Derek Tokar
Yesterday's extreme inevitably becomes today's mainstream. Anybody remember the days when
Metallica and
Slayer were the sounds of the underground? How about when
Slipknot pushed metal to its bleeding edge? So why the hell did VH1 Classic not want to foot the bill when
Sam Dunn, host and creator of the up-til-then 11 episode
Metal Evolution series came for funding for the show's penultimate episode, "Extreme Metal"? "Let me give you the diplomatic answer, says Dunn from the Toronto offices of his and co-director Scot McFadyen's
Banger Films. "We've got to remember that VH1 Classic did fund 11 episodes on the history of metal, which frankly, no one out there was willing to do. The fact that they went as far as allowing me to sneak in some
Arch Enemy and
In Flames is pretty remarkable for mainstream television." With the same self-minded chutzpah that yielded Dunn's groundbreaking documentary
Metal: A Headbanger's Journey (yes the greatest one-liner in the history of metal interviews. Gaahl from
Gorgoroth's long pause and then "
Satan") and its follow-up
Global Metal, Dunn has launched an IndieGoGo campaign to raise
$175,000 to produce, shoot, edit and release this "Lost Episode". Labels and instrument companies including Metal Blade, Relapse, ESP and photographer Peter Beste (known for the eye-mangling photo book:
True Norwegian Black Metal) are all contributing to the cause with a smorgasbord of perks for the more generous benefactors. Hey, for $50,000 you can buy yourself an Executive Producer seat on the episode and probably get invited to Christmas dinner with the Dunn Family.
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