Catching Up on the Story of Metal
I'm so mad! Yesterday I didn't feel like watching TV so I left it on TBS or something and came to the computer but like an idiot I missed the first episode of the documentary "HEAVY: The Story of Metal" on VH1 which has decreed May 2006 "Metal Month".
Well I just found this out this afternoon. There are new episodes set to debut all through the week but when will they repeat the one I missed? Hopefully over the weekend.
Anyway, today they are covering the new wave of British metal and how critics and punk music threatened the genre. Over in England, metal was overlooked by punk fans. But it was still an underground sensation, thanks to a little band called Judas Priest.
(I assume episode one spoke a great deal about metal founders Black Sabbath, those hardcore working men from Birmingham who gave us "Iron Man", the greatest metal song of all time.)
The ironic thing about Judas Priest is that they really gave metal its "macho" image when they ditched their flamboyant Led Zeppelin-inspired clothing (you know the type- every hard rock act of the 70s wore those satin blouses and such) and went all leather all the time. Soon, not just the band was wearing leather chaps, vests and cuffs with studs but so were their fans and all metalheads everywhre. Thing of it is, the look came right out of the pages of singer Rob Halford's homosexuality. No one knew it at the time, but metal's biggest "god" was actually a gay man. It's ironic, as I said, because not only did this hilariously gay look become the chosen uniform for this dark, hard and insanely macho music, but most metalheads are homophobic.
Still, don't underestimate metal's fans. Even though Judas Priest (and this is going beyond tonight's documentary and into the late 90s) kicked out the singer because of his sex life and hired Judas Priest cover band singer....er...I forget his freaking name but the movie "Rock Star" starring Marky Mark and Jennifer Aniston was based on this story....eventually Judas Priest rehired Halford because they realized their fans and fans of all metal did not disdain nor disown Harlford for his homosexuality. After he very publicly came out at a gay pride parade, he was still considered one of the best, most hardcore, most macho and fierce metal frontmen of all time. (Later on we all looked back and said, "duh" because he looked just like Tom of Finland and was "Hellbent For Leather")
Well I just found this out this afternoon. There are new episodes set to debut all through the week but when will they repeat the one I missed? Hopefully over the weekend.
Anyway, today they are covering the new wave of British metal and how critics and punk music threatened the genre. Over in England, metal was overlooked by punk fans. But it was still an underground sensation, thanks to a little band called Judas Priest.
(I assume episode one spoke a great deal about metal founders Black Sabbath, those hardcore working men from Birmingham who gave us "Iron Man", the greatest metal song of all time.)
The ironic thing about Judas Priest is that they really gave metal its "macho" image when they ditched their flamboyant Led Zeppelin-inspired clothing (you know the type- every hard rock act of the 70s wore those satin blouses and such) and went all leather all the time. Soon, not just the band was wearing leather chaps, vests and cuffs with studs but so were their fans and all metalheads everywhre. Thing of it is, the look came right out of the pages of singer Rob Halford's homosexuality. No one knew it at the time, but metal's biggest "god" was actually a gay man. It's ironic, as I said, because not only did this hilariously gay look become the chosen uniform for this dark, hard and insanely macho music, but most metalheads are homophobic.
Still, don't underestimate metal's fans. Even though Judas Priest (and this is going beyond tonight's documentary and into the late 90s) kicked out the singer because of his sex life and hired Judas Priest cover band singer....er...I forget his freaking name but the movie "Rock Star" starring Marky Mark and Jennifer Aniston was based on this story....eventually Judas Priest rehired Halford because they realized their fans and fans of all metal did not disdain nor disown Harlford for his homosexuality. After he very publicly came out at a gay pride parade, he was still considered one of the best, most hardcore, most macho and fierce metal frontmen of all time. (Later on we all looked back and said, "duh" because he looked just like Tom of Finland and was "Hellbent For Leather")
posted by Spleengrrl @ 6:39 PM
3 Comments:
At 10:19 PM,
Spleengrrl said…
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
At 3:55 PM,
RV3 said…
I was alawys surrounded by metal fans growing up, but for the most part, at the time, I rejected it for other genres like punk, "college rock," and what was known as alternative music then. Boy do I feel left out...
At 6:56 PM,
Spleengrrl said…
No, this documentary didn't contradict that at all. I remember watching "Rock Star" and that band (which was really Judas Priest disguised) knew that he was gay all along. You're right about that. By the way, did you know? I don't remember you being a big Priest fan. I think Marci and I liked them more.
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