Afro-punk
An Unlimited Supply of Darkness with Damos Abadon
It's not often that the folks here at Afro-punk really get a chance to sit down and talk to people in the Afro-punk community. Luckily for us, while we were on our U.S. tour, we had the chance to meet up with some of the funniest, craziest, and most quirky individuals that make up the AP online forum- one of them being Damos Abadon, other wise known as the controversial king, "Darkness Unlimited." As an Afro-punk online user for almost five years, he has managed to piss off tons of people with more than 1,200 discussion posts, ranging from a tribute to D.C. sniper, John Allen Muhammad, to his anti-Christian sentiments. While in Portland, Oregon at the Aladdin Theater, we met up with Darkness Unlimited and racked his brain, trying to figure out if he's really as "dark" as his posts seem. And to his defense, he says, it's all in the name of being punk.
Interview by Brendon Ellington and Whitney Summer
Afro-punk- How long have you been on the Afro-punk site?
Darkness- I've been on the message board site for since 2004.
Afro-punk- What made you originally decide to sign on to Afropunk.com?
Darkness- When I was still living in Georgia, my girlfriend, Monica introduced me to the site. We were both members. I liked it and I have been on ever since.
Afro-punk- How do you decide what is appropriate and what is inappropriate to say online?
Darkness- Look, I know what to say and what not to say, so if the police ever read anything they couldn't do shit about it. I know not to go too far. I don't say anything online that I wouldn't be willing to say to someone in real life.
Afro-punk- The interesting thing for Afro-punk is that your comments are different, and we like that opposing view you bring to the table, you're basically always disagreeing with someone and it's cool.
Darkness- One thing I will say is that I feel confident that I can take full responsibility of anything that I say on there because the internet has a very long memory, it doesn't forget, it's permanent, it makes your words immortal. I can google my name now and find shit that I said on some message board like five years ago, and at least I made the decision back then where now I'm like, that's not too bad, I can still back that up, even if it was kind of crazy.
Afro-punk- The great thing about this tour is that we've been able to meet Afro-punk online users in so many cities and once the videos are posted, you'll be able to see them, and they'll be able to see you and we love that considering you've been talking to each other for five or six years.
Darkness- Well yeah, there are some folks that have been on there consistently, like an old girlfriend of mine, she introduced me to Afropunk.com back in 2004 and I've been on several different boards and I do work for a living when I'm not being unemployed. When I am unemployed then I'll drift off and goof around online to deaden the pain, but when I'm working full time then I don't have the same time. But I've been on there consistently.
Afro-punk- What is the punk scene like in Portland?
Darkness- The punk scene is pretty thorough. There are always house shows. If you're in, you know if there is something going on. Like every other weekend there is some stuff going on at bars.
Afro-punk- How does the Afro-punk scene compare to the standard punk scene in Portland?
Darkness- Ya know, it's hard to say. Like any other place, like the handful of blacks that are here it's not like they set aside a scene for themselves, they just, you know, they go to shows just like everyone else and it's simple as that.
Afro-punk- What is punk to you?
Darkness- Punk to me is first and foremost more than just music, to me, punk is a matter of lifestyle, it's a way of how you carry yourself. Just because a person cleans themselves up and get a proper job doesn't necessarily mean that they're not punk anymore, it's generally just how you carry yourself. A lot of it has to do with morals and ethics.
Afro-punk- So, there are morals and ethics to being punk? What does that mean?
Darkness- A strong sense of individualism. Also, just, whatever you believe in, stick to that and stick to that all the way. You can't be too concerned about what other people think. Even if the things you believe in may not necessarily be all that popular, then so what. I always felt like if a person truly believes in something, they should have the balls to stick up for it, even if it's something that's fucked up. I would have more respect for someone who truly believed in something that was fucked up, that I didn't believe in, then someone who just kind of, they were sort of like this, but they were kind of like that and they were a bit two faced about it, and they talked this way online but in real life they weren't willing to say the same things.
Afro-punk- That's some true shit. So tell me why the Afro-punk online community has been so important to you?
Darkness- I don't know if I've necessarily stopped and thought about it, but when I look back and think about it, it's been a consistent thing. What I can say is, I can connect.
Afro-punk- And sometimes you connect in controversial ways. You've been noted for being the trouble instigator on the online forum.
Darkness- Am I?
