Metal Culture and Its Misconceptions

[Unblind]

(I'll try to keep this as short and simple as I can, so read as far as you wish.)

Question:
As a fan of metal (and any of it's sub genres), do you ever feel that your preferred music is belittled by particular groups of people? If so, please give an instance of this and explain what about it upset you.

Examples:
-“Teachers at school made me turn my Slipknot shirt inside out...”
-“Parents forbid me to listen to metal because it was 'Satan music'...”
-“People don't consider my music an art form...”

Purpose:
I'm trying to gather information together to write a somewhat lengthy paper focused on 'heavy metal culture' and its misconceptions.

Extra:
I will also post another topic similar to this one on another forum that would be considered 'anti-metal' to get another perspective. I am a long time metal listener, but I don't claim to totally understand it's community. Any other information you would like to suggest or comments you would like to make for this essay would be appreciated.

 

[Neith]

Well, I think that as a school student this kind of things happens all the time by other groups of students. For example, the Neds or Chavs (I don't know what they are called anywhere else other than the UK) give anybody they consider to listen to metal abuse, and general threats to beat them up and so on. Also, they often attempt to make death metal type growls and grunts whenever a metal fan or 'goth' walks by, (which is incredibly funny to listen to). I wouldn't say that it upsets me at all, I just find the narrow-mindedness stupid.
One thing that really agreviates me, though, is if a crime is committed by someone who listens to music which is out of the ordinary, it is always the music that is blamed. For example, if someone kills someone or even kill themself, it is often the music they listen to which gets the blame (if it is metal or even hip-hop/rap to some extent). A fairly recent incident of this happened in Paris when two girls committed suicide and it was blamed to some extent on Anorexia Nervosa. This doesn't happen with any other type of music (other than rap/hip-hop as i said above) so i find it incredibly unfair.

 

[Unblind]

Yeah, it drives me nuts when music and other media is used as an explanation as to why someone commits a crime. I wonder what kind of music Nazis listened to while they slaughtered hordes of Jewish people.

I think there can be really negative messages in music that, if taken the wrong way, could lead to some bad decision making. However, at that point, I think parents are responsible for keeping their kids from listening to the music or at least helping them understand context of the songs without acting them out.

 

[speed]

Yeah, it drives me nuts when music and other media is used as an explanation as to why someone commits a crime. I wonder what kind of music Nazis listened to while they slaughtered hordes of Jewish people.

I think there can be really negative messages in music that, if taken the wrong way, could lead to some bad decision making. However, at that point, I think parents are responsible for keeping their kids from listening to the music or at least helping them understand context of the songs without acting them out.

They listened to Wagner.

To reply to your second point, there are really bad messages in almost every facet of life: from music, to religion, literature, science, business, etc.

 

[Akirahito]

I know exactly what your point is Unblind. People who aren't into metal seem to have bigger misconceptions about metal music then, say, they do about pop music. For instance, my dad might look at Britney Spears and think she was a silly tart, but he wouldn't look at her and think she walked around saying, "hail satan". And that seems to be the general consesus amongst non-metalheads...that metal music is a "gateway to hell". FOR THE LOVE OF GOD! RUN! Of course, those of us who love and enjoy metal know differently. I have a bachelor's degree, kids, and a husband. I go to my Monday - Friday job where I'm an executive assistant and push around numbers. I take my son to hokey kids events and bake him cupcakes. I keep a clean and tidy house...but I clean that bitch while listening to Slayer, LOG, Iron Maiden, 3 Inches of Blood, or whatever strikes my fancy. This 30-something year-old woman still likes to pound down beers and rip it up in a mosh pit. When I was 14, my dad said it was a phase. Now 20 years later...

 

[Hubster]

There is most definitely a "stigma" in existence with lovers of metal, and especially those who choose to dye their hair black, keep it long, dress in darker colours, wear band shirts.

- everytime I walk about Bondi in a metal shirt, I get stared at (although once, I was wearing my Immortal shirt down Hall Street and some guy said "I *LOVE* that short dude!"). Nevertheless, I find it funny how many people in the "herd" insist that metalheads are violent thugs: one only need look at the crop of pink-tshirt and mohican haircut laden "boyz" to realise who the real potential criminals are.

