Alive Or Just Breathing: a Review and Confrontation of Metal's Most Popular Stereotypes
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ALIVE OR JUST BREATHING: A REVIEW AND CONFRONTATION OF METAL'S MOST POPULAR STEREOTYPES Item Type text; Electronic Thesis Authors FRAZHO, BRANDON DOUGLAS Publisher The University of Arizona. Rights Copyright © is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the University Libraries, University of Arizona. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation (such as public display or performance) of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author. Download date 24/09/2021 03:26:13 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10150/190448 A thesis Submitted to the Honors College In Partial Fulfillment of the Bachelor’s degree With Honors in MUSIC THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA May 2008 By Brandon Douglas Frazho [ABSTRACT] Since its creation over forty years ago heavy metal has been condemned and dismissed by people who are not knowledgeable about the music, and over time, these negative reactions have solidified into a series of widely held stereotypes. For example, metal is believed to be satanic, or to celebrate and inspire violence; the fans are seen to be angry or depressive. This study uses surveys of 62 heavy metal fans, and other relevant research, to undermine such stereotypes. The sound of heavy metal, the lyrics of metal songs, and the audience of heavy metal music are analyzed separately. Heavy metal fans ultimately are not dissuaded by misconceptions about the music, and continue to place high value on its community, purpose and musical creativity. ALIVE OR JUST BREATHING: A REVIEW AND CONFRONTATION OF METAL’S MOST POPULAR STEREOTYPES There are very few things in life that take complete priority over anything else. A birthday, a wedding, a high school graduation ceremony—these events are marked onto a calendar in red ink months in advance. Sometimes they’re so ingrained in your mind that you need not even write them down. When I discovered that American heavy metal band Lamb of God planned to tour Australia during my study abroad trip to Sydney, and that an in‐store signing would precede the concert, I knew that this would be one of those events. I waited in line for the signing for almost three hours, and of about a thousand people, I was the very last person that security let in before the band left for sound check. I chose to wait because I had never been to an in‐store signing before, and over the last year the group had quickly risen to become one of my favorites. More importantly, I chose to wait because I wanted a chance to exchange a handshake with each of the members. During my stay in Australia, I had made friends with a variety of people. The one thing that many had in common was a lack of understanding of why I was into and passionate about metal. “It’s just a bunch of loud noise and anger!” one might argue. “You’re a smart guy, why do you identify with such idiotic and untalented music?” another might ask. In all honesty, I don’t blame them. My perception of the genre was remarkably similar before I became a fan and began to feel like a part of the metal community. To an outsider, metal music fits and feeds its own stereotypes with ease—no one could reasonably argue that metal, from an objective perspective, does not seem loud and angry, or that the name Lamb of God is free of justified accusation. These stereotypes have been levied against heavy metal bands since the genre formed in the early 1960s. For example, in an LA Times newspaper clipping from 1971, writer John Mendelsohn offered his opinion on an upcoming Black Sabbath tour. Although the concert had been sold out for weeks, Mendelsohn refused to place any value on the band, or the audience. “Their music asks absolutely nothing of listener,” he claimed. “Everything is moronically simple, extremely loud and repeated, so mercilessly that one can be barbituated and/or drunk beyond recognition and still not miss a thing.”1 Years later, Tipper Gore summarized metal similarly in her 1987 book Raising PG Kids in an X‐Rated Society. Tipper Gore was the leader of anti‐rock group PMRC (Parents Music Resource Center) that challenged the significance or reason behind rock music, including heavy metal. Some of the distinct points from her book were that metal music encouraged the use of drugs and alcohol, glorified violence and supported suicide.2 There are countless accounts of the condescending view of metal music, and such a view has only become more solidified over the last forty years. Surprisingly, the external perception of metal does not seem to make any sort of a dent in the spirit of the metal community. Fans continue to confidently wear