Pickles

Pickles
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Background information

I belong in a garbage can? You belong in a garbage can!
— Pickles the Drummer, before beating up Murderface (Source)

Pickles, sometimes called Pickles the Drummer, is the percussionist for Dethklok and formerly the singer and lead guitarist of Snakes N' Barrels. He is a native of Tomahawk, Wisconsin and is of Irish descent. He has red hair styled into dreadlocks and a combover, green eyes, and a very strong North Midwestern accent. Pickles's surname is unknown.

Appearance

When he left his family as a teenager, Pickles's hair was upright, teased-up and relatively large. During his time in Snakes N' Barrels, his hair got much larger in order to reflect the glam metal style of his band. He grew a mustache and beard and pierced his right ear. He also wore effeminate clothing and heavy stage makeup in accordance with the visual glam style at the time.

After Snakes N' Barrels folded, Pickles's hairstyle completely changed. He gave up his teased-up glam metal hairstyle for a skullet, shaved off his facial hair, and pierced each of his eyebrows twice. By the time Metalocalypse has started, Pickles has grown back his facial hair. He is the only member of Dethklok who doesn't wear boots, opting to wear sneakers like most drummers. Pickles has a short, slender build and is indeed the shortest member of Dethklok. He is also the only member of the band who is balding. He has red hair, pale green eyes, freckles, and pale skin which is sensitive to sunburns: stereotypical features among those of Irish ancestry.

Concept

Pickles original look — Pickles' beta appearance

Pickles' original appearance had a resemblance to Strapping Young Lad founder and solo artist Devin Townsend. A dreadover and circle beard were added to prevent them from looking too similar.^[1]

Pickles's success from singer to successful drummer is similar to that of Dave Grohl, who was the former drummer of grunge band Nirvana but eventually went on become the singer and frontman of alternative rock band Foo Fighters. Basically in Pickles's case, it's the other way around. His delinquent and turbulent family life, as well as his ambitions taking him from the Midwest to LA, and not to mention his red hair, also harkens to the youth of Guns N' Roses founder and lead singer Axl Rose.

Personality

Although generally calm and casual most of the time, Pickles builds up a lot of anger at things and is very quick to lose his temper when things don't go the way they're expected to. Though he is often the most mature and experienced person in the band, he can also be the most cynical, sarcastic, and jaded in attitude. Earlier in the series he had a more self-loathing and self-hating attitude, though this has mostly boiled down to feelings of inadequacy regarding his family (particular his father and older brother). He is also known to express jealousy or feel threatened when he perceives that other characters have a relationship with each other that he does not. However, he is often the one the others will come to for advice or simply to confide in. It could be said that Pickles is the smartest member of Dethklok, and although he is known to sigh and rub his forehead in frustration with their antics, he also tries to maintain his patience with his bandmates.

According to Charles, Pickles and Nathan are the two most responsible members of the band. Despite their denial of this, Pickles confirms that he is responsible by scolding Murderface and Skwisgaar for watching horror movies and eating too much whipped cream, and allows them to take comfort in his bed after they have nightmares. He also expresses concern for Nathan's "over-parenting" of Toki and scolds Skwisgaar and Murderface for picking on Toki.

He drinks and uses drugs heavily, which seem to have little effect on him, and he seems to have the greatest social acumen among Dethklok's members (although Nathan appears to be close and actually appears to exceed Pickles in certain areas). However, low blood sugar leaves Pickles extremely irritable; at one point, he tells Toki and Skwisgaar that the band is in a grocery store, calling them "douchebags" in the process.^[2]

Skills & Hobbies

He possesses strong leadership skills and sometimes acts as a mediator or voice of reason in the disputes of his bandmates.

Pickles has a driver's license; Toki has asked him for rides on occasion.

Despite his small stature, he is apparently not inexperienced at fistfights, and is frequently able to inflict damage when initiating physical fights with guys with a clear size advantage, something he won't hesitate to do when his temper goes off. The only person ever to successfully lay a punch on him is his best friend, Nathan.

