GETTING MORE TALE #856: Why Metal?
As you’re aware, I’ve been doing a lot of introspection lately. I hope you don’t mind. A lot of my reflection has been to my distant past. As I look back, I am reminded how music was always there in my life. One of my first truly beloved records was the original soundtrack to The Empire Strikes Back. The bombast, drama and power of those pieces really appealed to me. It’s safe to say that I discovered music through Star Wars and John Williams. Until they came along, music was just something that was around me. It wasn’t inside me until Star Wars.
They stopped making Star Wars movies (or did they…?) in 1983, coincidentally the same year that Quiet Riot released Metal Health, and Styx came out with “Mr. Roboto”. I simply jumped from one train to the other! They were both going in the same direction so it wasn’t much of a leap. Rock music was very much about bombast, drama and power. And it stuck with me, bonded at a molecular level.
But why metal? There were other trains I could have boarded. At school, every other kid was into Duran Duran. I couldn’t have given a crap about Duran Duran, even if they were in a James Bond movie! So why metal?
The first factor to examine would be peer groups. Essentially, I had two: the school kids and the neighbourhood kids. The school kids were, frankly, assholes. But none of them lived in my neighbourhood. It was like growing up in two separate worlds. My classmates weren’t near me and I was fine with that. Every time I came home, it was like I had entered a safe zone. The older kids in my neighbourhood were legends. Bob Schipper, Rob Szabo, and George Balasz. They were the ones I looked up to and they were all rocking the metal. Szabo’s favourite bands? Motley Crue and Stryper. Balasz liked Kiss. Schipper was into Iron Maiden.
We would gather on front stoops with boomboxes powered by D-cell batteries. Van Halen cassettes would be passed around like a joint. I heard Maiden Japan by Iron Maiden on my front patio for the first time because George brought it over. The guys were eager to educate me. Quiet Riot, Helix, Judas Priest, W.A.S.P., Black Sabbath were names I was trying to memorize. I had a few things mixed up though. I thought the song “Sister Christian” by was Motorhead, because when they sing “Motorin’!” I heard “Motorhead”. So sure.
On the other hand, the peer group at school was mostly what we called “wavers”. They liked Mr. Mister and Michael Jackson and whatever else, I simply wanted nothing to do with it. At an instinctive level, I think these people repulsed me. I had witnessed and been victim to their cruelty. I wanted nothing to do with their music or their sports and I think that was largely unconscious. I would have loved if they liked me instead of mocking me; it would have made life easier. Obviously I had given up trying. So why not? Heavy metal music was like Musica proibita in Catholic school. There were a few headbangers — I didn’t like them either — but just a few. Those guys thought it was hilarious that I was still into Quiet Riot in 1985 when they had moved onto Van Halen. They would challenge me to “name three songs by Helix” to see if they could trip me up. That was the difference between the rock guys at school, and my friends at home. The guys at home would have just taught me what songs were by Helix.
Fucking school assholes.
An other notable factor on the road to heavy metal that has to be mentioned is the one nobody wants to talk about: puberty! But it is true that the bands I was discovering were (mostly) masculine manly men, and soon I would be wanting to attract a mate like they taught us in sex ed class. To exude masculinity, I chose metal. I am certain that was a conscious decision. Despite the long hair, the guy in Iron Maiden was clearly a tougher dude than the guy in Duran Duran. If there was going to be a fistfight, I wanted to be on the Maiden guy’s side. Easy choice. It seemed that simple in grade seven.
Of course, heavy metal music had the opposite effect in trying to attract girls. It absolutely repelled them, every single one of them. The fact that I just went double-down on the metal showed that my love for the music was genuine. Girls didn’t like metal, but I did, and I was already too committed to discovering all the bands I could. I was living in the rabbit hole.
A gleaming, riveted stainless steel rabbit hole. With a million watt stereo system.
Parental approval? Not really. Though they liked Bob Schipper, they didn’t know what to make of this metal music. They tolerated it, and never gave me a hard time about any of the bands I liked. They probably would have preferred Springsteen like the family across the street listened to. But hey, they bought me the tapes I wanted for Christmas, and they let me tape the videos on TV, so a big applause to my parents. I think my dad was worried that I was becoming such an introvert. I remember him telling me “Garnet Lasby doesn’t sit in his room listening to tapes all day.”
When he said that, all I could hear in my head were the Kiss lyrics, “Get me out of this rock and roll hell, take me far away.” I was so confused. I loved listening to music in my room. The only thing better was listening to music with my friends. Was it bad? I really thought about it, but obviously decided to follow my heart.
