I was hooked on Motorhead from the moment I saw the video for "One Track Mind" on MTV in 1983 or so. Little later than some, little earlier than some, but Lemmy was a polestar for "heavy metal". He gave a great interview right before he died where he lamented the lack of people following in his wake. An impossible task, but he was onto something: there was a continuity of performers through the 60s, 70s, 80s, and into the 90s. Then it all changed. You used to not just want to know / play your elders, it was what separated some poseur from people who really got it. Another way of saying: the way you earned someone like Lemmy's respect was by knowing Lemmy's peers, not necessarily him. You were asking for a seat at an endlessly expansive table. I just don't see that happening as much anymore. Everything has become cosplay.
Grumble grumble - I know this isn't the point of what you wrote, but when I think Lemmy know, I think "These damn disrespectful kids don't even know Motorhead."
Lemmy would've been cancelled six ways to Sunday in our own fragile era, although some of his dubious quotes about the Holocaust would've fit right in with the young apparatchiks.
"Problem is, once you subordinate the one to the many, the one loses his rights, his liberty, and the fruit of his labor. His personhood stops mattering, and his freedom is limited to what others allow."
I'm not the biggest Motorhead fan - I know the hits, and that's about it. I can, however, just roll with any song I hear on the radio, which is its own testament.
Lemmy never considered Motorhead a metal band, and while we hear the sound and place it in that genre, I see his point.
Many years ago, when I first started listening to Slayer, when I saw that Kerry King had tattooed the side of his neck and head, I said to myself "he's reached a point in his career where he doesn't have to worry about a head tattoo ruining job prospects. That was the equivalent of "uncancellable."
Slayer is a tad too ridiculous for me. I still think of it as someone hearing Venom and saying "yes, but let's do this SERIOUSLY..." It's just not a reasoning I can respect.
Neck tattoos (and self-loathing) are now part of the uniform. A dubious achievement.
Indeed, we all have our limits. I "grew into" Slayer via Metallica and Megadeth and Overkill and other 80s thrash bands. I saw Slayer half a dozen times live, and if they were still touring, I'd be at every local show. I go perhaps a couple steps further into the metal world, but growl vocals simply don't do it for me, so that's my line.
I don't know that self-loathing goes with neck tattoos. Some of these guys seem quite happy in their personal lives. Tom Araya (Slayer's bassist/singer) looks like a very content man.
I didn't say self loathing goes with neck tattoos. Nor do I think that. Just that such things became a uniform. As did certain sensibilities in metal.
Re: "Slayer," I think they're pretty anti-everything. Is it sincere? Is it art? I don't know - I think they carved out a pretty legendary spot amidst it all, but I do know that in the wake of Slayer came a lot of worse stuff. (and then the inevitable "we actually DO want to kill people/ worship "Satan, not just pretend" side of metal, "not just look like we do." How boring.) You can only one-up Slayer once, then it's derivative - usually by killing yourself or by actually invoking Satan in a clearing in the woods. It all became just pose and pretense after awhile. That's fine when the pose and pretense is fun, but when it's "God Hates Us All" (or worse) it seems a little strange. I remember Tool being "art metal" and around that time I started thinking okay, I think I may have outgrown this.
Again, to each his own, mainly it's the overproduced drums after 1990 or so that sinks all metal for me.
But I'll always love the old stuff!
Re: Slayer, just because of the deep immersion of metal in my life in the 80s, I can still probably quote all of "Hell Awaits" and "Reign In Blood." They were a natural evolution of everything that was happening. I respect Slayer, just reached a point where "my" metal faded out and all that was left was Slayer and a thousand variations of it. (Same with hair metal, really - someone needs to do a movie that starts with Sheriff putting out their album in 1980 or whenever it was and then ending with my junior prom in 1990 where the songs were played for the slow dances. There's a story/ arc there, somewhere, worth looking at.)
As I aged even further I realized this is the nature of all scenes, nothing wrong with it, and (the converse) nothing wrong with sticking with what appeals to you, either. (There are those that seem compelled to keep up with "the scene," whatever it is; I've always been more the type to say "Hey, this reminds me of Exodus/ Testament/ Overkill - let me go crack that album out again..." Old stuff continues to reveal new things to me. But as ever, to each his own.)