Pickles has a strong penchant for drug use and claims to be 'completely immune' to the effects of most drugs. He is known to take cocktails of various drugs in heavy doses on a regular basis and still function as his usual self; sharing one of these concoctions with Murderface resulted in a drooling, seizure-like state for the bassist. He has an interest in experimenting with exotic drugs; his main motivation for traveling to the Amazon with Nathan was to try the local hallucinogenic drug 'Yopo'. In particular, he seems to have a high tolerance for and enjoyment of psychedelics. The experimental government drug "Totally Awesome Sweet Alabama Liquid Snake" has no adverse effects on him, though it destroyed the minds of his former band, Snakes N Barrels.

He is also shown to have an interest in recreational hunting, evidenced by his section of Partying Around The World ("shooting wolves with Palin") as well as the "Endangered Species Furniture Room" he creates in Renovationklok.

Musical Talents

Pickles is a powerful speed-drummer, known for his rhythmic double-kick techniques. It is said in an interview with Dethklok that Pickles played drums at a young age, stating that the tornadoes in the mid-west always forced him to take apart his drum set and reconstruct them in the basement. It is unknown how he became the drummer for Dethklok. However, his producing abilities are trusted enough by frontman Nathan Explosion that Pickles is an integral part of the recording and mixing process on all of Dethklok's albums. He often attempts to balance Nathan's perfectionism, pointing out that constant re-recording of tracks is counterproductive to making albums and retaining fans, who kill themselves rather than continue to wait for new Dethklok material.^[3] Pickles occasionally does vocals for Dethklok, acting as a back-up singer to Nathan. The best examples of this are in the songs "Hatredcopter", in which he shares vocal duties with Nathan, and Blazing Star, in which he sings the bridge leading to the chorus. It is believed that he sings backup vocals in song "The Cyborg Slayers" from Dethalbum II.

Leadership of the band is split between Pickles and Nathan.

He apparently has some knowledge of studio mixing and sound engineering as he is occasionally shown sitting behind the soundboard during recording sessions, though this job usually belongs to Knubbler, and later Abigail.

In addition to Drums and vocals, Pickles is also a talented guitarist, having been both the primary singer and lead guitarist of Snakes 'n Barrels. He is also seen playing an acoustic guitar from time to time, and piano in The Doomstar Requiem . (It is up to interpretation, however, whether he and the rest of the band can actually play piano or if this is more or less a fantasy).

Relationships

Nathan Explosion

Nathan and Pickles are the two most professional members of the band, likely due to his own experiences at running a band. Though usually seemingly content with Nathan's methods of running things, he is the only member of Dethklok who seems able to question any mistakes or issues he feels out of place with Nathan's methods of running the band and have any impact. Nathan and Pickles appear to be close friends, and the two celebrate a "post-album tradition" of drinking together around the world they refer to as The Friender-Bender. However, tension sometimes builds between the two when it comes to leadership of the band. Though Nathan is the face of Dethklok and largely seen as their leader, it has been made increasingly clear throughout the series that leadership responsibilities and decisions are in fact shared by Nathan and Pickles. Despite this, the ultimate decision always comes down to Nathan, and the tensions between them reach an all-time high when Nathan destroys an entire completed album with no explanation or warning. Things hit a boiling point when Nathan begins a romance with the same woman Pickles had been interested in, resulting in a temporary disbandment. The two are able to reconcile when Nathan apologizes publicly and makes it clear that his longtime friendship with Pickles is more important to him than his love life.

Skwisgaar Skwigelf

Pickles and Skwigelf generally seem to get along well with each other and are good friends. They were prepared to face death together in Black Fire Upon Us, and Skwisgaar defended them both using his guitar as a weapon when they were cornered by The Revengencers. Pickles may be slightly jealous of Skwisgaar's popularity; in Fatherklok he remarks, "Why is it always about Skwisgaar? He's not here and it's still about him!" The two are responsible for the musical arrangements to go with Nathan's lyrics and can be seen discussing and working on music together in a serious and focused manner.

