How METAL Are You / I Refuse To Grow Up
I heard about an interesting movie this morning on the radio, METAL: A Headbanger's Journey. (Sounds TOTALLY like my type of flick!!!)
Anyways, the film maker was talking about how much METAL means to it's fans and how incredibly loyal they are... Which got me thinking... We really are... I mean most METAL fans I know, have been METAL fans forever and ever and although they might have 9 to 5 jobs, a couple of kids, a mortgage and all that stuff, they are still are obsessively interested in their favorite bands, their new CD and any gossip on them, etc.
How many people that were into Duran Duran when they were growing up still listen to them EVERYDAY? So many people I know had walls full of Duran Duran posters, dressed like them, acted like them and knew how many times they took a shit each day.. but over the years (or even simply the next year) interest in them slowly went away. (And I'm not slamming Duran Duran, they are just an example) How many fans of Billy Joel still listen to him everyday? Or The Police? Or Debbie Gibson? Or Journey? Or Pink Floyd? Or even the biggies like the Stones or the Beatles? Sure they crank it up when their faves come on the radio.. but how many fans of other genre's of music go out of their way everyday to listen to it?
METAL fans seem to have this obsession that doesn't go away year after year. Every single fucking day I hear Van Halen, Motley Crue, Ozzy, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, AC/DC and Metallica, and I can still name all the current and past members and have a pretty good idea of what is going on with them personally and professionally... as do most METAL fans I know. Sure we've broadened our listening to other stuff over the years, but EVERYDAY it's still about the METAL... It's like a lifestyle, and unless you know it, you really can't understand it.
I guess we're a lot like fanatic Elvis fans...... (Note to self- Get a velvet portrait of Motorhead for living room!)
I also thinking there is some tie in with METAL and the fountain of youth... or at least acting young and having a lot of fun in life...OK, I admit it... maybe it's more of a plain refusal to grow up and conform. While everyone from soccer moms to kids in grade school are listening and dressing like 50 Cent, or who ever the flavour of the month is, us METAL heads are still dressing the same, acting the same, using the same phrases and listening to the same music.
Here's a great example...
In 1981 I was
-10 years old
-In grade 5, elementary school
-Living in "Colby" (small suburb of Hal)
-Wearing cheap jeans, ball caps, T-shirts, and All-Star sneakers
-Listening to AC/DC's "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap" (Had just been released in Canada)
-Listening to Iron Maiden's "Killers" (still a huge favorite, in the CD player yesterday), Ozzy's first solo albums, Motley Crue's "Too Fast For Love" (still in the CD player downstairs), Van Halen's "Fair Warning" .
-Wishing Air Supply would be banned from the air ways
-Started playing guitar around this point
-Trying to understand the what the big deal was with women/girls
Some 24 years later
-34 years old
-Still never learned to spell
-Still living in "Colby", about 1/2 km from my parent's old house
-Still wearing cheap jeans, ball caps, T-shirts, and All-Star sneakers
-Still listening to AC/DC (Bon Scott era), Iron Maiden, Ozzy
-Still wishing Air Supply and sappy crappy corporate music would die
-Still playing guitar everyday
-Still trying to understand women
Not much has changed eh??? (Well, except the house, my son, my wife, the hair cut, my weight, my responsibilities, the DEBT... you get the idea..... I still RAWK!) If you're a METAL fan I think you'll "get" this post... If not.... Up the Irons with ya!!!!
I'm just rambling anyway... blah blah blah......
Anyways, the film maker was talking about how much METAL means to it's fans and how incredibly loyal they are... Which got me thinking... We really are... I mean most METAL fans I know, have been METAL fans forever and ever and although they might have 9 to 5 jobs, a couple of kids, a mortgage and all that stuff, they are still are obsessively interested in their favorite bands, their new CD and any gossip on them, etc.
How many people that were into Duran Duran when they were growing up still listen to them EVERYDAY? So many people I know had walls full of Duran Duran posters, dressed like them, acted like them and knew how many times they took a shit each day.. but over the years (or even simply the next year) interest in them slowly went away. (And I'm not slamming Duran Duran, they are just an example) How many fans of Billy Joel still listen to him everyday? Or The Police? Or Debbie Gibson? Or Journey? Or Pink Floyd? Or even the biggies like the Stones or the Beatles? Sure they crank it up when their faves come on the radio.. but how many fans of other genre's of music go out of their way everyday to listen to it?
METAL fans seem to have this obsession that doesn't go away year after year. Every single fucking day I hear Van Halen, Motley Crue, Ozzy, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, AC/DC and Metallica, and I can still name all the current and past members and have a pretty good idea of what is going on with them personally and professionally... as do most METAL fans I know. Sure we've broadened our listening to other stuff over the years, but EVERYDAY it's still about the METAL... It's like a lifestyle, and unless you know it, you really can't understand it.
I guess we're a lot like fanatic Elvis fans...... (Note to self- Get a velvet portrait of Motorhead for living room!)
I also thinking there is some tie in with METAL and the fountain of youth... or at least acting young and having a lot of fun in life...OK, I admit it... maybe it's more of a plain refusal to grow up and conform. While everyone from soccer moms to kids in grade school are listening and dressing like 50 Cent, or who ever the flavour of the month is, us METAL heads are still dressing the same, acting the same, using the same phrases and listening to the same music.
Here's a great example...
In 1981 I was
-10 years old
-In grade 5, elementary school
-Living in "Colby" (small suburb of Hal)
-Wearing cheap jeans, ball caps, T-shirts, and All-Star sneakers
-Listening to AC/DC's "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap" (Had just been released in Canada)
-Listening to Iron Maiden's "Killers" (still a huge favorite, in the CD player yesterday), Ozzy's first solo albums, Motley Crue's "Too Fast For Love" (still in the CD player downstairs), Van Halen's "Fair Warning" .
-Wishing Air Supply would be banned from the air ways
-Started playing guitar around this point
-Trying to understand the what the big deal was with women/girls
Some 24 years later
-34 years old
-Still never learned to spell
-Still living in "Colby", about 1/2 km from my parent's old house
-Still wearing cheap jeans, ball caps, T-shirts, and All-Star sneakers
-Still listening to AC/DC (Bon Scott era), Iron Maiden, Ozzy
-Still wishing Air Supply and sappy crappy corporate music would die
-Still playing guitar everyday
-Still trying to understand women
Not much has changed eh??? (Well, except the house, my son, my wife, the hair cut, my weight, my responsibilities, the DEBT... you get the idea..... I still RAWK!) If you're a METAL fan I think you'll "get" this post... If not.... Up the Irons with ya!!!!
I'm just rambling anyway... blah blah blah......
Gratuitous hot metal chick
(Sorry, couldn't resist.. Great album BTW)
posted by Geeper at 7:49 a.m.
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