Just to be absolutely clear on Slayer: I don't hold them responsible for any of my distaste with what followed, nor do I think they're poseurs or anything. All metal is carnies, pretty much, from the best to the worst of it. Kerry King can play, all of them can, very well. Tom Araya is on a short list of people who can sing/shout well, along with Chris Cornell and James Hetfield and some others. It's tough to do that, especially at the volume and pace they all did.)
I don't give much consideration to the veracity of lyrics from most bands. Slayer's King and Hanneman were atheists, from what I recall, meaning that any god or devil they sing about isn't part of their actual belief set. Araya is a, again from what I know, a practicing Catholic.
Yes, there are metal bands that "practice what they preach," and there are songs with intended strong messages, but I read once that there are 170,000 metal bands worldwide, so there's a large population to sample.
I've found genres beyond thrash that I enjoy. I got to see several Pantera concerts before they broke up (and before tragedy befell the Abbots). Ditto for Sepultura, who are touring today with a new singer and are as groovy as ever. I'm seeing Ministry (for the third time) this year, and Otep, and like a good bit of "nu-metal," though I hate the name.
All metal has common roots, but there are subsets that are well enough outside the thrash label to warrant their own names. My friend's son has gotten deep into the growly lyric genres, which as I mentioned don't do it for me. To each his own.
I remember having similar thoughts when seatbelts were mandated. It wasn't enough to inform us of the dangers and supporting statistics of riding in a car without buckling up.
I'm a huge Butthole Surfers fan. Seen them live many times. First time I saw them was at the inaugural Lollapalooza tour. I was in the third row and when Gibby Haynes starting firing a shotgun over our heads which got my attention. It was also fun to see the fire marshall standing right in front of the stage as Gibby pounded his inverted drum cymbal filled with lighter fluid on flame. The reason for me bringing this up is Gibby is attributed to one of my favorite quotes, and one I've lived by for better or worse. He said, it's better to regret something you've done than something you haven't done.
I was hooked on Motorhead from the moment I saw the video for "One Track Mind" on MTV in 1983 or so. Little later than some, little earlier than some, but Lemmy was a polestar for "heavy metal". He gave a great interview right before he died where he lamented the lack of people following in his wake. An impossible task, but he was onto something: there was a continuity of performers through the 60s, 70s, 80s, and into the 90s. Then it all changed. You used to not just want to know / play your elders, it was what separated some poseur from people who really got it. Another way of saying: the way you earned someone like Lemmy's respect was by knowing Lemmy's peers, not necessarily him. You were asking for a seat at an endlessly expansive table. I just don't see that happening as much anymore. Everything has become cosplay.
Grumble grumble - I know this isn't the point of what you wrote, but when I think Lemmy know, I think "These damn disrespectful kids don't even know Motorhead."
Lemmy would've been cancelled six ways to Sunday in our own fragile era, although some of his dubious quotes about the Holocaust would've fit right in with the young apparatchiks.
"Problem is, once you subordinate the one to the many, the one loses his rights, his liberty, and the fruit of his labor. His personhood stops mattering, and his freedom is limited to what others allow."
Amen.
I'm not the biggest Motorhead fan - I know the hits, and that's about it. I can, however, just roll with any song I hear on the radio, which is its own testament.
Lemmy never considered Motorhead a metal band, and while we hear the sound and place it in that genre, I see his point.
Many years ago, when I first started listening to Slayer, when I saw that Kerry King had tattooed the side of his neck and head, I said to myself "he's reached a point in his career where he doesn't have to worry about a head tattoo ruining job prospects. That was the equivalent of "uncancellable."
Lemmy was definitely uncancellable.
Slayer is a tad too ridiculous for me. I still think of it as someone hearing Venom and saying "yes, but let's do this SERIOUSLY..." It's just not a reasoning I can respect.
Neck tattoos (and self-loathing) are now part of the uniform. A dubious achievement.
To each his own, of course.
Indeed, we all have our limits. I "grew into" Slayer via Metallica and Megadeth and Overkill and other 80s thrash bands. I saw Slayer half a dozen times live, and if they were still touring, I'd be at every local show. I go perhaps a couple steps further into the metal world, but growl vocals simply don't do it for me, so that's my line.
I don't know that self-loathing goes with neck tattoos. Some of these guys seem quite happy in their personal lives. Tom Araya (Slayer's bassist/singer) looks like a very content man.
