PORTRAIT OF A BRO: JON MIKL THOR

Above: Dude, I know you're straight and everything. But you've gotta admit that this picture still gave you half a chub.

Jon Mikl Thor (better known simply as "Thor"): Actor, Bodybuilder, Metal Singer, Barbarian, and All Around Rad Guy. Long overdue for induction into the Majestic Hall of Bros, Thor has been a constant in the metal underground since he first tackled the music scene back in the late 70's. Canadian by birth but universal in appeal, Thor is a living legend, a human comic book character capable of unbelievable feats of strength and endurance, with a cartoonish appearance to match. From his glam/hard rock roots to his speed metal dabblings in the 80's to his amazing live shows here in the present, he has always been a Metal icon, an entertainer of the highest degree, but overall, a humble, funny guy, always willing to chill with his fans and shoot the shit.

Possibly best known for the "feats of strength" he performs onstage (blowing up hot water bottles until they explode, bending steel bars in his teeth, and snapping mic stands in half, to name a few), Thor is an over-the-top performer who rocks hard but is always willing to poke a little fun at himself. For example, on his 2002 album "Triumphant", he covered an Anal Cunt song called "Throwing Cars At People On Coke With Thor", a joke-within-a-joke that had me on the floor in peals of laughter when I first heard it. In 1987, he made his film debut in John Fasano's "Rock 'N' Roll Nightmare", a campy, low budget horror film that I somehow managed to never see until last week. The movie is awful, except for the last 8 minutes or so, when Thor battles Satan in an epic fight to the death. You can watch this clip, from one of my old posts, here.

In 2005, a compilation DVD, cleverly entitled "An-Thor-Logy" was released, featuring a bunch of music videos, live clips, and interviews spanning his illustrious career. I had the pleasure of meeting him on his tour supporting the DVD, and even got him to sign my copy. Unfortunely, I let my co-worker Bill borrow it. Bill promptly got fired and I never saw my prized possession again. Thor is a kind, soft-spoken guy in person, far from the larger-than-life barbarian he plays on stage and screen. Thor fucking rules. He is a Total Bro.



Above: A thinner, short-haired version of me kickin' it with The Man at Aquarius Records, SF, 2005. Below: Jon Mikl Thor, donning stage garb in an '05 publicity photo. Sweet Baby Jay bought me a sword identical to this one on Halloween 2007. Hollow plastic. Hail Thor!!!



Jon Mikl Thor's appearance on The Merv Griffin show, 1976, performing a cover of The Sweet's "Action" and a couple "feats of strength".


Thor, 1985 - "Let The Blood Run Red"


My favorite Thor song ever, "Sleeping Giant", off of 1978's "Keep The Dogs Away". There was a great video for this song on the An-Thor-Logy DVD, but I couldn't track it down on the 'Tube. Weak.