Afro-punk- Yes, your topics always seem to flare up the emotional and aggressive side to AP online users. Where do you get your thoughts from for the site.
Darkness- I basically go by how I feel. It goes back to what I said about true punk ethics. All I do is go by how I feel about something and you don't really have to worry about much else, you don't have to think about anything else. If you have a good head on your shoulders, or at least if you're confident, then you don't have to think too much about how you carry yourself in the rest of life. You may have to tweak things, you know, there's a time and a place for everything, that's just life.
Afro-punk- What's been one of your posts where you received the most responses?
Darkness- As far as threads that I started, two things come to mind, I started on called good hair, based on Chris Rock's documentary, and I thought it was interesting because I treat my hair myself, and that conversation really kicked off. Another controversial posts, was called Rest in Peace, John Allen Muhammad, I knew what I was getting into when I posted that one, but again, I don't regret anything and I don't say anything online that I'm not willing to back up in real life.
Afro-punk- Do you think that Afro-punk is a shelter for those individuals who feel like the out-skirts in everyday society?
Darkness- That may be to some people, but to me personally, I don't think of it as a shelter, I don't think any online place can be a shelter, my shelter is my bedroom. And maybe my personal friends. Online is online.
Afro-punk- Have you developed personal relationships from the Afro-punk online community?
Darkness- I'm sure that I have. I mean, when I first signed up, I was dating someone who was on it as well. There were a number of women that I was definitely interested in and we've talked before, but it's just that they live in one state, I live in another, so that didn't happen. But the potential is always there, yea, definitely.
Afro-punk- Let's talk about your style.
Darkness- If anyone were to ask me, like straight up, as far as genre, I would say first and foremost I am a metal head. I went straight from Michael Jackson and Prince when I was a tween, right into Iron Maiden, and Thrash, then on a serious death metal bender for four to five years. I've always been more attracted to the more extreme things. I was into Thrash when everyone else was onto alternative, I was into death metal, when other folks were onto something else, than I got into industrial metal, lots of dark ambient, dark, gothic type groups and that's what I picked up on. With my piercings, the horror movies that I'm into, my ideals toward religion, and how I try and carry myself in life in general. Everything that I'm into now, came to me naturally, it wasn't something that I made preconditions of.
Afro-punk- So, what's with the all black?
Darkness- I wear black all the time, and one of my ex's, her family didn't like me, but all of a sudden, she's wearing like a black shirt and her family would give her a hard time about it. Eventually she started giving me a hard time about it, like, why do you wear black all of the time. And I was having to deal with that. I kind of had to explain to myself, this is what I like, it kind of fits, so yea, that's not going to change, if people have an issue with it, that's their problem not mine, I'm not going to change.
Afro-punk- Does wearing black have anything to do with race?
Darkness- I've always thought of myself as race neutral and I know a lot of people may say that, but I generally feel that way. For me, I've always found my allies where ever I could. So I could care less what their race was. But I think people in general react to black in certain ways. I think the reason why black people receive the most racism is because we do stick out the most. Go back to 9/11, for the first time in American history, black people weren't the people that were fucked with the most.
Afro-punk- Was that the first time you felt like you were an American?
Darkness- I never felt like I was an American, no. Yea, I was born in this country, and yes I am an American citizen, but I've never been a nationalistic type of person. People talk about the birth of the nation, the founding fathers, and I always say to myself, that depends, how far do you go back, 1776 or the 1400's. If I have to say more than that, then people should go in their history books a little bit more. America is a pretty cool place, obviously other countries do better than us. Obviously we're pretty good and have a lot of potential. Obviously we squander a lot of potential and I'm not sure where we are going to go from here.
Afro-punk- What do you see the Afro-punk online community becoming in the future as a voice for the black community?
Darkness- This is obviously a lifestyle. I see Afro-punk being around for a long time to come and even if the site isn't around, the people will still be around because the people were around long before the site was around- I mean that was obvious enough.
Interview by Brendon Ellington and Whitney Summer
Afro-punk- How long have you been on the Afro-punk site?
Darkness- I've been on the message board site for since 2004.
Afro-punk- What made you originally decide to sign on to Afropunk.com?
Darkness- When I was still living in Georgia, my girlfriend, Monica introduced me to the site. We were both members. I liked it and I have been on ever since.
Afro-punk- How do you decide what is appropriate and what is inappropriate to say online?
Darkness- Look, I know what to say and what not to say, so if the police ever read anything they couldn't do shit about it. I know not to go too far. I don't say anything online that I wouldn't be willing to say to someone in real life.
Afro-punk- The interesting thing for Afro-punk is that your comments are different, and we like that opposing view you bring to the table, you're basically always disagreeing with someone and it's cool.
Darkness- One thing I will say is that I feel confident that I can take full responsibility of anything that I say on there because the internet has a very long memory, it doesn't forget, it's permanent, it makes your words immortal. I can google my name now and find shit that I said on some message board like five years ago, and at least I made the decision back then where now I'm like, that's not too bad, I can still back that up, even if it was kind of crazy.
Afro-punk- The great thing about this tour is that we've been able to meet Afro-punk online users in so many cities and once the videos are posted, you'll be able to see them, and they'll be able to see you and we love that considering you've been talking to each other for five or six years.
Darkness- Well yeah, there are some folks that have been on there consistently, like an old girlfriend of mine, she introduced me to Afropunk.com back in 2004 and I've been on several different boards and I do work for a living when I'm not being unemployed. When I am unemployed then I'll drift off and goof around online to deaden the pain, but when I'm working full time then I don't have the same time. But I've been on there consistently.
Afro-punk- What is the punk scene like in Portland?
Darkness- The punk scene is pretty thorough. There are always house shows. If you're in, you know if there is something going on. Like every other weekend there is some stuff going on at bars.
Afro-punk- How does the Afro-punk scene compare to the standard punk scene in Portland?
Darkness- Ya know, it's hard to say. Like any other place, like the handful of blacks that are here it's not like they set aside a scene for themselves, they just, you know, they go to shows just like everyone else and it's simple as that.
Afro-punk- What is punk to you?
Darkness- Punk to me is first and foremost more than just music, to me, punk is a matter of lifestyle, it's a way of how you carry yourself. Just because a person cleans themselves up and get a proper job doesn't necessarily mean that they're not punk anymore, it's generally just how you carry yourself. A lot of it has to do with morals and ethics.
Afro-punk- So, there are morals and ethics to being punk? What does that mean?
Darkness- A strong sense of individualism. Also, just, whatever you believe in, stick to that and stick to that all the way. You can't be too concerned about what other people think. Even if the things you believe in may not necessarily be all that popular, then so what. I always felt like if a person truly believes in something, they should have the balls to stick up for it, even if it's something that's fucked up. I would have more respect for someone who truly believed in something that was fucked up, that I didn't believe in, then someone who just kind of, they were sort of like this, but they were kind of like that and they were a bit two faced about it, and they talked this way online but in real life they weren't willing to say the same things.
Afro-punk- That's some true shit. So tell me why the Afro-punk online community has been so important to you?
Darkness- I don't know if I've necessarily stopped and thought about it, but when I look back and think about it, it's been a consistent thing. What I can say is, I can connect.
Afro-punk- And sometimes you connect in controversial ways. You've been noted for being the trouble instigator on the online forum.
Darkness- Am I?
Afro-punk- Yes, your topics always seem to flare up the emotional and aggressive side to AP online users. Where do you get your thoughts from for the site.
Darkness- I basically go by how I feel. It goes back to what I said about true punk ethics. All I do is go by how I feel about something and you don't really have to worry about much else, you don't have to think about anything else. If you have a good head on your shoulders, or at least if you're confident, then you don't have to think too much about how you carry yourself in the rest of life. You may have to tweak things, you know, there's a time and a place for everything, that's just life.
Afro-punk- What's been one of your posts where you received the most responses?
Darkness- As far as threads that I started, two things come to mind, I started on called good hair, based on Chris Rock's documentary, and I thought it was interesting because I treat my hair myself, and that conversation really kicked off. Another controversial posts, was called Rest in Peace, John Allen Muhammad, I knew what I was getting into when I posted that one, but again, I don't regret anything and I don't say anything online that I'm not willing to back up in real life.
Afro-punk- Do you think that Afro-punk is a shelter for those individuals who feel like the out-skirts in everyday society?
Darkness- That may be to some people, but to me personally, I don't think of it as a shelter, I don't think any online place can be a shelter, my shelter is my bedroom. And maybe my personal friends. Online is online.
