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Peter Beste: Yeah, I've always been attracted to musical subcultures and the black metal and Houston projects were ones that meant a lot to me because I'd had fascinations with both as a kid. I grew up outside of Houston, so I sort of witnessed that scene from afar, so both of those were the two places I really wanted to be a fly on the wall and experience these two vastly different worlds. I've branched off more now into other types of photography that don't necessarily involve people, but yeah, I've always been interested in counter-culture subcultures.So, the Houston rap scene - how was that?
Well, I actually think it was a little easier to get accepted halfway round the world in Norway than it was it my own back yard of Houston. It took time. I mean, people see a white guy in the ghetto with a camera and it looks kinda suspicious, I get that. Like the black metal thing, it was kind of a slow process getting in there.

It's too general to say, I think, because there are certain scenes within Houston that are promoting the really materialistic lifestyle. You know, like the typical stuff you see on MTV, and within that community there are definite status symbols. Then there's a whole other much more interesting community, in my opinion, who sees through the bullshit and facade of that mainstream rap image and aren't so concerned about the jewelry and the cars. They're just trying to make real music and be real people. What sets those groups apart in terms of style?
Well, it's the south, so grills are massive. Then the piece and chain, as they call it, which is the diamond encrusted medallion with your name on it attached to a gold chain. So those are two standard Houston MTV rap things. Then, there's the slab, which is usually an old American car that's been repainted with candy paint—which is this multi-layer, super shiny paint job—and rims and stuff. The script is there for anyone who wants to follow it.
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Well, that genre is huge here, so it kind of takes in everyone else a little bit, you know? There's not one person with a bad thing to say about DJ Screw in Houston. He was a real uniting force and put to sleep a lot of the various kinds of beef between different parts of town. A lot of people say he promoted drug use but, you know, whatever. As far as unity, people coming together and not killing each other, he was a great force and he created a music genre that personified the Houston lifestyle. It's a huge, hot, sprawling city and everything's kind of slowed down. So, the codeine they drink, the weed they love smoking, and the real slow vibe to the music really works with the city.And what about the girls? I love that Look Fabulous at Ghetto Prices photo.
Oh man, the girls in the clubs are all done up to the max, showing a lot of skin, a lot of colorful tattoos. All my After Hours photos will probably illustrate that better than I can explain. The guys too though, man, they're all dressed to impress.

Yeah, image is actually very important in both black metal and in the Houston rap scene. They both see them as kind of symbols of power, you know, costumes in black metal and status symbols in the rap world. There's a very conscious effort to portray themselves in a certain light. That's not to say that image is the only thing that's important. Of course, there are a few bands that are image above substance, but the reason why black metal kept my attention for so long is that there are a lot of real people, so to speak. Image is just a part of it, but it's the lifestyle too. Image is just the manifestation of the lifestyle and the music, you know?
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If you were to ask them that, they would say it's a manifestation of that kind of evil energy. I don't know if evil's the right word, but, you know, it's all darkness and solitude and I guess the outcast thing is part of it too. If you want to look at it from a sociological perspective, they're using the clothes and make-up to consciously distance themselves as far as possible from the mainstream. Corpse paint definitely helps with that, I guess. For the old school guys it was definitely a really ritualistic thing to get into that character or dimension, or whatever it is that they perform from.

Yeah, Nattefrost. He's actually on the front and back of the book and is as real as they come. Don't get me wrong, but on the nights I was photographing him, he'd start getting ready at 10pm and we wouldn't be shooting until the sun came up. Of course, all kinds of other crazy things would be going on in the meantime, but he had to have everything just right—human bones dangling on sticks, his make-up, and his ax, or whatever. But generally the guys get ready really quickly. They get the routine down on tour and they can do it in, like, half an hour.Cool. The two photos that have always stood out for me are the one of Kvitrafn from Gorgoroth standing in the street and the shot of King Ov Hell in his car, mainly because they're such everyday situations and the guys are all made-up. Do they often go out like that?
No. That's what's so strange about those images, because those guys in particular are really private and never mix it with their real life. They're both school teachers, actually. Most of these guys would never dream of going out on the street like this. Despite what some might think, I don't think they want attention from the general public.They want to be in their own world when they're in their metal persona?
Yeah. Well, maybe they want attention from their own scene, but definitely not from the general public.

Well, black metal is a real traditional music. There are lots of people pushing the envelope, but the hardcore enthusiasts like it a certain way and when it deviates too far from that they get uncomfortable. That goes across many genres, though. I mean, punk's definitely like that, even worse than black metal, actually. But who can criticize Attila, who's one of the originators of the scene, you know? One of the best artists out of this whole genre. Did you get involved at all? Black metal dudes don't exactly seem like the type to give people a makeover.
Ha ha, no, no. It wasn't like some fantasy thing, I never did that. I did take one photo of myself wearing one of the black metal guy's jackets while I was holding an ax. Only because we were in a town called Hell in Norway, so I had to get a picture of myself at the train station to hell with an ax, you know?
