Paradigms of gothic metal, and the best thing to come out of Brooklyn since Peter Luger’s steak house, Type O Negative have released their first home video, entitled After Dark. Packed with sixty minutes of non-stop squealing fun, After Dark consists of self-conducted interviews with all four band members, back stage mayhem, concert footage, toilet paper fights, food fights, destruction of property, testimonials by fans, music videos, and assorted trivia in the tradition of This is Spinal Tap. Whether you have been lucky enough to see Type O live, or just know their extremely kick ass records, you simply must run out now and add After Dark to your collection. Both the MTV-friendly and “Nail Driver” versions of “Christian Woman” are included here, and you’ll appreciate the significant differences not only in the visual moods, but in the lyrics Peter Steele actually changed to please the censors! You also get their amazing cover of Neil Young’s “Cinnamon Girl,” “Black No. 1,” “Love You to Death,” and my nominee for best video ever made, “My Girlfriend’s Girlfriend.” They could have filled this tape with an hour of that video alone and I would have been happy. I did notice that the only member of the band who gets any female action in any of the videos is Peter Steele. Gee, I wonder why? Maybe because he’s such a SEX GOD.
But After Dark isn’t all about sex. Endearing the boys to my heart are moments of true comedy and candor, like guitarist Kenny Hickey’s home video footage of his adorable baby daughter; singer/bassist Peter Steele’s tongue in cheek philosophizing and general hunkiness (oh, there I go again); keyboardist Josh Silver’s self-deprecation; and drummer, Johnny Kelly’s happy-guy answers to questions like what it means to be a man in today’s society and the true meaning behind “Black No. 1.” Aside from a recurring (unfunny) joke involving Josh Silver’s inability to take a dump, and the lack of any full frontal nudity on the part of Steele, the video is perfect. Sometimes I watch After Dark with the sound turned off, lay on the floor in front of my TV, and pretend Peter Steele is my boyfriend. Roadrunner, 536 Broadway, 4th Floor, New York, NY 10012
