DANI FILTH Says GAAHL's 'Close Relationship' With Modeling Agent Is Pinnacle Of Individualism

CRADLE OF FILTH frontman Dani Filth has commented on GORGOROTH singer Gaahl's "close relationship" with a Norwegian modeling agent, calling it "the pinnacle" of black metal individualism.

In a July 2008 joint interview with iBergen.no, Gaahl and modeling agent Dan DeVero (see photo below) admitted to having become close friends after they met a year and a half earlier.

"We had hired models from DXD Models for a music video to be recorded in Bergenshallen. During the shoot, Dan suddenly appeared and became upset with us because one of his models had been served wine. That was the first time I met him," said Gaahl (real name: Kristian Espedal).

Gaahl and DeVero have since become partners in an unlikely venture — a wholly Norwegian clothing collection for women dubbed "Wynjo," which, according to Gaahl, is an ancient Norse word meaning "the search for happiness."

"I have always been preoccupied with aesthetics and what is beautiful," Gaahl told iBergen.no. "This collection will bring out the elegant and the feminine in women."

When asked how the people around him reacted to his latest venture, which is in sharp contrast to his role as the frontman of GORGOROTH, Gaahl replied, "Those who know me in private didn't think it was particularly strange. I do not care about what people in general think. It's not as if I'm going to change as a person just because suddenly there are some dresses out in the world. Besides, I like confusing people."

The November 2008 issue of Decibel magazine features a question-and-answer session with Dani Filth in which the CRADLE OF FILTH frontman is asked about his band's upcoming tour with GORGOROTH. An excerpt from the chat follows below.

Decibel: You're touring Europe with GORGOROTH this fall — is it the Gaahl version?

Dani: It is with the Gaahl version.

Decibel: What do you make out of that whole situation?

Dani: (Laughs) I think it's fucking brilliant. I really do. When people say that black metal preaches individualism, what he's doing is probably the pinnacle of it. I mean, I don't care if he sleeps with men. But the fact is, it's not just a man — it's a fashion designer, and they're making women's summer dresses together. I mean, it just could not get funnier, could it? Here's this guy [Gaahl] who lives on a mountain — he's the most evil guy in the world, right? — and he's designing summer frocks for models in Oslo. It's just priceless. I kind of respect it in a way.

Photo displayed from iBergen.no: