Beliefs and Personality
In interviews, Euronymous claimed to be against individualism, compassion, peace, happiness and fun. He claimed he wanted to spread hatred, sorrow and evil. In a 1993 interview he said "There is NOTHING which is too sick, evil or perverted". Metalion, who knew Euronymous since 1985 and considered him to be his best friend, said that Euronymous "was always telling what he thought, following his own instincts worshipping death and being extreme". Ihsahn, who frequented Helvete, said that "if you were trusted, if they knew you were serious in your views, you were accepted" there, which was important to be a part of the Helvete scene.
However, some who knew Euronymous—such as Kjetil Manheim and Vikernes—have claimed that this was merely an image. Faust said that with Euronymous, "there was a lot of smoke but not so much fire". Mayhem drummer Kjetil Manheim (who was friends with Euronymous from 1983 until his death) described Euronymous as "blond, health oriented, very good at school. He worked-out a lot, didn't smoke, didn't drink ... That was the Øystein we knew. A nice guy, a family guy ... But when we weren't around he could play-out his role". Manheim claimed that Euronymous became "extreme" towards the end of his life: "He liked telling people that they were worthless; he was the best. He was all 'I define black metal. Black metal is me!' ... I think he was trapped in the image of Mayhem. He became a megalomaniac". In the documentary Pure Fucking Mayhem he said "Øystein's daily life was a total theater" that was based on the black metal "archetype" of 'Euronymous'.
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