1. The Klok is Ticking: Metalocalypse and the Culture and Crisis of the Modern-Day Celebrity
Jessica Haight-Angelo
Animation: Cultural Memory & Identity
PCA/ACA 2010: St. Louis, MO
31 March 2010

2. Table of Contents
Introduction: Its Dethklok!
Bloodlines: Breaching the Fourth Wall
Dethkloks origins and inspiration
Metalocalypse vs. Dethklok: Brendan Small kinda hate[s]comedy
Fansong: Dethkloks Immense Popularity
External effects: How the world reacts to Dethklok
Internal effects: How Dethklok reacts to the world
Conclusion: The Metalocalypse has begun!
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3. Roll-Call
Dethklok: A five-man American/Scandinavian hybrid whose exploits are tracked on the Adult Swim cartoon, Metalocalypse, created by Brendan Small and Tommy Blacha.
The shows opening credits, entitled simply Deththeme, offers insights into Dethkloks five members.
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4. A Force to be Reckoned With
Metalocalypse is a case study of pop culture through the insulated view of a cartoon metal band that simultaneously magnifies and destroys everything it touches; insulation that is nonetheless required as a side effect of its immense fame.
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5. Youre My Inspiration
Blacha: Dethklok is "just a wonderful goulash of awesome archetypes (Diver).
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6. With a Little Help From My Friends
Small, to Slagter: "All the people we involve in the show are from bands that I really dig a lot: Nevermore, Cannibal Corpse, Arch Enemy, King Diamond, Metallica, Exodus, Dimmu Borgir, Emperor, Strapping Young Lad, Amon Amarth, Finntroll -- people that we reference are people we care about.
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7. Breaching the Fourth Wall
Small is adamant that the show and the band remain separate entities. In this sense, Dethklok does not realize that Metalocalypse the show exists.
When Small isnt being interviewed about his guitar know-how, he is speaking literally as the band itself.
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8. Celebrity Skin
Metalocalypse isnt Spinal Tap. It is, on the other hand, a treatise on celebritism, according to Small.
Our show is about celebrities. Like helpless, ridiculous, narcissistic idiots that whether or not we want to, we're giving them our attention. But on our show they get to be about something cool. And they do have talent and they can make music. But we're still shitting on America and celebritism" (Ailes).
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9. The Tribunal
Small and Blachas opinions of celebrities are given a voice in the show via the Tribunal; namely, via the experts who speak on behalf of validating theories and information about Dethklok.
Pictured: Dr. Gibbons, Birthday and Murderface expert
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10. Charles in Charge
Dethklok does not know that the Tribunal exists, save for their manager-lawyer, Charles Foster Ofdensen, whom many fans posit actually works for Selatcia and company, due to his interest in and knowledge of all that goes into keeping Dethklok safe.
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11. Fans: Regular Jack-offs
The entire world economy is now completely dependent on Dethklok (Dethrelease I).
Half the military are rabid Dethklok fans (Dethtroll).
Both Dethkloks enemies and fans are often tragically disfigured or maimed in their dealings with the band; it is often considered a source of pride, hence mottos such as Die for Dethklok!
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12. They used to be one of us!
While most Dethklok fans remain regular jack-offs or dildos, a few make themselves known, such as Lavona Succuboso and the Revengencers. Naturally, fans that prove themselves to be particularly dangerous or invasive are carefully monitored and controlled by Charles and the Klokateers.
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13. Fan Song
You people out there give us something more than just record sales / You give us something to hate, / And we hate you, you brainless mutants You're a bunch of banks that I'd like to rob [and then] Spend you on an impulse / And zero you all out.
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14. Coping Mechanisms
Alcohol and drug consumption are the chosen form of pain management for Dethklok.
Charles has a table that Nathan likes to throw during tantrums permanently attached to the floor (Dethecution).
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15. Loyal Henchmen
Dethklok is highly dependent on its servants and persons like Charles to keep them both safe and functioning at all.
Small: They're treated more like superheroes [than musicians], though they lack the ability to do anything besides bring the metal. Even preparing a single meal on their own is a disaster (Palopoli).
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16. Social Roles
The bands sociability is both hampered and carefully compartmentalized.
Bad habits and unsavory personality traits are not exclusive to either a pro- or anti-Dethklok stance. In Metalocalypse, most of the characters are deeply damaged in some way.
The members of Dethklok also have strained relationships with their families, which have similarly lent drama and flavor to the show.
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17. Father Figure
Charles is a surrogate parent when the boys actual parents arent around, taking care of the messier parts of the music business so that they dont have to.
Both Charles and Nathan have declared one another their own bread and butter, indicating that the band is starting to recognize Charles importance in keeping them afloat.
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18. The End is Brutal
The death metal component of Metalocalypse is merely a happy accident.
The members of Dethklok are celebrities, and Metalocalypse is a show about those celebrities, and all of the inane and incredible things they do.
Metalocalypse also ensures that fans will have plenty to ponder regarding why said celebrities do the things they do, and how their fans should feel about it.
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