University of Warwick institutional repository: http://go.warwick.ac.uk/wrap A Thesis Submitted for the Degree of PhD at the University of Warwick http://go.warwick.ac.uk/wrap/3110 This thesis is made available online and is protected by original copyright. Please scroll down to view the document itself. Please refer to the repository record for this item for information to help you to cite it. Our policy information is available from the repository home page. ‘Love’s Labours’: Extreme Metal Music and its Feeling Community By Nicola Faye Allett Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D) in Sociology University of Warwick Department of Sociology February, 2010 Table of Contents Acknowledgements.............................................................................................7 Declaration..........................................................................................................8 Abstract...............................................................................................................9 Introduction.......................................................................................................10 Thesis Summary....................................................................................10 Music is My Life: A Personal Rationale...............................................11 Music Culture and Metal: Theoretical Rationale and Contributions....15 Methodological Approach.....................................................................21 Thesis Aims and Order of Discussion...................................................22 Intended Contributions..........................................................................26 Chapter 1: What is Extreme Metal?..................................................................28 Extreme Metal Music............................................................................28 Extremity of the Genre..............................................................29 A Sub-Genre of Heavy Metal.....................................................29 The Extreme Metal Genres....................................................................31 Speed Metal and Thrash............................................................31 Death Metal...............................................................................32 Grindcore..................................................................................33 Doom Metal...............................................................................35 Black Metal................................................................................36 Extreme Metal Subculture.....................................................................38 The Cultural Turn to Extremity.............................................................43 Conclusion.............................................................................................49 2 Chapter 2: Neglecting Music; Researching Music Culture...............................51 Metal Studies.........................................................................................52 Music in Subcultural Studies.................................................................62 Music Fandom.......................................................................................66 The Popular Music Fan.............................................................67 The Fan Relationship and Attachment......................................71 Researching Music and its Affect.........................................................74 Music Studies.............................................................................75 The Individual, Music and Feeling............................................76 Conclusion.............................................................................................80 Chapter 3: Music Culture and Subculture: Revising Subcultural Theory.........82 Subculture..............................................................................................83 The Chicago School, Subculture and Deviance........................84 The Birmingham CCCS, Subculture and Resistance.................88 After Subculture....................................................................................97 Clubcultures..............................................................................97 Lifestyles and Neo-tribes.........................................................100 Scenes.….................................................................................105 A Return to Subculture........................................................................108 Re-Theorising Subcultures as Feeling Communities..........................111 Subculture as Performative Speech Community.....................111 Subculture as Feeling Community..........................................114 Taste and Learning..................................................................116 Conclusion...........................................................................................117 Chapter 4: Methodology and Experiences from the Field..............................120 Insider Research..................................................................................122 Reflexive Research..............................................................................128 Group Research...................................................................................132 Recruitment of the Group........................................................134 Group Sample..........................................................................136 3 Group Research Considerations and Experiences..................137 Using Methods within the Research Group........................................145 Semi-Structured Interviewing..................................................146 Memory Work..........................................................................149 Media Elicitation.....................................................................152 Music Elicitation.....................................................................153 Handling the Data: Discourse and Narrative Analysis........................156 Ethical Considerations.........................................................................159 Conclusion...........................................................................................161 Chapter 5: “You Can Find Value in Something that Most People Wouldn‟t Be Able to Find Value in”: Extreme Metal Habitus.............................................163 Bourdieu and Extreme Habitus...........................................................164 Shared Capitals....................................................................................166 Subcultural Knowledge...........................................................167 Subcultural Style......................................................................170 Subcultural Activity.................................................................179 Shared Values......................................................................................181 Extreme Metal „Connoisseurship‟...........................................181 The Extreme Metal Work Ethic...............................................193 Shared Distinctions..............................................................................198 Insiders/Outsiders...................................................................199 The „Scenester‟ as „Other‟......................................................202 Conclusion...........................................................................................206 Chapter 6: “No One Likes Some Cocky Newcomer”: Labour and Learning: Working at Collective Identity........................................................................209 Labouring and Learning......................................................................211 Labouring to Learn..............................................................................213 Learning to Listen...................................................................213 Pedagogic Resources..............................................................217 Past Behaviours......................................................................221 From Newcomer to Oldtimer..................................................223 4 Labouring to Defend...........................................................................230 Outside Pressures...................................................................230 Outside Defences.....................................................................232 The Work-Metal Balance.........................................................236 Conclusion...........................................................................................240 Chapter 7: “That‟s what I Want the Music to be”: Extreme Metal as a Performative Community................................................................................242 Bakhtin and Performative Community................................................243 Idiomatic and Interactive Character....................................................245 Shared Speech.........................................................................245 Extremity Values.....................................................................247 The Notion of „Scene‟..............................................................249 Narrative Repertoires and Registers....................................................255 Epiphany