- my interest in "different" aspects of life, ie, the lunar calendar being an important aspect for me, my respect and love for the sea, combined with the metal side of me, only increases the odd reactions. "What? You're not a materialistic and capitalist pig like the rest of us?"

- love of darker artworks (see many pieces of Baroque Art for example), which I often have on my LCD at work also generates eyebrow raising ("Wild Hunt of Odin by Peter Nicolai Arbo" in particular)

- wearing my Maiden shirt to my local coffee shop enabled a guy I talk to there to growl. Funny isnt it, when the band have never had a growler in their career.

 

[Lord SteveO]

Face it, the only reason people stare at you when you wear an immortal shirt is because they are amazed by your most excellent music taste!

I wish....

Yes there are stigmata that come with being a metal fan. I was once asked if i was a goth by a girl in a bar and when i asked her why she tought i was she replied...."because you have long hair". Hmmm....confused the hell out of me, because that would make most women goths also!
I tend to ignore it most of the time, unless some idiot or a friend starts talking shite and thinks they "know" that i must go about worshipping satan and killing virgins. That sort of behaviour just anoys me.

As for metal being blammed for violence/murder.crime in general. Well it goes to show how dumb the world is. Anyone with a brain can see that if a guy kills a person and listened to slayer, but also liked torturing small animals or had a big knife collection, it obvious the music was not totally to blame.
There are idiots out there who think music tells them what to do and act like their favourite artists. But i like to think most if not all metal fans are a lot more mature and sensible.

 

[Jaen]

some people around here have never even listened to metal before. for instance, the other day some punk friends of mine came to my place to record their demo, and they brought this friend of theirs along who was saying she wanted to hear me play the whole time. So i started playing some arppegiated chords and other laid back stuff, but the singer who happens to be a good friend of mine kept saying "play something flashy man! shred it up!". so after a lot of insistance i decided to play the intro to Symphony X's "Smoke & Mirrors" and the girl just said "wow, i had no idea a guitar could be played like that!". so me theory is that once people have been exposed to emtal, they are really impressed by the musicianship.

 

[Silver Incubus]

Well i often hear that people say the music is good, but the vocals turn them off. But I was like that before getting into metal so I know that other's can enjoy it as well. Sure I look like your regular metal head, but that is because I'm in a band and I want to windmill my hair when grovin, and bang my head hard when the other bands are playin.

 

[derek]

The restructuring of staff set up my high-school many years ago meant heads of departments were reduced in number and subjects bunched together in faculties. Reason?

Money.

The worship of money should be banned from school, not metal shirts. If folks want to blame metal instead of the shitty society the actively participate in...screw 'em.

 

[dreaming neon darkspot]

in the area of tables i sit at during lunch, there's a table of these sophomores and one of them i guess is in a tech ed class where he's always making different types of speakers or something, so he'll bring them out and play stuff like TOOL and Rob Zombie during lunch. not at a loud or intrusive level or anything, just so he and his friends can hear.

but the table of guys next to them (braindead rap-fans who wear polo shirts and act like that kind of asshole) will yell "Yeah, i love this song! it makes me want to kill my mom!" and try doing death metal growls and headbanging.

pretty much the same reaction is gotten whenever anyone who's into hard rock (not actual metal) plays their music specifically around people who listen to rap. these are the same people who emmulate clothing styles from prison and brag about being in gangs.

 

[infoterror]

Yeah, it drives me nuts when music and other media is used as an explanation as to why someone commits a crime.

People assume crimes are illogical, e.g. that there's no impetus for their occurrence. To me it seems like most crimes have a reason other than drugs, music, etc. and it's that they seemed a good idea at the time. Often, drugs and loud music don't HELP the situation, but they're not the impetus.

As far as metal... the people who belittle it the most are metal fans themselves.

 

[derek]

Anyone remember the fellow who thinks all metal fans are barbarians? I remember it being on blabbermouth after Darrell's murder.

 

[Keeper of the Seven Cheese]

That post on blabbermouth really infuriated me. I believe that was however one of the most decently handled topics in blabbermouth history.

I find the reaction to my "metal" appearance sometimes weird too. I have long hair and often wear band shirts and I have been growled at many times especially with my Iron Maiden shirt who most expect to be one of the most "satanic" bands ever. There are people who I went to school with who were Christian that wouldn't touch my music cos they thought it would be too demonous. I listen to mainly power metal for god's sake.

