Shocking News About Metal

Did you know Metal is targeted to 16-35 year old males? Me neither. In fact, I was completely shocked when I learned this statistic. Also, many conservative groups worried that early 80s Metal was nothing more than rebellion. Again, shock I know.

A lot of media outlets capitalized on this shock, exploiting the genre while interviewing its biggest stars.

Here's a really rare news clip about the dangers of Metal featuring Motley Crue, Van Halen, Iron Maiden and more. The quality isn't great, but I still consider this a gem of ridiculous media. Remember, I can make these sweeping declarations because I'm a journalist. Ah, the distinction - or is it extinction?

Comments

[Christian Graus]

Had to love the 80s. I (briefly) went to a church in the late 80s whose message to the world was that all rock music was evil. I played guitar and had long hair, I did not last long. I remember an elder of the church asked if I played 'that music with the satanic beat that makes kids kill themselves'. I said that I was trying, but I wasn't very good, and no-one had died yet.

I remember being forced to watch a video where they played songs backwards, etc. I remember being disgusted when they claimed that Paranoid had the line 'I tell you to end your life'. The lyrics came on the album, you retards.

Here's the thing - if metal is destroying kids lives, parents who don't put any time in to being parents are off the hook.

Hey, I am nearly 40 - how come I still like metal ? Does that prove my wife is right about my midlife crisis ?

Wow - who would have thought that the largest number of fans would also be the biggest number of arrests ? That's not math, it's the fault of METAL !!!

[fletch]

Absolutely Allyson! It's crazy! Damn that media!

Don't you remember when Ozzy was the anti-christ? Judas Priest had "backward satatic lyrics?" Motley Crue had a pentagram in early vidoes.

RATT "stood" for "Rise Against The Ten" (as in Ten Commandments). KISS "stood" for "Knights In Satan's Service". AC/DC "stood" for "Against Christ/Devil Conquers". Obviously, it's bull shit.

WASP "stood" for "We Are Sexual Perverts"...well maybe that was "true"...Blackie was always looking to market himself and target a specific audience.

Middle America ate that shit up. Thanks uninformed media, Tipper Gore (PMRC), etc.... While I like some of the bands listed above, I gravitated toward Van Halen, Cinderella (Shelter Me), Poison (Nothin' but a good time) and other good old fashion rock-n-roll!

Peace

[fletch]

Oh, I forgot...I'm "Runnin' with the Devil" and on my "Highway to Hell"!!! Who needs a Stairway to Heaven! I guess some of us do...We all need a little shelter! Enough metaphors???

Peace,
fletch

[Rhodeislandrock, Heavy Metal Addiction]

I'm 35, I was 12 when I was in 7th grade at a Catholic school. Around that time, listening to tapes in the schoolyard,drawing logos on your notebooks & bringing in Circus or Hit Parader was becoming too much for the nuns. My school had one of those speakers come in for a mandatory student/parent seminar at the school on the evils of Rock music. The speech was basically what you'd expect from one of these "experts" but it was entertaining when he would play parts of songs and then play them backwards to show "the messages".

Everyone in the 7th & 8th grade wore some sort of Rock t-shirt if we had them, those that didn't brought magazines or posters. I remember proudly showing off my KISS Animalize shirt that my mom bought me at the flea market. All the students ended up walking out in the middle and we all got detention, and possible beatings from our embarrased parents. Total revolution! LOL!

There is always a type of hysteria over things people do not understand, that's why the media at the time was ridiculous. It's the same way now.

Steve
Heavy Metal Addiction
http://hardrockheavymetal.wordpress.com/

[Valentine]

I remember being told by a pentacostal minister in 1988 that it wasn't my fault that Satan had gotten into me and made me dress up in women's clothing and wear makeup and parade around onstage.
The really funny part was that we'd already stopped wearing spandex by that point...
Then there was the time that my band played support for Pat Travers and he made fun of our glam look... Oddly enough, though, most of the crowd split after our set. The next time Pat came through and we were booked to support him it was pretty funny to see he'd adopted flaming red boots, sky-high hair,(Oh, Aqua Net where have you gone?), and (gasp!) eyeliner...
ah... good times, good times...

[Christian Graus]

Wow - I knew what kiss was supposed to stand for, I'd heard AC/DC was anti Christ/Devil's child ( I expect there were as many versions as there were sad people who sat around thinking them up ), but I'd never heard the Ratt one.

I had a friend who thought WASP stood for 'we are stupid pricks'.

[BillyKiss]

This line is taken from the documentary

"METAL!!! A HEADBANGER JOURNEY"

I believe it basically is the best way to shut someone up when they criticise or devalue METAL.

"If metal doesn't give you that overwhelming surge of power and make the hair stand up in the back of your neck, you might never get it.

And you know what?

That's ok, because judging by the 40,000 metalheads around me (at Wacken Open Air), we're doing just fine without you!"

[Christian Graus]

Here's a quote from the other metal documentary that, along with that one, are permanently on my Zen W, and watched on just about every US flight I do.

'Some people when you meet them, say they like any sort of music apart from metal. There's not really any point in talking to them after that'.

Yeah, the 'headbangers journey' quote is better, the movie is better, too.

Hopefully my DVD copy of heavy metal parking lot will come today. Another one for the Zen, I am hoping.

[Allyson]

Ah you boys...you give me a reason to keep going everyday. I love when you share your thoughts.

Christian - I respect your religion. I respect even more that you had long hair and firmly believe you should start growing it again, just in time for Rocklahoma.

Valentine - Tell me more about your band.

Billy - Metal: A Headbanger's Journey is one of my favorite movies - and I love that quote!

Steve - I'm impressed your entire junior high class walked out of school. That's METAL.

Fletch - Thanks for the metaphors. Very impressive. Incidentally, I feel like I'm "Runnin' With the Devil" everyday.

Kisses,

Allyson

[BillyKiss]

I recall Sebastian Bach on the "Oh so can you SCREAM" DVD saying something along these lines leading into the "YOUTH GONE WILD".

Bach was speaking to the crowd on how people of the corporate world judge us metal heads by our appearance it went something like this:

"Lets say you're on the beach, or maybe your smoking a little mother nature, I don't know.

Well anyway you're minding your own fucking business and some guy in a three piece suit comes up to you and says HEY MAN WHY DON'T YOU GO AND GET A JOB.

Its like we gotta walkup to these assholes and say HEY MAN I DIDN'T MEAN TO OFFEND YOU BY LISTENING TO ROCK N ROLL on the other hand HEY MAN FUCK YOU!!!!

[Christian Graus]

Yeah, I have that on DVD as well. Do you have a legal copy ? Mine's legit AFAIK, but AFAIK it was only ever on DVD in Japan. I bought mine from HMV, as well as Roadkill, nd Bon Jovi Crossroads.

Allyson - you need to talk to my wife, she loves coming into my room, pointing at posters and saying 'what's her name'. If I do grow it again, I will be sleeping alone :(

[Chey]

wow u know they are full of shit when they think that 'metal health' and 'bang your head' are different songs. lol everyone just wants something to bitch about and since metal was the popular thing at the time, thats what they chose.

[fletch]

Allyson: Thank you!!!

[Richie Venom]

hey does anyone know how to style thier hair like how cinderella or motley crue did theirs and were to get some 80's glam band attire email me the info please thank u!!!!!