WHO: THOR
WHERE: Garfinkel's
WHEN: Friday, Sept. 21
He is a mighty Norse god. A blond, muscled protector of the common people, so beloved by those of the heathen pre-Christian Northern Europe that the fifth day of the week is named for him. He is often mistaken for a god of battle due to his association with Mjollnir, an indestructible war hammer, a weapon that never misses its mark and always returns to its master's hands.
But despite the lightning caused by the flash of Mjollnir, and the great rumble of thunder heard by his chariot, this is a peaceful god, one even linked to growth and fertility. Thor. Known by many names and roles: Tor, Donar, Oku-Thor, Atli, Thunar and Vingthor. He is the Enemy of the Midgard Serpent, Slayer of Giants, Man's Well-wisher. And in the 20th century, THOR is the god of thunderous rock and roll.
Jon Thor is not of deity blood, nor does he reside in the heavens, but this ambitious artist does enjoy the comparisons with his mythical namesake, the most obvious of which is his physique. The blond, chiselled mortal could have very well been the model for so many statues of the god. But this is the result of years spent as a professional bodybuilder. A former Mr. Canada and Mr. USA, Jon Thor has competed against the likes of Louie Ferrigno (TV's The Incredible Hulk) in Mr. Universe.
"I used to listen to Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath at the gym while I trained to psych myself up and eventually I put a show together called Bodyrock and that was the building block to (the band) THOR," Jon recalls.
As the god associated with weather, Thor is sometimes portrayed as brooding and as equally jovial. Despite his ferocious stage presence, which includes bending steel with his teeth and blowing up hot water bottles with sheer lung power, Jon laughs easily about his "checkered past."
"A five-piece dance band with a new disco sound," reads an old newspaper clipping with Jon in full flex, microphone in hand.
"I've gone through many phases in my life," he chuckles. "THOR very quickly became what it is today, thunderous rock. But what I do is very tongue in cheek. Obviously I can't go into banks dressed as THOR. It's like an alter ego, a character."
That character includes full warrior regalia: tunic, breastplate, hammer and even pillar and chariot props. But his kitschy style can't detract from his powerful, fist-pumping anthems, songs that have survived and thrived over the span of 20 years. THOR's popularity is almost cultish, a loyal following of rock fans, not unlike the image of Thor, a god of the people.
"The only thing that really separates a band who has a huge cultish following from a band that has commercial success is just having a number one hit on the North American Top 10 charts. Now we have had hits in England, over the likes of Twisted Sister and Van Halen, but never enjoyed that chart success in Canada or the U.S.," says Jon.
"But I'm very proud of Keep the Dogs Away (released in 1985). It's a very unique album of its time, an album I think that was ahead of other albums in concept. We had the first ever concept video in Canada. For many people who were into our song, Only the Strong, it represents something like Sgt. Pepper's. It was a turn around album for them. It affected their lives. I've received many touching e-mails from kids who are back into vinyl who have rediscovered the album. To me, as a writer, it's wonderful to affect people that way. They'll listen to it before they go into business meetings to psych themselves up and do well in the meeting. Whether they're lawyers, authors, doctors, that album seems to have affected all of them in their youth. And now a new generation is discovering it again as vinyl resurfaces and recirculates."
Thor is a great traveller and is always seen with his friends Loki, Thjalfi and Roskva. There are great differences between the four – one is an evil god, another is a mere peasant etc. – but their talents are complementary to one another, making them inseparable. Jon prefers to call his bandmates "the team," a finely tuned pack ready to hit the road and do battle. There is an explicit trust between each member, a faith in their individual and combined abilities.
"We really do have that feel. We have our own cheer and put our all into each performance," adds Jon.
The team continues to do battle on THOR's latest release, Dogz II, and is heavily involved in a new project with this multi-media mortal. Jon's past ventures have included acting and screenwriting credits in the B movies Rock ’N Roll Nightmare, Zombie Nightmare and Recruits. His production company, Plumik Productions (co-owned by long-time childhood friend Larry Plume), recently completed filming No More Heroes, a snowboard movie directed by Blaine Skender, due out this fall.
And now Jon will be immortalized in print. Thor, The Rock Warrior is a full sword and sorcery comic book adventure. The release of the comic coincides with Dogz II , a creative form of marketing as well as stand alone entertainment. Characters in the book are based on bandmates, friends and even Jon's ex-wife (who of course is the evil sorceress). Comic book fans will recognize Mike Hoffman's name, the artist behind Thor as well as the popular Tigress. THOR member, Electra, is currently undergoing a transformation to become a living, breathing and album-recording version of the sci-fi feline heroine.
"New technology is always exciting," says Jon of what he still finds interesting after all these years. "I retired for a time in 1987. That was before CDs. When I came back recently, I decided to go all out into all the technology that is available. My Web site is just beginning to build up (www.thorkorr.com). The Internet is really affecting the popularity again of THOR. People can chat with each other and discuss shows and it reaches many people very quickly. I'm doing more films too. I just finished doing all the music for Scooter Kids and I've included some Vancouver bands on that."
Behind the fantastic shows of thunder and lightening, there is another, perhaps more important, role for the mighty god. As a controller of weather, Thor brings rain, growth, fertility. Jon too has been quietly passing on his knowledge.
"If I can help out new, young artists in my beloved Vancouver, the town where I grew up, I think that's wonderful. There is so much talent here. There are other friends out of Los Angeles too that I put in the picture. I hope to work with other young musicians, such as Johnny Hatch – he's a great songwriter – and continue to do soundtracks and CDs."