I wish metal didn't have this immeasurable stigma associated with it and maybe people would realise that the music is one of the most talent filled and greatest sets of compositions the world had seen.

 

[derek]

Metal stimulates an underground love for the genre, that I do not see in many other places. Metal fans get together, have a beer and generally like to have fun. I'm no animal, and neither are (most) of you...it's a shame we can be portrayed as so.

 

[Insilden_The Shred]

I dunno if any of you have seen the DVDs in the Dimmu Borgir World Misanthropy box set... but this is a good example for this thread I think... I believe it is Silnoz, he makes a remark about how a lot of ppl think you have to be Satanic to listen to black metal... he goes on to say this is a very narrow minded way to think and that it is up to you the listener in this case but applies in general that it is up to you to find your own morals and beliefs... and its true.

If you listen to Rhapsody does that make you a medieval warrior? certainly not. I think the best part of metal and its sub genres are the abundance of concepts. The same people that will trash our Metal and assume we are all raging lunatics are also the same people you'll see sitting beside you in the movie theatre watching SAW...( does this point need any further explaination?)There are much greater examples of evil going on around us ever day that don't pertain or share any relation to Heavy Metal music.

Most heavy metal paints a picture for the listener... I could listen to the most vile Death Metal on end for months... but put me in a room for 10 minutes playing Brittney Spears and this is when I'll be compled to kill myself. Anyone recall the last time a well known Metal musician was caught commiting disgusting acts with children??? probably not... but Priests do it all the time...

So for all those ppl that want to tell me that I am not a good person or I must be evil because I listen to heavy metal... seriously take a good look around and see where the real problems are.

When I walk down the street and I see somebody wearing an Immortal t shirt... I know hes/she is the last person I have to worry about. Its the rest of the ignorant assholes. I'm not to sure if this helps any or really answers the question at hand... but I started and ended up ranting on...hahaha

 

[SoundMaster]

One of the many misconceptions that annoys me is the one that metalhead's generally hold concerning non-metalheads. The idea of labeling those that aren't into metal as being part of a "herd" who copy each other is really hypcritical when you take into account that metal, in and of itself, consists of the exact same 'herd mentality' (only difference is it's a smaller herd).

For example, you often hear metal folks whining about the fact that "everyone else" in their school, etc, look and dress the same.
But take some time to look at the look and dress of the people attending a metal concernt. Guess what? The 'heavy metal uniform' is on display and in full effect.

The bottom line is that many metalheads claim to be totally unique individuals when, in fact, that's generally far from true.

 

[The Bringer]

I'm going to put my opinion as plain and simple as I can:

It is the man in the business suit you need to worry about. Not the man wearing the Burzum shirt.

 

[Deepest Green]

Not the man wearing the Burzum shirt.

Unless it's that loser Varg.

 

[ThePhilosopher]

in the area of tables i sit at during lunch, there's a table of these sophomores and one of them i guess is in a tech ed class where he's always making different types of speakers or something, so he'll bring them out and play stuff like TOOL and Rob Zombie during lunch. not at a loud or intrusive level or anything, just so he and his friends can hear.

but the table of guys next to them (braindead rap-fans who wear polo shirts and act like that kind of asshole) will yell "Yeah, i love this song! it makes me want to kill my mom!" and try doing death metal growls and headbanging.

pretty much the same reaction is gotten whenever anyone who's into hard rock (not actual metal) plays their music specifically around people who listen to rap. these are the same people who emmulate clothing styles from prison and brag about being in gangs.

Rob Zombie is just about as braindead as any mainstream rap. Wearing a certain kind of shirt isn't going to make you a moron.

Metal fans making fun of rap music and it's followers is no different than when they would do the same to us. There's plenty (I would say an overwhelming) amount of metal fans who are ignorant assholes too. There's a lot of people who discredit rap as an artform in a similarly ignorant way the general public might try to discredit underground metal. Way to shoot yourself in the foot. It's examples and arguments like these that make us look worse. Infoterror is right.

There's a massive herd mentality involved in metal as well. The vast majority of metal fans dress in a similar manner, same as all the people that wear Hollister and have their shirts with their collars up. There's no point in trying to belittle a group of people because of how they dress. Nor is there any point in trying to make the metal community's collective behavior seem better than anyone elses because it isn't.

Your viewpoint is just as ignorant as theirs is.