Thor, the metal god—not to be confused with the successful Marvel franchise character.
 
The legendary leader of the heavy metal band Thor, Jon Mikl Thor, has had a documentary made about his attempted comeback—a comeback which, apparently, almost cost him his life. The film I Am Thor, directed by Ryan Wise (of Prom Queen fame) is scheduled for theatrical release in the late fall. 

If you’re unfamiliar with Thor (and why a comeback attempt could have proved hazardous to his health), some background information may be in order. Jon Mikl Thor was a bodybuilding champion who won over 40 titles around the world—but of course his main love and passion was rock and roll.
 

Rock and Motherfucking Roll
 
Jon Mikl Thor first began touring as singer in the band Thor in 1973. As a front man, he would perform incredible feats of strength during gigs. He would blow hot water bottles up until they exploded. He would bend iron bars with his teeth and have concrete blocks smashed on his chest with a sledgehammer. He achieved little success until, believe it or not, he was discovered by Merv Griffin (yes, THAT Merv Griffin).

Here’s Thor appearing on the Merv Griffin show in 1976, performing a rather embarrasing version of Sweet’s hit song “Action,” doing a striptease, and blowing up a hot water bottle. Note the priceless reactions of audience members:

 
Soon after the Merv griffin appearance, his career took off and he recorded the album Keep The Dogs Away which went Gold shortly after its release.
 

 
Thor was performing at a time when KISS and Alice Cooper were all the rage. Theatrical rock, with its special effects and showmanship, seemed like the perfect fit for his act. But alas, the thing that never quite connected was the music. Thor’s musical backing wasn’t what most would call “good.” It was certainly no Alice Cooper or KISS by comparison. Despite Thor very much looking the part, his music didn’t really find an audience outside of the freakshow attraction of the amazing feats of onstage strength.

One online video is titled “Thor: The Worst Music Video Ever Made!” While, we’ve certainly seen worse, you still can’t help but laugh at this. The song, although catchy, almost seems to be a parody of itself, and let’s face it—Thor is no Rob Halford or Bruce Dickinson.

 
Thor seemed to come to that same realization, and started devoting his time to acting in Z grade films such as Rock ‘n’ Roll Nightmare and Zombie Nightmare.

His acting wasn’t a whole lot better than his singing, as evidenced in this climactic clip from Rock ‘n’ Roll Nightmare in which Thor is in extreme danger of being upstaged by a rubber dummy:

 
Thor longed for a rock and roll comeback, and that’s what the new documentary focuses on. The trailer for I Am Thor, which you can watch below, is extremely poignant. I was admittedly filled with sadness watching the man trying to recapture the glory of his youth. The film promises to be a powerful document of a never-quite-was, not unlike the brilliant Anvil: The Story of Anvil—Thor comes off as an underdog, and you truly feel yourself rooting for the guy.

Trailer for “I Am Thor”:

 
And here’s Thor in his ‘80s hair metal glory, bending steel, and performing “Thunder on the Tundra.”

Previously on Dangerous Minds:
Muscle Rock: The tone-deaf body-builder rock ‘n’ roll heroics of THOR!!!