Interview with Varg of Burzum

ME Zine Issue I 1998, But From 1993

So let's start out with a little history of Burzum and the Norse black metal scene.
I really don't know about many bands in Norway/Sweden who do black metal. I only know of
a handful and those few have done black metal since '91. The bands that start playing BM are
a little too late to be first....by some years. I started doing what I do now in '87 and called my
project Uruk-Hai. In early '91 I changed the name to Burzum and at the smae time went more
serious. In Finland there are lots of childish kids doing BM...but in Norway we have the BIG
ones. It's like an explosion in Norway. The big media attention during the worst period of
church burnings and the six weeks I spent in jail. All the newspapres are writing about it and
the population got to know what the BM was about. So alot of the kids out there were
fascinated by the black metal concept!!
Do you find there to be a rise in satanism among the youth in Norway or is there more to
it?
There is not a rise in satanic practice among youths in Norway!! The youth have simply idols
that appear satanic! And to identify with these idols they use satanic image. As everywhere
else there are not jobs for everyone, we have to talk shit about the EC the whale stuff and the
silly fucks in the states and elsewhere are trying to tell us to do. We have an Unrepresenative
government, niggers and other shit walking our streets, and tons of churches burning. There is
not any major political thing that might cause the youths rebellion. I think the people of
Norway are just tired of the church that nobody believes in anyway. We are the Vikings, we
are not as the government show us to the world. We lust for plundering, rapeing and killing
like we did centuries ago. The past is alive!!! There is really not many of us here who identify
with satan. We worship our old gods and new gods that will soon reign in our realm. Some
worship satan but only fools. Satan is another god among the dying...the new gods will reign
soon!
Is the government strict in censorship of your music?
No! The government gives us total freedom of expression. They're so fucking tolerant! If I
were the government I would have all black metalers shot within days. But they're so fucking
humanitarian they wouldn't harm us in any way. There are alot of record shops in Norway that
don't sell Burzum albums because Burzum is too extreme. They do all sell Mayhem and
Emperor CDs though! haha!
Views as "extreme" as you have do religious groups get after you or anyone else in the
BM community?
I recieve lots of protests! But actually I get ten times more support from people then I do

protests! I do find that curious but I also see it as proof to my theory that Morse man and
women are more brutal than the government allow us to be. Another reason for getting this
much support from the Norse masses is Atheism. Very few find Christianity worthy of their
beliefs. So here is Norway if we burn the Christian churches people think it is great! They
don't believe in the Christian shit anyway. If you enter a Norwegian church on a sunday you
will find 2 or 3 old hags sitting and their priest making a fool of himself on "stage". At the
most there might be some 6 to 7. Thousands of years ago an army of christians came and
forced us to lay down our old beliedfs and to start believing in god, if we didn't we were
killed. Chopped down like a tree! So people simply said, "Sure I believe in god and this Jesus
fellow" so they were not killed. It is like this today, we still don't really believe in god. So
when I scream "War Against The Christian Church" people find it obvious. And I find it
boring as there is nobody to fight but some old hags. Some years ago me and a friend went
out to beat up some christians, we brought big rocks to throw and a couple clubs. We found
alot of people alone but non were christians. We actually asked people kindly if they were
Christian and found alot of people who said, "Of course not are you serious" When people are
not Christian they don't bother protesting against us.
So what do you think of some of the other black metal bands worldwide...do they hold
your views also?
Burzum and Darkthrone have brains...Profanatica are total idiots. The aim of Profanatica is to
desecrate and profanate everything holy. At the same time they find grave desecrating stupid
and pointles. By saying this they prove themselves to be a lie...fucking self contradictive
idiots! I also don't care much about Acheron. I find their music to be boring and uninteresting.
Worshippers of Anton LeVay! HA! They probably don't know shit and only repeat what Anton
LeVay says. I really don't care too much about who is BM and who's not. Burzum will always
be Burzum no matter what people may call my style. Call it white metal, death metal, thrash
metal or whatever; I won't change anyway. When I see bands like Profanatica I find them
flase as they don't mean what they say. Pure fake image! That's why we hate Profanatica
catagory bands (Pprofanatica, Bestial Summoning, Impaled Nazarene, the rest of the Finns,
Samael, Venom, Sododm, Destruction).
Has Burzum always just been you or have you at any point had a line up?
I did have a line-up in '88 and '89 we never did any gigs though. I decided to do Burzum alone
because there was only me in '91 and I manged to do it. I may do some live shows in
Scandanavia with some session line-up...Nothing is for sure! Like I said on the debut it was
just me and on the Aske CD I had Samoth (from Emperor) fill in on bass. I used him to see
how well it would go with some sort of lie-up but it didn't go that good. On all the other
albums it will be myself.
So influenec wise do you chalk up Venom and Bathory as the bands that really turned
you on to this type of music?
I am not influenced by Venom at all!!! I think Bathory was the main influence but there are of
course many others also! I listen to When, LFO, Darkthrone, Mayhem (only with Dead doing
vocals), Dead can Dance, Software, High On Fire, Von, Candlemass, early Destruction (fake