One more factor in my journey to metal that is easily overlooked but must be accounted for: the fact that rock and roll is one big soap opera with enough drama, violence and musical brilliance to fill an entire Star Wars trilogy. As my friends taught me the songs, they also introduced me to the stories. “This is Randy Rhoads. He was the greatest until he died in a plane crash.” And Kiss? Woah nelly, there was every kind of story within Kisstory! How many guitar players? And crazy costumes and characters to go with the story? Buying a Kiss album was never just “buying a Kiss album”. It was always buying a issue of a comic book. What would Kiss sound like this time? What seedy subjects would they be wrestling with on a lyrical level? What would the cover look like and what colour would the logo be?
It seems obvious now, but the only way for me to go was metal. In every single alternate universe, I am a metal fan.
Music allowed me to rewrite my persona a bit. I hoped that, instead of that nerdy kid with the Star Wars fetish, I would be remembered as the nerdy kid that was really into music. (Music that is still popular today, incidentally.) Why metal? Because it really only could have been metal.
That was a fun read!
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Thanks Drew!!
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A very cool journey to your discovery of metal.
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A nice ride down the metal highway there sir.
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Thank you my friend.
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Nice writing
And it couldn’t be anything else except Metal.
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Had to be metal! It just is.
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I had to listen to bands like Nirvana or Pearl Jam if I wanted to be cool but neither spoke to me. Today, it doesn’t matter. It’s all “free” so listen to what you want to.
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This is true.
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Yep, Metal is a way of life. I started with Zeppelin, Rainbow and Kiss.
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How come none of u shared that this Numbers of the Beast tribute cd is amazing. Can’t decide which is my favorite take.
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I tend to avoid tribute CDs that are a mishmosh of players, personally. I’d rather get ones with bands.
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But have u seen the line-up. Everyone loves Maiden and it shows here.
1.”Run to the Hills”
Robin McAuley
Michael Schenker
Pete Fletcher
Tony Franklin
Brian Tichy
2.”Wasted Years”
Dee Snider
George Lynch
Bob Kulick
Jeff Pilson
Jason Bonham
3.”Wratchild”
Paul Di’Anno
Alex Skolnick
Chris Traynor
Frank Bello
John Tempesta
4.”Flight of Icarus”
Tim “Ripper” Owens
Doug Aldrich
Jimmy Bain
Simon Wright
5.”Fear of the Dark”
Chuck Billy
Craig Goldy
Ricky Phillips
Mikkey Dee
6.”The Trooper”
Lemmy
Phil Campbell
Rocky George
Chuck Wright
Chris Slade
7.”Aces High”
Jeff Scott Soto
Nuno Bettencourt
Billy Sheehan
Vinny Appice
8.”2 Minutes to Midnight”
Joe Lynn Turner
Richie Kotzen
Bob Kulick
Tony Franklin
Chris Slade
9.”Can I Play with Madness”
Mark Slaughter
Bruce Kulick
Marco Mendoza
Aynsley Dunbar
10.”The Evil That Men Do”
Chris Jericho
Paul Gilbert
Bob Kulick
Mike Inez
Brent Fitz
11.”The Wicker Man”
John Bush
Jeff Duncan
Scott Ian
Rob “Blasko” Nicholson
Ben Graves
Jason C. Miller
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It’s the same guys who always appear on those Bob Kulick albums. Truthfully I never need to hear Mark Slaughter sing another cover song.
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Do u own Spin the Bottle: An All-Star Tribute to Kiss? I’d love to find that one.
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I do! It came with a DVD I believe.
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just dug up Slaughter Back to Reality. Wonder where my Nelson cd’s are….thanks for pointing me towards Mark. I found this too A Salute To Ozzy Osbourne & Black Sabbath. Are there more? Wasn’t aware of these.
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I don’t have that. I do have Revolution but have not played it a lot.
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thanks for the hint. Found this https://www.allmusic.com/artist/bob-kulick-mn0000762793/credits
There are tons of Bob’s tribute albums. I had no idea there were so many of them. I already have some of them but there’s loads more I would like to find.
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Incredible to think of the artists he’s worked with. Basically: everybody.
Oh and a few days ago you asked me about my rules for reviewing. I like to listen to an album at least three times. Two is a minimum, UNLESS it’s a challenge where I want to review something on first listen. In those cases I’ll tell you it’s my first listen. I have one of those coming up.
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This was was really fun read, but to be honest, I don’t think Bruce Dickenson is kicking anybody’s ass.
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Lol well now I know he’s a little guy, I’m probably taller than he is. But in 85 86 he seemed like a beast to me, not somebody you’d trifle with!
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I think Bruce would be more likely to stab someone’s ass.
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I bet he would …definitely want him on my side in a fight.
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I’m glad a long time ago, your musical choices sent the girls to a galaxy far, far away. It landed me my metsl man and your passion for rock drew me close. Hard rockers are hot.
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Am I the only metalhead that also loves Duran Duran? lol
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