Afro-punk- Have you developed personal relationships from the Afro-punk online community?
Darkness- I'm sure that I have. I mean, when I first signed up, I was dating someone who was on it as well. There were a number of women that I was definitely interested in and we've talked before, but it's just that they live in one state, I live in another, so that didn't happen. But the potential is always there, yea, definitely.
Afro-punk- Let's talk about your style.
Darkness- If anyone were to ask me, like straight up, as far as genre, I would say first and foremost I am a metal head. I went straight from Michael Jackson and Prince when I was a tween, right into Iron Maiden, and Thrash, then on a serious death metal bender for four to five years. I've always been more attracted to the more extreme things. I was into Thrash when everyone else was onto alternative, I was into death metal, when other folks were onto something else, than I got into industrial metal, lots of dark ambient, dark, gothic type groups and that's what I picked up on. With my piercings, the horror movies that I'm into, my ideals toward religion, and how I try and carry myself in life in general. Everything that I'm into now, came to me naturally, it wasn't something that I made preconditions of.
Afro-punk- So, what's with the all black?
Darkness- I wear black all the time, and one of my ex's, her family didn't like me, but all of a sudden, she's wearing like a black shirt and her family would give her a hard time about it. Eventually she started giving me a hard time about it, like, why do you wear black all of the time. And I was having to deal with that. I kind of had to explain to myself, this is what I like, it kind of fits, so yea, that's not going to change, if people have an issue with it, that's their problem not mine, I'm not going to change.
Afro-punk- Does wearing black have anything to do with race?
Darkness- I've always thought of myself as race neutral and I know a lot of people may say that, but I generally feel that way. For me, I've always found my allies where ever I could. So I could care less what their race was. But I think people in general react to black in certain ways. I think the reason why black people receive the most racism is because we do stick out the most. Go back to 9/11, for the first time in American history, black people weren't the people that were fucked with the most.
Afro-punk- Was that the first time you felt like you were an American?
Darkness- I never felt like I was an American, no. Yea, I was born in this country, and yes I am an American citizen, but I've never been a nationalistic type of person. People talk about the birth of the nation, the founding fathers, and I always say to myself, that depends, how far do you go back, 1776 or the 1400's. If I have to say more than that, then people should go in their history books a little bit more. America is a pretty cool place, obviously other countries do better than us. Obviously we're pretty good and have a lot of potential. Obviously we squander a lot of potential and I'm not sure where we are going to go from here.
Afro-punk- What do you see the Afro-punk online community becoming in the future as a voice for the black community?
Darkness- This is obviously a lifestyle. I see Afro-punk being around for a long time to come and even if the site isn't around, the people will still be around because the people were around long before the site was around- I mean that was obvious enough.
Tags: afro-punk, community, darkness, member, profile, unlimited
Comment
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Comment by Obsidian on January 21, 2010 at 9:23pm - Ah so this is where the interview was at. Cool.
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Comment by Darkness Unlimited* on December 21, 2009 at 5:23pm - It was a pleasure drinking with you, Matt. Thanks to you & Whitney for your time. That was a very good night - unprecidented for me.
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Comment by Queen Of Filth on December 20, 2009 at 9:23pm - Awesome. I've always thought you were awesome!
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Comment by kala on December 18, 2009 at 5:45pm - :] way to stand up.
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Comment by Daoud on December 16, 2009 at 8:16pm - Respect.
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Comment by Seven on December 16, 2009 at 3:25pm -
This interview was a good idea. I was kinda wondering what Homey was gonna start talking about when he said that he considered himself "race neutral" but then he went on and explained. I thought homey was gonna start going into how he doesn't really consider himself "black black" but he didn't - so that was cool.
Kinda didn't expect him to come off as such a tame dude. I remember when he used to kidnap pregnant children and go online and give them live abortions on Scype and let people log in and watch him eat the placenta with hot sauce and fresh mango juice.
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Comment by Rage_Proletaire on December 16, 2009 at 9:16am - Fuckin' A!
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Comment by jahluv on December 15, 2009 at 11:11am - Excellent...
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Comment by Alber‡ (◣_◢)© on December 14, 2009 at 11:39pm - Wow Damos actually smiled, cool interview man. Damos doing big things
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Comment by calvinchaos on December 14, 2009 at 11:05pm - great interview
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