It's no joke. The regional offshoot of The Onion's A.V. Club mentions a Penn Press book on medieval history in a review of an album by Philadelphia's "metal, hardcore punk, and noise" band, Satanized. Apparently, Other Middle Ages: Witnesses At The Margins Of Medieval Society by Michael Goodich, inspired the lyrics of the song "Arnaud de Vernoille." This according to A.V. Club Philadelphia music critic Elliot Sharp. Sharp writes:
The lyrics to “Arnaud de Verniolle,” the second track on Technical Virginity, while indecipherable, are inspire by Jacques Fournier’s inquisitorial register as found in Michael Goodich’s book, Other Middle Ages: Witnesses At The Margins Of Medieval Society.While the Bishop of Pamiers from 1318-1325, Fournier interrogated hundreds of French peasants in order to expose and punish Cathar heretics. One of the men punished was Arnaud de Verniolle, a subdeacon initially investigated for impersonating a priest and illegally hearing confessions. Further probing revealed Fournier was a homosexual guilty of sodomy, and he spent the rest of his life in prison. He was, one might say, Satanized.
We invite medievalists to listen to the song "Arnaud de Verniolle" and see if they agree with the Satanized interpretation of history.