Toki Wartooth

Pickles is a semi-motherly figure to Toki and the second most likely member for Toki to confide in for advice or information. Still, Pickles generally has no qualms with joining in the band's neglect to include Toki in their activities. Since he appears to be on fair terms with Toki, it's not unusual for Toki to join in with Pickles' random destructive outrages. The two are opposites in the sense that Pickles is much older with the most life experience and Toki is the youngest and most naive person in the band.

William Murderface

Pickles often criticizes William and calls him a 'big baby'. Pickles has issues with William's immaturity. Like other members of the band, he finds him generally unpleasant to be around. Pickles seems to enjoy openly cracking jokes at William's appearance and is the most likely to humorously point out various details of his unattractive physique. Despite this banter the two appear to be good friends, and William came to Pickles for comfort when he had nightmares.

Family

Category:Pickle's Family

Pickles is always at odds with his family and, despite being far more successful than his brother Seth, has never been able to please his mother and father, who favor his brother over himself. It is his family who initially drove him to drink and do drugs after Seth framed Pickles for burning down their garage during their childhood. His father in particular thought Pickles was trash, which eventually caused Pickles to leave home during his teens.

Seth, on the other hand, has Pickles wrapped around his finger and constantly manipulates him into giving him money. Despite this, Pickles does feel a little sorry for Seth and at one point gives him a high-paying job managing the Australian division of Dethklok's fanclub, which he hopes will provide some distance between them.

Despite hating his family, he is known to defend them and does not like the other members of the band insulting his parents, though doesn't particularly seem to care about their thoughts on Seth. He apparently still longs for his mother's approval and at one point even temporarily puts music aside to pursue a career as a real estate agent in hopes that he will impress her.

He's proudly stated he doesn't know his father's first name and that he has no further relation with his father other than he hates him. Pickles's greatest regret was never confronting his father, and when Murderface rejected him in exactly the same way, he gets a second chance and beats Murderface (with Toki joining in just for fun).^[4] Alcoholism seems to run in Pickles' family,^[5] or at the very least all members appear to be heavy drinkers.^[6]

History

Childhood

Capture — Young Pickles being told he belongs in a garbage can

Pickles was raised in Tomahawk, Wisconsin by his parents, Calvert and Molly. He grew up smoking "government weed" for his 'kiddie glaucoma', which he claims is what left him completely immune to the effects of most drugs. His parents' obvious favoritism and constant attention toward his older brother Seth left Pickles with an inferiority complex and resentment toward his family.

When he was six years old, his brother Seth burned down the garage and framed Pickles. That trauma is what caused Pickles to drink, which he's been doing ever since. When Pickles left home his dad's last words to him were, "Get out of here! You belong in a garbage can!"

Pickles suffered from asthma as a child, although stress-triggered attacks ceased after he left home.

Snakes N' Barrels

At the age of sixteen, Pickles rode a dust-covered bus to Los Angeles, purchased a Gibson Les Paul guitar from a pawn shop at the corner of Fairfax and Wilshire, and began a tenacious effort to become famous.^[7] He landed a record deal, and gained fame as frontman for Snakes N' Barrels, a glam rock band. According to Charles Offdensen, the band already existed before Pickles got there. The band featured Antonio "Tony" DiMarco Thunderbottom, an alcoholic bass player; Sammy "Candynose" Twinskins, a crack cocaine user who played drums; and Snizzy Snazz Bullets, a hallucinogens and heroin addict on rhythm guitar. Snakes N' Barrels disbanded at the peak of their popularity due to heavy drug use. Pickles was the only member of Snakes N' Barrels to go on to a successful career, while the rest eventually regained sobriety after years of difficulty.

Season 1

Pickles attempts to perform a reunion show with his old band Snakes 'N' Barrels. This sparks feelings of jealousy from the rest of Dethklok, despite his assertion that he has no intention of leaving them. The concert is ultimately a disaster when his former bandmates relapse and overdose on the mind-altering drug 'totally awesome sweet Alabama liquid snake', which has no effect on Pickles due to his many years of heavy recreational drug-use.

Season 2

Pickles visits his family in Wisconsin for his brother Seth's wedding, an invitation which turns out to be mostly another attempt by Seth to extort money and favors from Pickles. Pickles snaps and physically attacks his brother at the wedding reception, punching him in the face.

