Varg Vikernes

621

Varg Vikernes : biography

11 February 1973 –

When asked whether the church burnings were linked to Odinism or Ásatrú he replied: "The point is that all these churches [i.e. church burnings] are linked to one person … who was not Øystein obviously. All the church burnings, with the exception of Stavanger, because that was another group (who, by the way, have also turned into nationalistic pagans)."Lords of Chaos, p. 89

Bergens Tidende article

In January 1993, an article in one of Norway’s biggest newspapers, Bergens Tidende (BT), brought the black metal scene into the media spotlight.Lords of Chaos (2003), pp.95–97. Two friends of Vikernes interviewed him and brought the interview to the newspaper, hoping they would print it. In the anonymous interview, ‘Count Grishnackh’ (Vikernes) claimed to have burnt the churches and killed a man in Lillehammer. BT journalist Finn Bjørn Tønder set-up a meeting with ‘Count Grishnackh’, with help from the friends. The journalists were summoned to an apartment and, allegedly, warned that they would be shot if the police were called. There, Vikernes and his companions told the journalists that they had burnt the churches, or knew who had done it, and said that the attacks would continue. They claimed to be Devil worshippers and said: "Our intention is to spread fear and devilry […] that is why we are telling this to Bergens Tidende". They told the journalists details about the arsons that hadn’t been released to the press and so BT spoke with the police before publishing it, who confirmed these details. The article was published on 20 January as the front page of the BT. It was headlined "We Lit The Fires" and included a photo of Vikernes, his face mostly hidden, holding two large knives. However, by the time the article was printed, Vikernes had already been arrested. The police allegedly found him by going to an address printed on a Burzum flyer, although Vikernes believes that Tønder "snitched" on him.. Burzum.org

According to Vikernes, the anonymous interview was planned by himself and Euronymous. The goal, he says, was to scare people, promote black metal and get more customers for Helvete.. Burzum.org At the time, Burzum was about to release the Aske mini-album. Vikernes said of the interview: "I exaggerated a lot and when the journalist left we […] had a good laugh, because he didn’t seem to understand that I was pulling his leg". He added that the interview revealed nothing that could prove his involvement in any crime. Vikernes claims that, after he was arrested, "the journalist edited the interview and […] published an insane version of it the following day, without even letting me read through it". Some of the other scene members were also arrested and questioned, but all were released for lack of evidence. Jørn Inge Tunsberg of Hades said that the interview had "grave consequences" for the rest of the scene and that they did not know he was going to talk to the press, as "he had said nothing". He added that they became "bloody angry" and he, Tunsberg, was "pissed off".Torstein Grude: Satan rir media, 1998.

Norwegian magazine Rock Furore published an interview with Vikernes in February 1993. In it, he said of the prison system: "It’s much too nice here. It’s not hell at all. In this country prisoners get a bed, toilet and shower. It’s completely ridiculous. I asked the police to throw me in a real dungeon, and also encouraged them to use violence".Lords of Chaos (2003), p.42. He was released in March for lack of evidence.

Shortly after this episode, the Oslo police dispatched its Church Fire Group to Bergen, where they set up a makeshift headquarters in the Hotel Norge. According to Lords of Chaos, citing a police report, Vikernes knocked on their door and "virtually forced his way into the suite". He was "dressed in chain mail, carrying two large knives in his belt, and flanked by the two young men who apparently behaved as if they were his bodyguards or henchmen". Vikernes "stated that he was fed up with being harassed by the authorities, and that the police investigation into the Black Metal scene should be stopped". When told that he had no right to issue orders to the police, Vikernes "took one step back and raised his right arm in a Roman salute".Lords of Chaos (2003), p.143.