being a metalhead

[TychoCelchu]

Of course we have all kinds of individuals here but I'm wondering specifically about the day to day experience of those of you who are essentially a "metalhead" or variation on the basic idea. Do you ever get mocked or derided for the music you love? To what degree? Or is daily life pretty seamless anyway? Wondering this after mentioning last week that I was going to the Judas Priest/Whitesnake show at work, to which my boss declared "Lame!" (although he didn't know that Halford was back in the band) and a coworker made a joke about Priest and Whitesnake, when deciding who headlined vs. who opened, flipping a coin to see who was more "washed up."

Of course I do encounter some people also who think it's cool when I mention I listen to a lot of metal and ask me questions about the current state, how modern and younger bands are doing, etc.

 

[OrbWeaver]

The most I ever get is "I would never have guessed you like metal. You don't look like you'd like it."

 

[Cheiron]

Only playfully by a few people. Most people don't know the bands I mention, so there's little they can say. But if they did, I'm sure they'd enjoy mocking the fact that I listen to music that sings about elves, dragons, and GORWOOWERASDSDFSD.

 

[Pelata]

I don't get a lot of ridicule...but I do get a lot of "Really??! You like Metal??" only to have them assume I mean only Metallica and Slipknot or stuff they know...when I mention Iron Maiden or Metal Church or something I get the "Sheesh! They're still around??!" response. When I start mentioning bands like Iced Earth or Primal Fear or Redemption then I may as well be speaking Klingon...they have no idea.

I occasionally get a couple of eye-rolls from my wife because of my love for Metal and buying CD's...but it's all in love. LOL!

 

[ICEDEARTHFAN]

I'm 32 and been listening to metal since I was born basically,since my brother was also a metalhead and older than me by 12 years.I don't get ridiculed by any means,but there are some who I occasionally hear,that like to say "metalheads are still living in the 80's".If there is one statement that I can't stand,it's that one.Why don't I have the right to love something till the day I'm gone from this earth???
Why do some think that if it's not mainstream,you shouldn't like it anymore??
I love horror and always have,but since horror is mainstream,everybody's cool with it.I just don't understand society as a whole when it comes to saying someone is stuck in a particular decade.....

 

[Jibrille]

The most I ever get is "I would never have guessed you like metal. You don't look like you'd like it."

I get this quite a bit. The few people who know of some of the midlevel bands like Iced Earth often are surprised when I know something how Ripper was in Judas Priest and before that was in a JP tribute band too.

Friends make fun of us for various bands. Mostly if we play some music it'll be a comment like "this isn't some more of that Israeli death metal is it?" Or ask if its just another one of those Swedish bands we listen to.

Usually the only band I can get people to recognize is Nightwish.

 

[Magius]

I don't get a lot of ridicule...but I do get a lot of "Really??! You like Metal??" only to have them assume I mean only Metallica and Slipknot or stuff they know...when I mention Iron Maiden or Metal Church or something I get the "Sheesh! They're still around??!" response. When I start mentioning bands like Iced Earth or Primal Fear or Redemption then I may as well be speaking Klingon...they have no idea.

Same.
Even the younger people I know who listen to the current crop of Metalcore and Nu-metal bands have no clue when I name bands I listen to.
From the older people I get "Oh God! How'd you get into THAT?" or "How can you listen to that "Rarrr! Rarrr! Rarrr!" suff?"

A female Metal fan I work with (one foot in the old Schoocl, one in the Nu) was once asked was once asked in all seriousness "You listen to Metal? But you look like such a normal person!"
We still laugh about that.

 

[TychoCelchu]

I myself have gotten the occasional 'You don't look like the type who would be into _________.' One instance of this happening which I found rather amusing was one day while listening to Bodom at an old job, a manager walked by and commented 'I wouldn't have guessed you'd be into industrial.' After some chatting I found out he was a fan of bands like Crisis (The End Records) and Lords of Acid.

 

[dcowboys311]

All of my friends who are into deathcore crap make fun of me for listening to metal. They call me "metal militia" haha.

My boss didn't believe me when I told her I was into it.

 

[rdyfrde]

The most I ever get is "I would never have guessed you like metal. You don't look like you'd like it."

I get that as well. Mostly because I don't dress like a typical metalhead (band t-shirt, jeans, leather jacket, etc). I did back in high school but I've been out of high school since 1994

Though at work, all they have to do is look at my office wall and deduce that I like metal. It's all over my wall

I will add that I sometimes do get mocked on forums for liking Power Metal. They think it's all about dragons and fairies

 

[actordude]

OMG....I get this DAILY.

From the wife its mostly the headshake and cringe when I put on things like Edguy, Iced Earth, Judas Priest, In Flames, etc. in the car. I must admit she appreciates the fact that I have been so passionate about something for so long and she's a good sport. She even enjoys some Nightwish now and then.

From the co-workers its the usual "You like who?? Those guys are still playing??

My family knows how much I worship Iron Maiden and when they buy gifts like t-shirts or accessories I always get the "I felt so strange buying this stuff. We thought you would have outgrown this 'stuff' by now"....

All in love folks!!

