The song "When Black Friday Comes (You Know I'll Seek and Destroy)" by Bill McClintock is a creative mashup that blends Steely Dan's "Black Friday" with Metallica's "Seek and Destroy" and "For Whom the Bell Tolls," with a dash of KISS's "Love Gun" for extra flair. Released on YouTube in May 2021, this track by the fictional band "Dantallica" showcases McClintock's knack for combining wildly different genres into a cohesive, head-banging hit. One piece of trivia is that McClintock meticulously crafted the video to sync visuals, with fans noting details like Metallica's James Hetfield fist-pumping in time with Steely Dan's rhythm, a touch that elevates the mashup's charm. The song has been celebrated across platforms, with posts on House of Hair praising its seamless execution despite the unlikely pairing.
Another interesting story comes from the song's reception on social media, where it garnered attention for its genre-defying appeal. On Reddit, users raved about the track's infectious energy, with one commenter highlighting a moment at the 2:35 mark where a montage perfectly blends the contrasting styles, calling it "one of the best montages ever." The mashup's success lies in McClintock's method of selecting songs in the same key and tempo, a technique he discussed in an InsideHook interview, ensuring that even disparate tracks like jazz-rock and thrash metal sound like they were meant to coexist. This track, part of the "McClintock Mashups" catalog, exemplifies his ability to surprise listeners, as he often adds unexpected elements like guitar solos to keep the music dynamic.
Bill McClintock, a self-taught mashup artist and elementary school music teacher, began creating mashups around 2017 after being inspired by other YouTube creators like Wax Audio and Andy Rehfeldt. In an interview with Mouthing Off Magazine, he shared that his love for music, particularly '80s rock, and his background in music theory drove him to experiment with blending songs that "should in no way go together." A guitarist with over 20 years of experience, McClintock saw mashups as a way to express his creativity without performing live, a pursuit he had no interest in. His first major hit, a 2018 mashup of Ratt's "Round and Round" with Marvin Gaye's "I Heard it Through the Grapevine," caught the attention of Ratt's Bobby Blotzer, who contacted McClintock to express his enthusiasm and even floated the idea of a Ratt-Motown mashup album.
McClintock's rise to fame has been fueled by his YouTube channel, where his videos rack up anywhere from 200,000 to four million views. His official YouTube channel, Bill McClintock Mashups, is the primary hub for his work, alongside his Facebook page, which has over 4,800 likes and regularly shares new releases. While he doesn't maintain an active Instagram or X presence under his name, fans engage with his work on platforms like Reddit's r/mashups, where posts about his creations, including "When Black Friday Comes," spark lively discussions. Fan-driven content also appears on sites like Albums That Should Exist, where enthusiasts compile his mashups into imagined albums, complete with custom artwork featuring McClintock's logo. His work continues to inspire, with no dedicated fan groups on Facebook but plenty of appreciation across music blogs and forums.
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