WOW! This could be interesting...

[Greeno]

If done right this could be killer!!.




'Metal History': The Story Is About To Be Filmed - July 28, 2004

The feature-length documentary "Metal: A Headbanger's History", to be released by Sanctuary Records in 2005, will begin filming July 30 in Oslo, Norway. The film will take us on a global journey to understand the meaning of metal and its impact on society over the past 35 years. Interviews with musicians, fans, metal experts and detractors combined with rare stock footage will lead the viewer through the rich world of metal's exhilarating musical highs as well as its shocking controversial lows. This film will give us a unique insight into this often-misunderstood art form and will be seen as its definitive documentary for years to come.

In the words of the film's writer/creator Sam Dunn, "Heavy metal is one of the most important cultural movements to emerge in last 40 years. I thought it was about time that someone gave metal the thoughtful, in-depth treatment it has long deserved."

Banger Productions, the film's producers, are also putting out the call to metal's super-fans from around the world in hopes of featuring them in the film. They are inviting fans to contact them with pictures and emails telling them why they you should be the ones to be interviewed. They are also looking for information on metal concerts, DJ nights and underground record stores in the locations they will be filming.

The filming schedule is as follows:

Oslo, Norway - July 30-August 1
Bergen, Norway - August 2-3
Wacken Festival, Germany - August 4-8
London, England - August 9-13
Ottawa, Canada August 18
Montreal, Canada August 19-21
Toronto, Canada September 6-10
New York, USA September 15-19
Los Angeles California September 20-25

The production is also seeking unique and rare video footage of anything metal-related: (1) footage of significant metal concerts, (2) interview footage with metal's key artists, (3) landmark events in metal's history (censorship trials, riots, etc.), and (4) footage of metal fans congregating, or being interviewed, at various points in
history — from the early 70s to the present.

All inquiries and contributions are welcome:

Contact Information:

Banger Productions:
info@metalhistory.com
www.metalhistory.com

 

[Unfaithfully Metalhead]

I dont know about this.. remember that film The Decline of Western Civilization Part 2.. that was a horrible film and didnt really represent metal how it should really have been represented. Had too many hair bands that were not metal at all.

 

[MURAI]

Wow, they're coming around here in September.

By the way, have any of you read "Heavy Metal: A Cultural Sociology" by Deena Weinstein? Pretty good book and I like her idea on the main themes of metal and compares it to blues music.

 

[Clammy]

I saw that posting a couple of days ago. They're coming here to Ottawa, so I sent an email asking if they'd be interested in talking to the members of Exciter... seeing as Exciter was one of the pioneering speed/thrash metal bands back in the day. I haven't gotten a response yet, so we'll see if they're into it.

Cheers!

 

[carnut]

They should try to show some live tapes from the Dynamo, the club where Hawk was a DJ. The list of bands that played in the pub and on their festivals is just awesome... about every good oldschool band performed there, be it US, Euro, Jap or NWOBHM band... In my opinion this place really was the metal centre of the world in the 80's !!
short history;
http://www.bock-tours.de/doa/history/

 

[Greeno]

I dont know about this.. remember that film The Decline of Western Civilization Part 2.. that was a horrible film and didnt really represent metal how it should really have been represented. Had too many hair bands that were not metal at all.

The reason Decline pt 2 was full of hair bands was because it was a movie about the LA metal scene... not about metal over all.

 

[Greeno]

They should try to show some live tapes from the Dynamo, the club where Hawk was a DJ.

Hawk should contact these guys! Some one remember to mention this to him when he gats back.

 

[Wyvern]

Can be a real hit for us...or a curse. Let's hope it will be done with true research, and not by the National Enquirer.

 

[Unfaithfully Metalhead]

The reason Decline pt 2 was full of hair bands was because it was a movie about the LA metal scene... not about metal over all.

I havent seen it in a long time.. but if my memory is correct wasnt Mustiane/Megadeth and Lemmy/Motorhead in Decline Pt. 2? If so then it wasnt just about the LA Metal scene which i wouldnt even call a metal scene back then... because groups like Poison,Warrant etc.. werent really metal.. long hair never constituted being Metal Music.. just my opinion.. dont shoot me lol .. jkk...