 

[edgeofthorns]

This is a funny thread! I get the, "you don't look like a metalhead" comment quite a bit as well. With that said, my family, including my wife, says that I listen to "Devil Music". They say this in a joking manner by the way. I figured out a long time ago, that most people just don't understand metal. The preachers in the 80's didn't do much favors to that era of bands, so most people still associate that with metal nowadays. FatesFan and I crack on going jokes about our family members and our listening preferences.

I agree that it's all in good fun though, so I don't get too worked up about it.

~Brian~

 

[edgeofthorns]

Wondering this after mentioning last week that I was going to the Judas Priest/Whitesnake show at work, to which my boss declared "Lame!" (although he didn't know that Halford was back in the band) and a coworker made a joke about Priest and Whitesnake, when deciding who headlined vs. who opened, flipping a coin to see who was more "washed up."

TychoCelchu, you sound like you work with some jackasses, so just overlook them. I'm sure you won't have to work too hard to find something that pushes their buttons as well.

~Brian~

 

[Pelata]

From the co-workers its the usual "You like who?? Those guys are still playing??

Yeah...I get that too. This response drives my guitar player up a wall...LOL!

As for the "stuck in" a decade comments...I have a theory:

Americans in general are a "live in the now", trendy, fickle bunch of people...with everything from clothing to music to movies to TV to personal technology. They want to be considered "up to date" for lack of a better term and will jump on the "that's so yesterday" bandwagon in a minute...we have no sense of history. If something gets old, just tear it down and build something new...that goes for any sort of cultural mark like buildings, music, art, anything...if it's old, it's no good.

Now, the reason Europeans (IMO) seem more "loyal" to things for longer periods of time is a sense of history...they know who they are...Europeans have thousands of years of history behind them...Americans have just over 200...Europeans will leave castles and hundred year old buildings standing and figure out ways to still use them and keep them up and intergrate them into modern times...Americans will just rip the shit down and build something else.

Not to say that there are no trendy Europeans, and not to say there are no "loyal" Americans...just on the average, from what I can see, this is why Metal in America is sometimes looked upon as "has been" or "juvenille" or certain styles of it be considered out-dated by the majority of the population...no roots.

 

[sh0kr0k]

I don't get a lot of ridicule...but I do get a lot of "Really??! You like Metal??" only to have them assume I mean only Metallica and Slipknot or stuff they know...when I mention Iron Maiden or Metal Church or something I get the "Sheesh! They're still around??!" response. When I start mentioning bands like Iced Earth or Primal Fear or Redemption then I may as well be speaking Klingon...they have no idea.

Exactly this. To the letter.

 

[edgeofthorns]

Yeah...I get that too. This response drives my guitar player up a wall...LOL!

As for the "stuck in" a decade comments...I have a theory:

Americans in general are a "live in the now", trendy, fickle bunch of people...with everything from clothing to music to movies to TV to personal technology. They want to be considered "up to date" for lack of a better term and will jump on the "that's so yesterday" bandwagon in a minute...we have no sense of history. If something gets old, just tear it down and build something new...that goes for any sort of cultural mark like buildings, music, art, anything...if it's old, it's no good.

Now, the reason Europeans (IMO) seem more "loyal" to things for longer periods of time is a sense of history...they know who they are...Europeans have thousands of years of history behind them...Americans have just over 200...Europeans will leave castles and hundred year old buildings standing and figure out ways to still use them and keep them up and intergrate them into modern times...Americans will just rip the shit down and build something else.

Not to say that there are no trendy Europeans, and not to say there are no "loyal" Americans...just on the average, from what I can see, this is why Metal in America is sometimes looked upon as "has been" or "juvenille" or certain styles of it be considered out-dated by the majority of the population...no roots.

Pelata, good analogy, and I agree with you.

~Brian~

 

[Jasonic]

That's the greatest thing though about metal.
It's not about what clothes you wear or the length of your hair.
Sure, this is important for bands, obviously, as every band is a product to be sold, to a degree.

I too get the following:
- You don't look like you would be into metal.
- You are "still" into this stuff? (Mostly from my mother)
- You must love stuff like Pantera (co-workers)
- Ha, Ha Priest, Breaking The Law, Breaking the Law!!!
- "I saw Iron Maiden once, 20 years ago. They are still around?"

 

[Wyvern]

The most I ever get is "I would never have guessed you like metal. You don't look like you'd like it."

Yeah I got that one from time to time too. Only once a friend of mine (heavily into prog rock and jazz) questioned me how come I was still into metal at my age...last year he was with us at the Iron Maiden concert. Guess he still has a soft spot for metal .

Now being a metalhead: it's a state of mind, the love for the music. Hair, clothing, lifestyle, are unimportant as long as you believe in the music.

 

[Diamond45]

The most I ever get is "I would never have guessed you like metal. You don't look like you'd like it."

I get that all the time, but people don't understand that power metal and prog metal do not sound like "traditional" metal (thrash, death, etc.) that most people associate with metal music.

 

[jaimek]

I haven't been derided for being a metalhead since ... probably high school. Guys typically get sparkly manga eyes and go OMG YOU ARE?! upon finding out I listen to metal, and it doesn't really even matter whether they're into current or older stuff - just the fact that I will throw the horns just thrills them. (although I haven't gotten this reaction nearly as often as I used to about fifteen years ago, when I first started going to Dream Theater shows and there were about ten women for every 200 men.)