t‐shirts of their favorite metal bands, they never miss a concert, and they seem to have an undying respect for the genre as a whole. The stereotypes, although negative and powerful, are unsuccessful in dissuading fans from proudly displaying a consistent passion and love for what the metal community stands for. Rob Zombie (stage name of performer Robert Cunningham) for instance, has seen great success and has a very large fan base, despite the general scorn of the genre. “He routinely fills arenas, and has more certified gold and platinum records than anyone else on the Geffen label,” reminds Leonard Pierce of Metal Edge magazine. “He’s the only person in the history of the world to have recorded a platinum album and directed a #1 box office movie in the United States—not even Elvis can match that record.”3 There are most assuredly a vast number of metal fans in the United States, as well as around the world. And if heavy metal performers are reaching above‐Elvis standards, there must be a few good reasons as to why the genre is so sincerely and aggressively supported. This paper is not intended to convert a non‐metal fan into a metal fan, or persuade society to become more excited about the genre, but rather to illuminate metal’s significance and examine how modern fans approach entrenched stereotypes about the music. While metal has assuredly evolved over the last forty years, a substantial amount of the general stereotypes remain. Through the use of surveys and research, this paper will suggest that the long developed typecasts of the metal genre are not as accurate as the public perceives and 1 John Mendelsohn, “Black Sabbath Performs at Long Beach Arena,” LA Times (27 Sep. 1971): E11. 2 Tipper Gore, Raising PG Kids in an X-Rated Society (Nashville: Parthenon Press, 1987). 3 Leonard Pierce, “Rob Zombie: Letting It All Bleed Out,” Metal Edge (March 2008): 61. maintains them to be. The misinterpretations reference the occult, unintelligence, violence, talent and skill, and implication. For the purposes of this paper, the stereotypes will be organized into three different categories—Sound, Lyrics, and Audience—so that their substance can be explored on potentially multiple levels. The sound, lyrics, and audience of heavy metal music are also arguably the most distinctive characteristics that separate it from other styles of music. Surveys can prove to be a very useful tool when evaluating a subculture objectively. One of the reasons stereotypes about metal have gained such currency in society is that fans of metal music are less likely to be consulted by people who would dismiss it as unworthy. Recent scholarship about popular music has followed the pathbreaking example set by Robert Walser, who examined heavy metal, in part, by surveying the fans of the music in his book Running With The Devil.4 Susan Fast, another acclaimed critic of rock music, also applied surveys to her research on Led Zeppelin fans, in her book In the Houses of the Holy: Led Zeppelin and the Power of Rock Music.5 The inclusion of surveys demonstrates how the actual fan of a genre is being increasingly used as a valid means for understanding certain elements of a particular type of music. The survey used for this paper has been slightly based on Robert Walser’s survey structure (with his permission), but for the majority includes new questions, formats and structures. A total of 62 people (47 males, 11 females—and 4 that did not disclose their gender) took time to fill out a survey and the only requirement was that the person considers himself or herself a fan of metal music. Surveys were distributed to Myspace.com metal forums, students at the University of Arizona, and fans in the Tucson, Arizona location such as at record stores or guitar shops. A copy of the survey can be consulted in Appendix A, and select results can be consulted in Appendices B ‐ F. 4 Robert Walser, Running with the Devil: Power, Gender and Madness in Heavy Metal Music (New Hampshire: Wesleyan University Press, 1993). 5 Susan Fast, In the Houses of the Holy: Led Zeppelin and the Power of Rock Music (USA: Oxford University Press, 2001). The Sound of Metal “Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.” ‐Mark Twain To the untrained listener, the sound of metal is perhaps the most unappealing thing that one could choose to listen to. The General Social Survey (GSS) is an annual analysis of social preferences administered by the National Opinion Research Center. The 1993 release incorporated the extent to which adults enjoyed 18 different musical genres, and Heavy Metal was either “disliked” or “disliked very much” by 1,166 of the total 1,606 participants.6 In other words, on average, 72% of adult Americans had a substantial aversion to the sound of heavy metal music.