 

[Greeno]

I havent seen it in a long time.. but if my memory is correct wasnt Mustiane/Megadeth and Lemmy/Motorhead in Decline Pt. 2? If so then it wasnt just about the LA Metal scene

Pt. 1 was about the LA punk scene and Pt. 2 was about the LA metal scene. If you go back and watch it you will see that primarily it is LA bands like Odin and London and the local fans that get most of the camera time. I think the only non LA band to have a live clip in the movie is Seduce from Detroit. Sure there are some of the bigger names of the day like Lemmy and Ozzy, but it's still just a doc about LA. Spheeris' (the director) goal was to document the music scene in LA at that time.... just like she had done with Pt. 1 (which is a much better movie by the way). She was not trying to tell the history of heavy metal, she was just trying to capture a moment in time on film.

which i wouldnt even call a metal scene back then... because groups like Poison,Warrant etc.. werent really metal.. long hair never constituted being Metal Music.. just my opinion.. dont shoot me lol

Man I hate revisionist history statements like this. But to each his own I guess.
Not sure how old you are but I'm guessing you're younger.

 

[TRrEiTxIxRiE DTrash]

I love The Decline Of Western Civilization: The Metal Years. It's great! The guy from Wet Cherry is my hero HAHA!

 

[Unfaithfully Metalhead]

Pt. 1 was about the LA punk scene and Pt. 2 was about the LA metal scene. If you go back and watch it you will see that primarily it is LA bands like Odin and London and the local fans that get most of the camera time. I think the only non LA band to have a live clip in the movie is Seduce from Detroit. Sure there are some of the bigger names of the day like Lemmy and Ozzy, but it's still just a doc about LA. Spheeris' (the director) goal was to document the music scene in LA at that time.... just like she had done with Pt. 1 (which is a much better movie by the way). She was not trying to tell the history of heavy metal, she was just trying to capture a moment in time on film.


Man I hate revisionist history statements like this. But to each his own I guess.
Not sure how old you are but I'm guessing you're younger.

I saw Pt. 1 years ago as well.. had bands like Fear, X , Black Flag (not sure because was back in the 80's i watched it) etc.. hardcore punk bands from the early 80's.. It was badly filmed like it was a school project but that was its appeal.. she wanted to make it a "punk" film not a corporate film like Pt. 2 was.. with a punk feel...

I'm 32 so i grew up in that era and got into the hair bands as well like Crue, poison (seen them live with Tesla back in like 1988 i think 2 times.. was a good show though i had shitty seats at both the shows.. all the way at the top and all the way in the back lol still alot of hot chicks even in that area), some warrant etc.. I just dont consider them Metal at all.. the closest Crue got to metal was probably their first 2 albums.. with Shout being the more metal of both. as for Poison, Warrant, Enuff , Winger etc.. seriously i know your probably a big fans of theirs.. but be honest. they werent Metal at all.. there was nothing "heavy" about them nor "metal" about them.. to me the real metal bands of that era were J. Priest, Ozzy, Maiden, Metallica, Twisted Sister and the various Thrash (Black & death metal as well) bands from the SF scene and other scenes from around the world.. the hair bands were nothing but pop rock with long hair.. or what i like to call the genre.. Party Rock.. their main influences was/is KISS & Aerosmith which i never considered metal neither with the exception of a song here or there like Gods of Thunder.. KISS to me were the orignators of "Party Rock" & Aerosmith(i'm a big fan of theirs though) are nothing more but Hard Bluesy Rock...

As Wyvern said i hope this movie is made right and not be a curse to the scene/genre.. My guess is that it will focus more on Thrash/Power/Death/Black Metal music more... hopefully no Nu Metal bands..

 

[Greeno]

Nice post UM.

I'm 32 so i grew up in that era

I was just guessing at your age, sorry about that. It's just that most of the time younger people will make the "that's not metal" statement.

as for Poison, Warrant, Enuff , Winger etc.. seriously i know your probably a big fans of theirs

Actually I'm not a fan of those bands, they are in fact the reason I stopped listening to metal for a few years there in the late 80's and early 90's. I do like the earlier hair bands like Ratt and Dokken though.

.. but be honest. they werent Metal at all..

They may not stand up to what is considered metal today but back then they were indeed considered metal... be it hair, party, pop or what ever... still metal.