guys), Hellhammer, early Kreator, early iron Maiden, early Slayer, Sleep Chamber, Nacht
Und Nebel, Coil, Vangelis, Grieg, Old Kiss, Old Rotting Christ and of course the sound of
rain and storms. I think want it or not these are the bands that influence me.
So do you believe that Bathory and Venom were satanic or was it all just a good show?
Bathory was simply against Christianity and are still doing the same thing but in a different
way. Venom though is a band that I find ridiculous...I don't know why they sang about satan.
They certainly lied about all their lyrics so they were and still are fakes!
What do people think of your music and albums? And what do people think of you as a
person?
Very varied in ways of talk but musically I have so far recieved only positive comments. (as
far as I know). There are alot of people who hate Burzum and give Burzum bad review
because they say I am a facist. Like Kerrang and most German 'zines I think. The people who
fight against intollerance of facists don't tolerate that I am one. They surly contradict
themselves by doing so. They're just lowlife so why care??
So here is your soapbox if you could stand up in front of the world what would you say
to them:
I really don't care about the world, I only care for myself and my homeland!!!! I would surley
not enlighten the world with any of my knowledge. Simply I will say, "MAKE WAR NOT
LOVE"! I have nothin to tell the world...it could just rot away. I will notice the death of the
world only by a lack of sales of Burzum albums and fewer letters from abroad. Why care for
others over oneself? Who is the nearest being worth of being cared for? None! The world
consists of mostly yellows and niggers and other colored trash anyway. Nuclear war would do
just fine. The worlds tragedy would be served at my feast! I wrote that sentence in some lyrics
years ago...at a time where I cared for the world. I hate it now. I have entered the ranks of the
ignorant ones.
Aside from your facist beliefs what are your religious beliefs? Do you follow a god, do
you follow Euronymous, who?
I keep that for myself. If people knew that I would not be able to draw much advantage from
it. I will say that I do not worship Satan. I say worship me! I am sooo tired of being compared
to other people in Norway. When Euronymous speaks he does not speak for ME!!! He
represents only himself! These are my words I don not worship satan! I agree that there are
similarities between satanic teachings and what I believe. But I do not worship him as
Euronymous claims to. I have MANY views that contradict the views of Euronymous; so I get
pissed when 'zines put us both up claiming to have "no Feelings left". That is how
Euronymous feels...not me. I have some feelings...everybody has felings they are necessary to
exist as a living person. A person without feelings would be and imbecile staring helpless at
nothing while being fed and cared for by silly nurse maids. The church of satan has too many
silly views to be taken seriously. They support the human race, their satanism is the best way

for modern life. I don't want the best for me or others. So I dislike them as a Lower life...some
levels lower than me on the ladder of worth! Facist??
Anything else you want to just shout out?
I am no longer on DSP!!!! The third Burzum CD will come out on Cymophane Prod. In
September '93 The new album will be called "Det Som En Gang Var" That'll be all! SIEG
HEIL!!!!
Special Thanks to Sepiroth for this Interview.
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