don’t have to be a slave to metal to enjoy it either- you just have to like a good story.I don’t think this ruins it for you, but the gist of it is this: a guy lives with his parents, does tons of drugs, alienates everyone around him, and almost dies a million times until he is in his 50s and finally gets it together enough to get the band back together.They play a triumphant show in New York City (Yes, I was there and was also really, really hammered) and eventually Bobby meets a twentysomething superfox and, well, I don’t even want to tell you what happens next.Just watch the movie.
Also, I was lucky enough to meet the guy who’s music I became so obsessed with.You can watch a video of us chatting here:
Bride of Evil,
Dave Hill