Pickles is furious when he learns that his Snakes 'N' Barrels bandmates are reuniting without him under a new sober frontman, Rikki Kixx. Pickles goes to their show and confronts Rikki himself, physically assaulting him on stage.

Season 3

After an accident during a concert, Pickles spends a short period of time in a rehab center for his alcohol and drug use, resulting in a variety of rebellious behaviors.

Pickles christmas — Pickles wearing his Christmas sweater

When Dethklok is worried about a medical exam reflecting on them badly, Pickles convinces Murderface to drink bleach to appear in healthy.

Season 4

Nathan and Pickles gear up to celebrate Dethklok's newest album by partaking in a post-release tradition called The Friender Bender, a multinational worldwide drinking binge. However, their plans are halted by a series of severe storms around the world which destroy every copy of the record. Nathan and Pickles end up in a physical altercation that leaves Pickles with a bloodied nose when Nathan's premonition causes him to destroy the master record, the only remaining copy.

In attempt to gain his mother's approval, Pickles becomes a licensed realtor. After numerous failures, he develops a scam to buy all the houses himself. However, this still does not satisfy his mother, who immediately changes her tune and tells him how disappointed she is that he hasn't been focusing on Dethklok. He snaps and finally tells her off for the first time in his life.

When the band becomes stranded in the Middle East, Pickles takes the opportunity to tell Nathan he is angry about the loss of the record, and the fact that Nathan will not say "sorry" to Pickles. Nathan still does not openly apologize, saying Pickles knows it's not in his nature.

Pickles's friendship with Nathan is threatened even further when the two begin to pursue the same woman, their new production manager, Abigail Remeltincdrinc. Abigail and Nathan develop an attraction for each other and Pickles feels spurned and jealous. When Nathan announces that he and Abigail are a couple, Pickles quits the band on the spot and severs his friendship with Nathan entirely. Pickles refuses speak to Nathan or even be in his presence, with the exception of one final concert, at which the band is attacked and the head of their label is murdered by Mister Salacia. At the funeral, Nathan delivers an emotional eulogy in which he apologizes to Pickles for destroying the record as well as his budding romance with Abigail, explaining, "I don't want her if I can't have you... being my drummer!" The two friends share an 'emotionally brutal' hug, moments before they are all attacked by The Revengencers.

The Doomstar Requiem

Pickles and the band rescue Toki after he is kidnapped by The Revengencers, although it requires overcoming both fear and laziness. It is shown that in the past Pickles had even more of a leadership role within Dethklok, as he mostly called the shots about what to do after Magnus and Nathan have a falling out. At the end of Doomstar it is unclear whether Pickles has accepted Nathan's new relationship with Abigail.

Trivia

In Dethcarraldo, Pickles' ancient animal form is revealed to be an octopus.
"Dudes, anybody got any SPF? I'm uh, very Irish." (Bluesklok) Pickles has alluded to having an Irish ancestry.
Pickles is voiced by Metalocalypse co-creator Brendon Small. While Small voices Pickles, he does not play drums for Pickles. Instead, drummer Gene Hoglan does the drum parts for the songs in Metalocalypse.
Pickles is the only Dethlok member to not have his last name known.
Out of all of the members of Dethklok, Pickles has committed the most acts of direct violence towards people than any of the other band members in the series. He beat up Seth at his wedding for his greed and manipulation of Pickles, Rikki Kixx for taking over Snakes N' Barrels, Murderface for acting as an abusive "father figure", a realtor trying to sell the same house as him, and two orderlies in rehab for trying to restrain him.
His age is estimated at 31 during Season One of Metalocalypse, based on his leaving home at the age of 16 and not being reunited with his family for 15 years. With season one being in 2006, this would mean Pickles was born in 1974 or 1975. If accounting for time now, as of 2018 he's either 42 or 43 in age.
He apparently does not know what the internet is.
When placed in line with the rest of Snakes N' Barrels, his name can be read as another derogatory term. "Pickles", however, simply refers to the penis.