What The Fuck IS it?!
Did my title get your attention? Well, the thing that makes me say that to myself every day is perplexing and disturbing enough for me to justify naming my little article here in such a way. And I'm not talkin' about the Loch Ness monster or the type of illness that's behind the creation of St. Anger. What I'm talking about is not letting entertainment entertain you. Let me further elaborate as to what I mean, as well as the plethora of questions that it makes me (furiously) drudge up.
First, I want to remind today's media consumers of the way music USED TO be. As a matter of fact - I won't just target my favorite 15 years ('80 - '95), but even the 60s and 70s, since cries of "That's too much!" and "Oh my! Vulgar! Ungodly!" were common and music that was pushing for extremity actually DOES date back that far. (I'm not going into the fuddy-duds of previous decades to then, however. That was just...primitive thinking in the purest, fundamentalist form.) Yet us lovers of the subcultures of HEAVY stuck. The. FUCK. TOGETHER. I've said it before, and I will repeat myself: A dude in something as accessible as a Cinderella T-shirt could see another in the market wearing a Slayer T, and they'd immediately have a bit of respect, most of the time going for more than the smile and nod, but into a happy and jovial conversation about favorites of what they obviously love. Music. And to be even more specific: ENTERTAINMENT. Comedies that ellicited a memorable laugh. Horror films that were far-the-hell out. And these hypothetical figures had a great time with their chat. And you can interchange those shirts, too. The Cure meets Ozzy. Ramones meets Anthrax. Whatever.
Now my simple point here is that those types LET entertainment happen! When Ozzy himself had a string-drenched elevator ballad ("So Tired") or Anthrax collaborated with a rap group, the true, real fans weren't everywhere protesting and spewing their big-headed, anal-retentive, specifics-heavy bullshit all over the streets and television or radio (I'm trying to eschew the internet for era reasons here). Sure, there were some that had negative attitudes. But, for the most part, the subculture...WE...in a different space and time, were happy that we had fun and invigorating extreme (in one way or the other...extreme heart, extreme usage of hairspray, to the dawn of extreme occult imagery, etc.) thing coming at us to delve into. Even I, as a ripped-denim and dangly earring kid took what looked a bit interesting to me, and found something to love about it. And if it took a while, the payoff was positive. I ENJOYED MORE THAN I DIDN'T.
It all boils down the the modern day and age hiding behind screens, people believing they are fucking celebrities in themselves for a number of clicks on said screen making them believe so...acting like Sinead O' Connor ripping shit up and shaving her head in protest over something as miniscule as a brand name (which is ultimately what a band name with a logo is...like it or not) having a change in staff, trying the tiniest sound shift, or altering their cover art style.
In the decades of fanatical media consumers I mentioned, the fans were rabid to receive *something* from their beloved scene. And no, "scene" was not a profanity then. I remember my fanatical metal kid-self just simply not buying what I wasn't interested in. A child. A child making more sense than almost ALL of the "fans" I see today. Then I went out and screamed along to my Death cassette and that was that. Boombox in hand, skateboard in tow, Jane's Addiction tape in-pocket for when I wanted a change of pace...
It's obvious, fellow ADULTS, what the fuck I am saying here. And everybody knows recent events and changes and releases that have most likely prompted the high-horsey, "I-know-so-much-more-than-you-let-me-tell-you-why" talk all over the place that prompted THIS little essay. What the fuck IS IT that made everyone believe they are the ultimate voice?! Gad damn it! I am a metalhead...and I feel like the sunniest optimist to ever walk the Earth in this day and age in comparison!
So, in conclusion, I will make everyone a deal. I'll enjoy my METAL (which everyone knows is my favorite entertainment), and I will ignore what just doesn't do it for me. I will make it well-known how much I love what I love. Anyone is welcome to chime in similar enjoyment with me. I will let the entertaining entertain. Besides - it's been proven that there's enough negativity everywhere in a scene that should be named something other than "entertainment" now...enough to last centuries.
TTSNSN 3 - 21 - 2014