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"I felt that I had been happy and that I was happy again.
For everything to be consummated, for me to feel less alone,
I had only to wish that there be a large crowd of spectators
the day of my execution and they greet me with cries of hate."
~Albert Camus, The Stranger
The story of Edwin Borsheim is an ambivalent adventure that will make you question your own judgements and ideals. Edwin is the lead singer and song writer for the horror rock band Kettle Cadaver, he’s also a homemade weapon enthusiast, semi-pro wrestler, shack builder, land owner, ‘not fucking Dracula,’ and an all around genial person - but he also daydreams about killing everyone all day. The documentary DEAD HANDS DIG DEEP accomplishes something I haven’t felt as viewer in a while; it depicts a reality that seems so far from being possible and has the feeling of apparent danger during its entire runtime, but in the same regard I could see myself jamming and shooting the shit with Edwin too. Nothing feels staged or setup in DEAD HANDS DIG DEEP. The people being interviewed speak with integrity, fear, and reverence to the turgid mythos of Edwin Borsheim. Charisma is a dangerous personality trait, even more dangerous than Mr. Charisma being totally fine with nailing his dick to boards, staple gunning and smashing bottles over his head, raping coyote corpses with giant weapon dildos, and sticking shark hooks through his body.
When we meet Edwin in DEAD HANDS DIG DEEP, he is 38, his band has been dissolved for years, and he is divorced from his wife, fellow shock rocker Eva O. He seems pleasant enough, well spoken and has a deeper conviction for his beliefs than almost anyone I have ever seen - except for maybe Marshall Applewhite. Edwin speaks his rhetoric throughout the whole movie and a lot of it is surprisingly very sound minded. For example, what begins as him talking about sleeping in a coffin, yawn, turns into a very optimistic outlook on life, appreciating the fact that he treats everyday like he has been given another chance to live, and lives everyday to the fullest. But remember that charisma thing I was talking about? Edwin also discusses his own suicide and killing anyone and everyone regularly, relating almost everything to a life and death scenario even though he never quite commits to the idea. I’m guessing this is something he has always done around people in his life being that he has a strong narcissist personality and this kind of rambling always gets people searching for meaning in their own lives interested. Edwin's fatalism isn't necessarily contradicted by anyone in DEAD HANDS DIG DEEP, it's more or less sidestepped by everyone saying what a kind person he is and how he never abused anyone violently but himself, unless they asked for it.
From a filmmaking perspective I think DEAD HANDS DIG DEEP does an amazing job making the story flow. It is even more impressive to know director Jai Love was 19 when he began this project and completed it within a year. You would think a 19-year-old handling this subject matter might have focused on Kettle Cadaver’s infamous performances, brutality, drug use, and rock debauchery but instead it focuses on the aftermath of everything that made Edwin so notorious. There wasn’t a point where I asked myself, ‘wait who is this?’ during the documentary. Each person was well documented and each interview succinctly does its job to create a whole picture to who Edwin is and where he came from. Although the synopsis of DEAD HANDS DIG DEEP says Edwin lives virtually in solitude sinking deeper and deeper into his own abysmal depression, he takes time to jam with his step-brother, local kids, and an old timer who lives near him putting every ounce of effort and authenticity into the jam sessions as if he was playing for 80,000 people. Danny, his step-brother quotes Edwin saying, 'doesn't matter about sucking, it matters about the feeling you get through the music.' The filmmakers also follow Edwin out of his compound into the Temecula Valley where he touts about old stories and local haunts he used to frequent. As intriguing as Edwin’s compound is seeing the environment he used to lurk around in was just as entertaining.
But even with his jovial personality and great storytelling, Edwin’s story is depressing. Every person interviewed in the movie is damaged and not from Edwin, but just by being human and going through all the terrible shit we all end up going through at one point or another. Suicides, overdoses, alcoholism, drug addiction, police encounters, depression, self mutilation, and violence are apart of all of these people’s lives and there is no secret to how a person like Edwin Borsheim and the music of Kettle Cadaver could be created; he’s a product of his environment. He’s been betrayed by everything he’s held sacred and the fucking animal he unleashed in response to it is legendary and has as much integrity as you can get. Edwin’s own mythology will continue to grow amongst those who pay attention to the fringe of society and over time I believe his name will be ubiquitous in the same types of conversations as Varg Vikernes, Darby Crash, GG Allin, and Iggy Pop.
The only criticism I have of DEAD HANDS DIG DEEP isn’t really a criticism, it’s more of a testament to how well the movie was made. I just wanted more! I wanted to see more about his failed marriage; but being told so little you can deduct that it wasn’t an acrimonious split and Edwin is totally fucked by it. I wanted to see more of his isolated downward spiral; but in the same regard the documentary showed enough and as a viewer I guess I became comfortable with how totally insane Edwin is and if the filmmakers kept pressing the point it probably would have come across as contrived. Yes, I wanted more, but that’s what makes the film so great, the filmmakers told a story that engaged you, forced you to empathize with a violent psychopath, and left you wanting more.
As of now Jai Love and Spencer Heath are touring with this film and if comes to a town near you fucking go see it!
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