Ironic Metal bands... are the ones not getting it

[Cheiron]

LOTFP has written a good little bit about The Darkness, and how the Darkness didn't get what the issue was with being an 'ironic metal band.' What hasn't been understood by these bands, is that people who enjoy metal, don't want to have the silly parts of metal shoved in their face. Why would metal fans (I'm using 'metal fans' loosely here since I'll be soon referring to Sebastian Bach and GNR) want to laugh at their own music? Spinal Tap worked, because of various reasons, that I won't go into right here. But I'm sure a lot of metal fans hated that movie. I really don't know. I never saw the reaction to it.

Anyhow, this is in reference to the Eagles of Death Metal being kicked off of the GNR tour. Here is the article Bravewords.com > News. Just read the Eagles of Death Metal's response to the whole issue. As was written by I believe Dave (correct me if I'm wrong), its not that the fans don't get the ironicy, its that they just don't like it. Deal with it. Ironic bands only work if there's a level of genuine sincerity. And even then, they are through and through been there, seen that, do something else.

 

[DBB]

Hahahahahahahaha!

Interesting...even a guy in my apartment complex who recently purchased A Twisted Christmas thought that The Darkness sucked and that their bullshit was too much to stomach.

 

[BenMech]

The Darkbness broke up anyway,after they fired Justin Hawkins

 

[Occam's Razor]

No, their bassist takes over the singing, but anyway...

 

[Some Bastard]

Last monday I thought I'd treat me and the missus to some good ol' Iron Maiden. The support act was Trivium. Never bothered to check 'em out and now I know why. I find the fact that these jokers are hyped as the future of Metal far more disturbing than some joke hair metal band.

 

[DBB]

That's the spirit now.

 

[Some Bastard]

no it's not

 

[DBB]

 

[BenMech]

So, what was the stance on Tenacious D?

 

[Some Bastard]

I love Tenacious D and I'm pretty sure they genuinely love the music they're poking fun at.

 

[DBB]

School of Rock made $39,671,396 in its first 10 days on around 2,500 screens and The Pick of Destiny made $5,706,000 in its first 7 days on around 2,000 screens.

So make of that what you will. I have a theory as to what the entertainment industry would call it.

Personally, I have no stance on the film or the mock band because it has not registered on my radar in any significant shape beyond the “I am the Warlock” song and what little music I've heard was just crap any way you sliced it.

 

[Some Bastard]

Having a sense of humour could help. Criticizing what's obviously a comedy act for their music is kind of like saying Dark Funeral aren't funky enough :Smug:

 

[Occam's Razor]

Yes Dave, Bastard is right. You start your argument with the sales figure, but what's the point to that? Tenacious D does not intend to undermine any underground or harm metal in any way. They are making fun of hard rock, which they obviously really like, and pack it in a nice Hollywood-wrap so it does not harm the common cinema-goer. Who cares - some dirty jokes fall off their records here and there, you can have a laugh and that's it. It's not intended to be serious art and does not compete with any band that should deserve the attention Tenacious D are getting instead.

 

[DBB]

Yes Dave, Bastard is right. You start your argument with the sales figure, but what's the point to that?

Well, I interpeted Mech's question to be about the public reception of Tenacious D (since that is what started this thread...could be wrong) and since the movie came out last week I assumed he had this at the front of his mind.

While sales and amount of money made is not a barometer of quality by any stretch of the imagination, it is a tool that one can use to measure public reception if it is properly applied.

School of Rock and The Pick of Destiny are similar movies with the same actor in the lead role and were actually cross-referenced in many reviews and the promotional push, so I don't think that it is a stretch of the imagination to assume that people who saw School of Rock were aware of The Pick of Destiny and chose to not flock to the theaters to see it.

What that reveals about the subject at hand is certianly a difficult hard and fast connection to make and that is why I said "make of it what you will" and did not incorporate it into a larger argument--merely stated my opinion and limited experience (which I do not see changing) with Tenacious D.

I'm just throwing it out there as a tidbit and not making an argument per se.

Maybe I just need to make myself clearer, I stated that "I have no stance on Tenacious D" yet Bastard naturally manufactures one for me because he cannot miss an opportunity to draw me into an argument that will lead elsewhere and because I said the music was "crap" (a mild opinion-based observation that I did not think would get everyone riled up). This is just an offhanded way of saying that the entire package--the comedy, the image, the songs--do not interest me.

In fact, I find it so uninteresting that I have not even bothered to pay attention to the band or think about it very much, yet I still find myself typing out a long post about them.

I'll be clear as possible: I find Jack Black to be a bore and the type of comedy he specializes in is something I do not find funny. It could be Nacho Libre or Shallow Hal instead of The Pick of Destiny as far as I am concered--they are all cut from the same cloth and something that is not my cup of tea. That the long and short of it.

And although I'm sure that many people don't think so, because of my track record, I do have a sense of humor.

I think I shot a bullet of saliva out of my mouth that hit a woman in the back of the head about four rows in front of me when I was laughing my ass off while watching Borat.

I do think, however, that the villagers in Glod should get a healthy chunk of the profits from the money Borat is raking in.

So there is a serious matter to end on in order to not ruin my reputation.

 

[Jim LotFP]

I do think, however, that the villagers in Glod should get a healthy chunk of the profits from the money Borat is raking in.

... is there anything to their claim beyond "We were told this was a documentary!" while at the same time making it really clear they don't normally let animals into their houses, tape rubber appendages to their stumps, and other things when there is no camera present?

 

[DBB]

... is there anything to their claim beyond "We were told this was a documentary!"

I doubt it. Hard to tell at this point, I imagine that lawyers saw it as an opportunity and now that they have got involved it is going to be hard to tell what the sentiments of the plantiffs are. The $30 million figure I've seen is excessive (it is a village, though, but I think that there would be plenty of people skimming funds off the top).

I haven't seen how much they actually received, it's been referred to as a "pittance," but I think that "healthy" means that Glod should get as much money as is injected into the local economy of Chicago when a major Hollywood film uses it as a location. It would probably be substantially less than the $30 million figure, but I imagine that it would have a substantial impact on the quality of life of people in Glod.

That would be a simple and right solution, but it has probably moved well beyond that point now that lawyers and lawsuits have become part of the picture.

 

[Occam's Razor]

I don't really like Borat (and I'm indifferent towards Tenacious D, too - justed found your reaction a little exaggerated, but now it has become clearer with your explanation). What is so appealing about Borat other than his insulting people and revealing to intelligent Americans what they already know about their own country anyway?

It's better than that Ali G. stuff, though.

 

[Cheiron]

The story gets better. I guess the bassist for GNR threw down his bass when Mr. Rose insulted the Eagles of Death Metal, and walked off the stage. I have never listened to this band.

 

[Some Bastard]

Dear mr. DBB, don't you ever get tired of that victim role?

I do not wish to draw you into an argument at all. I just noticed you were criticizing a "mock band" for their music. Which is stupid any way you slice it.

 

[Some Bastard]

BTW, I loved Borat too

I'm not a big fan of the Eagles Of Death Metal, but despite the name they're not really an Ironic Metal band at all. Their sound has much more in common with T-Rex and early punk rock. So personally I think this wasn't a winning combination to begin with.