Heavy Metal Community

[viewerfromnihil]

1. What do you love about metal as a genre?

The energy of the music and the typically superior musicianship.

2. Do you feel there is a community within heavy metal fans?

Of course, there's one here right?

3.How do they feel you (as a metal fan) is perceived by the media?

I don't see much of it in media but when I do, it's usually not something that bugs me enough to annoy me.

4. Are you affected by the media’s view on the genre?

When I first got into the genre when I was 11, it affected my parents view enough for them to have an initial concern. It was quickly shrugged off though.

a) Age

18

b) Employment

Heh, working on it

c) Location (nothing specific)

Southern Maryland

d) Race

White

Oh, also; male.

 

[damnromulans]

Thanks to everyone for replying. Krampuss, in nearly 30 replies I have recieved you are the first Female! For that I thank you because it hopefullly means I can add an extra 1000 words of waffle. You are also only the second non-caucasian.

Dissertations are a total pain in the arse, but at least doing it on metal, I can include swear words on it and it really does suck not to be able to use Wikipedia.

You might want to check out/post in this thread if you want more input from females.

http://www.ultimatemetal.com/forum/...wer-these-questions-my-research-thankyou.html

 

[Vithon]

1. What do you love about metal as a genre?
It's power, aggressiveness, energy, amazing musicianship, and such.

2. Do you feel there is a community within heavy
metal fans?
Of course.

3.How do they feel you (as a metal fan) is perceived by the media?
Well, there's the mindless brute, the evil Traditional Satanist, and the jockey teen. Basically, negatively. I don't see much mentioning of metal culture in the news, but when I do, it usually pisses me off.

4. Are you affected by the media’s view on the genre?
No. Not one bit.

a) Age: 14
b) Employment: Student
c) Location (nothing specific): Ohio
d) Race: White
e) Sex: Male

 

[damnromulans]

lol. willmeister you should definitely mention that metal is a white/latino/brazilian male phenomenon. it's very pertinent. comparatively speaking the scenes in asia, middle east, india etc are TINY.

 

[Badbird]

1. What do you love about metal as a genre?

The music!


2. Do you feel there is a community within heavy metal fans?

Yes and it's a great community. Sure there times where we say dumb shit but they are very loyal, passion, and diehard fans.


3.How do they feel you (as a metal fan) is perceived by the media?


Fuck the media. People like O'Reilly and Olbermann think we are just like Beavis and Butthead. Just a bunch of dropout, gets picked by athletes at their school, can't date a girl, trailer trash people is what the media and public thinks that what metalheads all are.


4. Are you affected by the media’s view on the genre?

Fuck no. I will keep listening to metal whatever someone says.


a) Age: 16
b) Employment: Student
c) Location: Leominster Massachusetts
d) Race: White
e) Sex: Male

 

[damnromulans]

Many of these responses justify all the nasty shit "THE MEDIA" says about metal fans. Just saying.

 

[Episteme]

lrn2speak t3h engrish?

 

[Badbird]

Many of these responses justify all the nasty shit "THE MEDIA" says about metal fans. Just saying.

But you can't trust things like Fox News,CNN, and MSNBC who tell lies about other things i'm not going to talk about. They do bad sterotypes about it.

 

[damnromulans]

Anyone who has been to a metal concert doesn't need FOX News to tell them that there are a lot of uneducated meatheads and rebellious teenagers who attend metal concerts.

 

[CF87]

a) 23
b) Guitar, whatever someone will pay me to do so I can feel degraded worthless and have nothing.
c) Lake Placid, New York.
d) White

I do not feel like answering the questions.

 

[SouthernTrendkill]

Many of these responses justify all the nasty shit "THE MEDIA" says about metal fans. Just saying.

How so?

 

[Badbird]

Anyone who has been to a metal concert doesn't need FOX News to tell them that there are a lot of uneducated meatheads and rebellious teenagers who attend metal concerts.

Well I don't watch Fox News so I don't hear thoses liers say us metalheads are uneducated.

 

[damnromulans]

How so?

Short poorly thought out poorly written responses accusing the media of conspiring against "us" etc

 

[willmeister87]

What I have found interesting is that there is quite a range of ages, while yes there are more teenagers I have had people respond in their 40s. Also most people are either students or professionals, including a doctor in my research. However that may be because poor blue collar workers can't afford the internet so can't post on online forums, but the vast responses I have recieved has almost answered has assured me there is a thriving community within metal fans.

 

[SouthernTrendkill]

Short poorly thought out poorly written responses accusing the media of conspiring against "us" etc

I wasn't aware that metalheads were notorious conspiracy theory devotees. Is that part of how the media portrays us? Your responses are quite short as well, there.

 

[waif]

Metalheads are notorious for feeling alienated from mainstream society and doing their best to distance themselves from everyone else. That's what she's saying.

 

[damnromulans]

Yeah, that.

willmeister - just curious, what other sources are you using to gather information? have you gone to shows and interviewed people there? that might be a pretty good way of gauging the general vibe of the local metal community.

 

[Cythraul]

1. What do you love about metal as a genre?

The compositional complexity and depth of a lot of the bands. Also the atmosphere of the music and whatever meaning I can glean from it. I also like the visceral intensity as well, but there is a big "intellectual" aspect to appreciating a lot of the bands I like, I guess.

2. Do you feel there is a community within heavy
metal fans?

I guess so. There are definitely online communities these days and some of those can be pretty close-knit. Maybe the actual community aspect of it in real life was more important in the pre-internet age. I do know that when I was younger I had a group of friends that developed a close bond because of love for this music. That didn't last; a lot of those kids got into nu-metal or metalcore eventually and gave up the pure metal thing. I think the people who are down for life are kind of rare.

3.How do they feel you (as a metal fan) is perceived by the media?

The media perceives metal fans as either drunken doofuses or angsty teenagers. There's a lot of truth to that. But I think metal also tends to attract people who are "seekers" for lack of a better term and some people with a lot of potential. There are definitely a lot more sensible and talented people interested in metal than the stereotypes would imply.

4. Are you affected by the media’s view on the genre?

Not a whole lot, I guess.

a) 25
b) teaching assistant
c) Arizona, United States
d) white hispanic

 

[King Richard]

You're only 25? Weird, I thought you were closer to 30 for some reason.

 

[Cythraul]

well, i feel like i'm fucking old anyway. i am probably well over 30 in terms of my health. i expect to kick the bucket around 40.