Ok, I use the term "metal head" loosely, only because I know Evil E will disagree slightly with me calling myself one after this blog. He is a true one - bands like Slayer, Sabbath, and Maiden top his list. I didn't start off so hard when I was growing up. When I first started appreciating popular music, it was the early 80s and Michael Jackson was all the rage. I liked him or stuff from the oldies stations my parents listened to. Not rock type oldies like I listen to now, but 50s oldies like Under the Boardwalk and Stand By Me. You know, the fun to sing golden oldies.
I would have to say that is was my older cousins Jennifer and Allison that got me into rock. They were teenage girls or close to it so it wasn't really the hard stuff, but more of the glam rock pretty boys - Motley Crue, Poison, etc. Sure, not exactly mosh pit bang your head stuff, but it was rock nonetheless. I wouldn't say I was exclusively rock by this time yet. Guns and Roses hit the scene, probably the hardest I had heard at that time, and loved them. But it was the late 80s/early 90s and I was also into rap/hip hop at the same time - Bel Biv Devoe, Hammer, Vanilla Ice, C&C Music Factory, etc.
Use Your Illusion I and II hit around junior high time and by this time G n R was now my favorite band. Metallica's Black album hit around the same time and I was slowly leaning towards rock exclusively. Rap was just not holding my interest. Metallica was really the one who surprised me though. As a kid growing up and having never heard a Metallica song in my life, I was scared of them. I would see guys walking around with shirts from the band with skulls, snakes, and the like. I was surprised to find with the black album that they were fun and nothing to be scared of. Of course, I also didn't know this album was where many old school fans think they went downhill, but that is neither here nor there. Eager to hear more Metallica, I discovered One, and it was the loudest, angriest song I had ever heard....and I loved it. Then I heard a song on the radio from a new band called Nirvana and all my hip hop blood was completely washed out.
The grunge scene was what really brought me over to rock exclusively. Sure grunge wasn't hard rock, but it was rock to me, loud, angry, and yet, still fun to sing. Nirvana lead to Pearl Jam which lead to Stone Temple Pilots, etc, etc. By now, rock was all I bought. As time went on and I slowly finished HS and went on to college, my tastes just got louder. I discovered that Metallica's early albums kicked ass. I discovered a great new loud album, Antichrist Superstar, by a guy named Marilyn Manson. Hell, my mom was so scared of him that when she got the album for me for Christmas, she wrapped in a brown paper bag because, "He didn't deserve wrapping paper!" Loud and angry just became so fun. Manson, System of a Down, Disturbed, Godsmack, Korn, Kid Rock, Static X, etc, etc. The louder the better. Sure, it was neatly packaged mainstream rock, not the raw, but good stuff like Slayer and Pantera and the like, but I loved it. I haven't looked back. Hell, the song can be in German, a la Rammstein and I iwll love it as long as it is loud. Who cares if I don't know what they are saying. Sure, I occasionally go out of the box now and then, but I am a rocker. Rock on....
I leave you with one of the loudest, angriest songs on my jukebox.
11 comments:
AWESOME!! Dig - one of my all-time favorites!
Speaking of Antichrist - if I were a fundamentalist religious type (which I am not)Tom Cruise would have my vote as person most likely to be the Antichrist in the flesh.
Not really related to your post, but a fun fact anyway :)
Thanks for the shout-out.
I do like a lot of the stuff you mentioned. I actually have the first three Motely Crue CDs. I thought Guns n Roses were one of the best rock n roll bands of all time and could have been the greatest had ego not destroyed them. I do like Soundgarden and Nirvana, along with other bands of the "grunge" era like Mother Love Bone and Mucky Pup.
I have met System of a Down and Monkey from Korn due to a friend in "the business"...he worked for Sony here in Cleveland until they closed the office.
I will never really say anything bad about Metallica, though I finally bought the Black Album just recently. They were the band back in 84-85 that opened the door to faster, heavier, louder, and "meaner".
I just happened to start at a very young age with the metal when Sabbath, Kiss and Zeppelin got actual radio play in the 70s. It seeped in and stuck and has not gone away. I am OK with that.
Good stuff.
I ended up into metal thank to Evil-E. I asked for a couple CDs of metal and 24 discs later, I am infected.
Thanks to him, I know Cradle of Filth, Amon Amarth, Sodom and Dimmu Borgir (plus many others).
Aahh! You have learned well grasshopper! Rock on Bro!
When you were about two years old, your favorite song was "I Can Do Magic" You've come a long way. Hugs.
Correction...It was America "You Can Do Magic" I still think of you when I hear that song. Sweet. :-)
When I was growing up, you were still listening to some of the rap/hip hop, but also the rock, not to mention we always listened to mom and dad's music on family vacations! So I've grown up with some pretty diverse music influences. AND I love all of it. I remember when you used to videotape music videos on MTV....when they still played them. Shit, I bought a Rob Zombie cd and Presidents of the United States...how old was I...elementary school.... and I was right along with you in listening to Marilyn Manson, not to mention going to the Summer Saniterium concert to see Metallica, Kid Rock, Korn, etc.
When I entered junior high and highschool I started listening to hip hop and pop alot, especially since Mike favors rap. But now I'm coming into my own again and I prefer most of the time....ROCK...because it kicks ass! I've got Aerosmiths "Big Ones" in my cd player in my car right now and I turn it up loud all the way home!!!
I love all different kinds of music, my taste is very eclectic and looking at my play list on my i-pod shows that! And for that I have to thank you and mom and dad for introducing me to some of the best!
Cassie
I'm a total metal chick. Some of my favorite bands include: Motorhead, Pig Destroyer, Weed Eater, and Rwake.
I've never let go of Pearl Jam. Not since day one. I'm that dork that has all of their (studio) albums, tshirts, etc. If you look at the top 100 played songs on my iPod, about 60% will be Pearl Jam. That said, I love me some pissed off rock. Saw Metallica in Frankfurt, Germany after they released "Load" and everyone said they had gone soft....they absolutely killed.....and there's nothing like a mob of German metal-heads to let you know when someone just rocked.
I can't say that I like any one type of music. I have, through all my years, enjoyed rock, pop, soul (that's what we old timers called it, etc. I have seen a lot of concerts in my time (some I even remember. I'm glad and proud of my kids, however, for knowing and appreciating what you call the "oldies". Marilyn Manson did scare me at first but I actually do like some of his music.
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