I didn't say self loathing goes with neck tattoos. Nor do I think that. Just that such things became a uniform. As did certain sensibilities in metal.
Re: "Slayer," I think they're pretty anti-everything. Is it sincere? Is it art? I don't know - I think they carved out a pretty legendary spot amidst it all, but I do know that in the wake of Slayer came a lot of worse stuff. (and then the inevitable "we actually DO want to kill people/ worship "Satan, not just pretend" side of metal, "not just look like we do." How boring.) You can only one-up Slayer once, then it's derivative - usually by killing yourself or by actually invoking Satan in a clearing in the woods. It all became just pose and pretense after awhile. That's fine when the pose and pretense is fun, but when it's "God Hates Us All" (or worse) it seems a little strange. I remember Tool being "art metal" and around that time I started thinking okay, I think I may have outgrown this.
Again, to each his own, mainly it's the overproduced drums after 1990 or so that sinks all metal for me.
But I'll always love the old stuff!
Re: Slayer, just because of the deep immersion of metal in my life in the 80s, I can still probably quote all of "Hell Awaits" and "Reign In Blood." They were a natural evolution of everything that was happening. I respect Slayer, just reached a point where "my" metal faded out and all that was left was Slayer and a thousand variations of it. (Same with hair metal, really - someone needs to do a movie that starts with Sheriff putting out their album in 1980 or whenever it was and then ending with my junior prom in 1990 where the songs were played for the slow dances. There's a story/ arc there, somewhere, worth looking at.)
As I aged even further I realized this is the nature of all scenes, nothing wrong with it, and (the converse) nothing wrong with sticking with what appeals to you, either. (There are those that seem compelled to keep up with "the scene," whatever it is; I've always been more the type to say "Hey, this reminds me of Exodus/ Testament/ Overkill - let me go crack that album out again..." Old stuff continues to reveal new things to me. But as ever, to each his own.)
Just to be absolutely clear on Slayer: I don't hold them responsible for any of my distaste with what followed, nor do I think they're poseurs or anything. All metal is carnies, pretty much, from the best to the worst of it. Kerry King can play, all of them can, very well. Tom Araya is on a short list of people who can sing/shout well, along with Chris Cornell and James Hetfield and some others. It's tough to do that, especially at the volume and pace they all did.)
I don't give much consideration to the veracity of lyrics from most bands. Slayer's King and Hanneman were atheists, from what I recall, meaning that any god or devil they sing about isn't part of their actual belief set. Araya is a, again from what I know, a practicing Catholic.
Yes, there are metal bands that "practice what they preach," and there are songs with intended strong messages, but I read once that there are 170,000 metal bands worldwide, so there's a large population to sample.
I've found genres beyond thrash that I enjoy. I got to see several Pantera concerts before they broke up (and before tragedy befell the Abbots). Ditto for Sepultura, who are touring today with a new singer and are as groovy as ever. I'm seeing Ministry (for the third time) this year, and Otep, and like a good bit of "nu-metal," though I hate the name.
All metal has common roots, but there are subsets that are well enough outside the thrash label to warrant their own names. My friend's son has gotten deep into the growly lyric genres, which as I mentioned don't do it for me. To each his own.
I don't really know how else to describe it more than I have. It doesn't have anything to do with who the members are or what they believe.
Beautiful piece, Peter. Damn. If only an umlaut somehow made sense in my name LOL!
Liz
Thank you!
In the rock world, umlauts don't have to make sense.
Motorhead
Motley Crue
Blue Oyster Cult
Queensryche
Spinal Tap
Husker Du
Green Jelly
The Accused
and dozens of others.
I say, go for it.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metal_umlaut
I remember having similar thoughts when seatbelts were mandated. It wasn't enough to inform us of the dangers and supporting statistics of riding in a car without buckling up.
We're with the government, we are here to save you from yourselves.
I'm a huge Butthole Surfers fan. Seen them live many times. First time I saw them was at the inaugural Lollapalooza tour. I was in the third row and when Gibby Haynes starting firing a shotgun over our heads which got my attention. It was also fun to see the fire marshall standing right in front of the stage as Gibby pounded his inverted drum cymbal filled with lighter fluid on flame. The reason for me bringing this up is Gibby is attributed to one of my favorite quotes, and one I've lived by for better or worse. He said, it's better to regret something you've done than something you haven't done.