Hi all,
First of all, I'd like to introduce myself, I'm a 28 year-old guy from Spain. I've been subscribed to LOTFP in the past, and I just subscribed again. I've always loved Jim's rants and incidentally I think we have similar tastes in music. I've been lurking this forum forever but I barely posted as I usually did n't have anything interesting to say... not that now I have, but what the hell, let's give it a try...
I don't know if this topic has been brought up in this forum before, but I've been thinking about this for a while and although I don't know if something like this belongs to this forum, as there are people here from Europe and the States I think this could be interesting.
In Spain (my home country), and I think that this can be said of most western Europe, culture, art, music(and of course METAL) are very left-wing politically oriented. In fact, you can hardly find an artist, band, philosopher, whatever, that thinks otherwise. And what does it mean being left-wingy nowadays in Europe after the fall of the Iron Curtain?? it basically means being anti-american, anti-semitic, anti-globalization,...(It's fair to say, though, that some intelectual work is being done to re-define the left-wing ideology The Euston Manifesto - Home ). On the other hand, I think that there's more ideological diversity in the States. (some feedback about this would be appreciated).
Particularly, in Spain, most metal bands don't treat the typical metal topics: dragon, swords, fantasy, mythology, death, sorrow..., but it's all either extreme left-wing, antiamericanism, antiglobalization... or secessionism(specially in the Vasque Country and Catalonia). So if we agree with Jim's assertion about metal, (at least I do): "Heavy metal is a declaration of individuality in the face of dominant conformity.
It is not (necessarily) a statement of rebellion, not even a state of rebellion. It is simply an expression of being something else. It is a desire to rise above and be separate from the world according to that otherness", it's fair to say that most of it is not metal, but something else... I mean, metal in Spain, for example, would be a band that supported American policy about Cuba, that would really be a statement of rebellion in face of dominant conformity.
What's your take on this? Is this similar in your country? Does this something to do with, as some people already state, the twilight of Western Civilization (at least in Europe) ??
First of all, I'd like to introduce myself, I'm a 28 year-old guy from Spain. I've been subscribed to LOTFP in the past, and I just subscribed again. I've always loved Jim's rants and incidentally I think we have similar tastes in music. I've been lurking this forum forever but I barely posted as I usually did n't have anything interesting to say... not that now I have, but what the hell, let's give it a try...
I don't know if this topic has been brought up in this forum before, but I've been thinking about this for a while and although I don't know if something like this belongs to this forum, as there are people here from Europe and the States I think this could be interesting.
In Spain (my home country), and I think that this can be said of most western Europe, culture, art, music(and of course METAL) are very left-wing politically oriented. In fact, you can hardly find an artist, band, philosopher, whatever, that thinks otherwise. And what does it mean being left-wingy nowadays in Europe after the fall of the Iron Curtain?? it basically means being anti-american, anti-semitic, anti-globalization,...(It's fair to say, though, that some intelectual work is being done to re-define the left-wing ideology The Euston Manifesto - Home ). On the other hand, I think that there's more ideological diversity in the States. (some feedback about this would be appreciated).
Particularly, in Spain, most metal bands don't treat the typical metal topics: dragon, swords, fantasy, mythology, death, sorrow..., but it's all either extreme left-wing, antiamericanism, antiglobalization... or secessionism(specially in the Vasque Country and Catalonia). So if we agree with Jim's assertion about metal, (at least I do): "Heavy metal is a declaration of individuality in the face of dominant conformity.
It is not (necessarily) a statement of rebellion, not even a state of rebellion. It is simply an expression of being something else. It is a desire to rise above and be separate from the world according to that otherness", it's fair to say that most of it is not metal, but something else... I mean, metal in Spain, for example, would be a band that supported American policy about Cuba, that would really be a statement of rebellion in face of dominant conformity.
What's your take on this? Is this similar in your country? Does this something to do with, as some people already state, the twilight of Western Civilization (at least in Europe) ??