I'm not trying to pick a fight or anything (in fact you're posts have been very well written) it's just that this is one of my pet peeves. Just because some one does not like a certian sub-genre of metal it's there for not metal. I don't like black metal, it's just noise to me, but I would not tell some one that it's not metal because it does not have the Bay Area sound. I don't like Winger or Warrent either but I'll be the first to say they were AND are metal.

This thing with the new metal undergound trying to deny and distance it's self from the hair bands is crap. They were part of the history of metal.... a big cheesy over the top just for fun part. People need to just accept it an move on..... like the music or not.

It's not that I'm even a big fan of the hair bands (Trix is actually the hair metal guy around here) it's just that I think it's wrong to exclude them from the history of metal.

 

[Wyvern]

There's also a part 3, what is about?

 

[Unfaithfully Metalhead]

oh im not fighting Greeno.. they just aren't metal... back then they werent considered metal neither (I grew up in that era and witnessed it myself remember? lol ) ... Image doesnt make a band metal its the music itself.. just because a band was in HeadBanger's Ball (whick 90% or more of the videos they played i didnt even consider metal and Ricky Rachtman even said it himself he was ashamed to present some of the bands that were put on there as a representation of metal) , had long hair, wore spandex, did 2 hand tapping on the fretboard , had double bass drums etc. does not make that band metal at all .. that was all image.. it's the reason KISS themselves were considered metal in the 70's.. because their costumes were "metally" like.. but listening to the music itself it was nothing more then hard rock .. and hard rock doesnt make it metal by no means.. besides image.. guitar work does not make a band's music metal by no means.. Steve Steven's (he dressed like the 80's hair bands) work on Billy Idol's albums utitlized all the fancy metal guitar work (2 hand tapping, pick scrapes, pinched notes etc.)of the 80's but i have no doubt you would agree with me that Billy's music was not metal.. another example is Eddie Van Halen doing a solo for Michael Jackson's Beat it song .. though Eddie did a "metal" solo does not make Michael metal.. or Kerry King doing a solo on No Sleep til Brooklyn for the Beastie Boys.. anyways you get what i mean that guitar techniques doesnt make a band metal.. CC Deville is a good guitarist as is Reb Beach (dont remember if that is how his name is spelled) but Fallen Angel, Every Rose has It's Thorn , Shake me (Cinderella)and/or She's only 17 as well as numerous other examples is no way metal compared to Screaming for Vengeance, The Trooper, Burn in Hell, Angel of Death, Creeping Death.. at best the hair bands were hard rock and hard rock doesnt make you metal.. i think even the hair bands themselves would not admit to being metal.. they would probably say they are a rock band or hard rock band.. i never said i didn't like hair bands.. i even stated i went to some hair bands concerts in those days like poison , tesla etc. As for the "new" metal underground.. its safe to say there has been a metal underground since at least 1983 when Metallica and the other thrash bands of the SF scene as well as bands worldwide came out so I wouldn't necessarily call it new anymore.. anyways all metal sub-genre's never considered the hair bands metal.. that includes the classic metal bands like J. Priest, Iron Maiden etc.. so its not just the underground.. anyways sorry i made this long but the point is if a band like Poison doesnt consider themselve's metal why should we? ... as for Black Metal.. it's a acquired taste of which i dabble in listening to it (Dimmu Borgir etc.) .. but nonetheless it is metal because it has a "metal" sound.. Heavy Metal came about because of it's "Heavy" & "Metal" sound... not hard rock sound... Hair bands were just Flashy hard rock bands.. btw i love Dokken and some of Ratt and other early hair bands as well.. but there still only hard rock lol They have their own history but it's not metal just a illusion of metal because of its outer image not because of the music itself..

Wyvern as for Pt. 3 of Decline i haven't heard that any came out.. but it probably has <shrugs>

In other news i'll probably start a poll about the hair band thing.. out of curiousity.. should be interesting...

 

[Greeno]

as for Black Metal.. it's a acquired taste of which i dabble in listening to it (Dimmu Borgir etc.) .. but nonetheless it is metal because it has a "metal" sound..

Maybe they have a metal sound to you but not to me.

I give up dude. Let's just agree to disagree.

 

[Unfaithfully Metalhead]

Wow my post had gone through.. didnt think it did since the site was down last nite.. <shrugs>