Rediscovering Music From My Past

[mandysee_mandydo]

Last night I was YouTube-ing and started listening to some Flight of the Conchords, which is one of my recent musical discoveries. Then I sort of randomly decided I wanted to listen to some young Springsteen (you know, back when he had skinny arms and was still kinda hot). I listened to "Born To Run," and thought that it had the same sort of energy as John Cougar Mellencamp's "I Need A Lover," so I listened to that. Then I ended up thinking about how much I used to love Pat Benetar and especially the sad song "Hell Is For Children," so I listened to that. That got me so hooked back on listening to her that I had to dig out a Pat Benetar CD today and listen. I missed her music more than I realized! Then I decided I would find the video for Dream Theater's "Pull Me Under." While watching the video, I noticed singer James Labrie was wearing a Napalm Death shirt and I was just totally geeking out over that. I never realized he was into death metal, and here was a reminder of the music that I clung to so much in my adolescence and into nearly my early adulthood: thrash and death metal! I remembered listening to bands like the obvious thrash icons like Metallica (pre-sucky-black-album days) and Megadeth, but also Anthrax, Suicidal Tendencies, Mortal Sin, Slayer and Testament. Also Sepultura, though they started out more death metal. And of course death metal bands like Napalm Death, Obituary, Morbid Angel and Cannibal Corpse. So of course I YouTubed some Napalm Death and was happy until I had to shut down the computer.

A few years ago I started getting back into death metal a little more and discovered Dying Fetus, My Dying Bride, and especially Resistant Culture (which I have to say is probably my second most favorite death metal band now for their excellent blending of traditional Native American music with metal) but it wasn't quite as fanatical as the youger days when Jaegan and I would "mosh" in his living room. I've been listening to Dethklok and watching Metalocalypse a lot lately and that's reawakened my interest in thrash and death metal. It's kind of funny because the younger Gaming Club crowd have caught glimpses of my earlier metal days through Facebook or just comments I've made at club and they have remarked how they couldn't imagine me being metal and are thoroughly amused. Which of course makes me feel a bit old because I remember thrash and death metal and metal in general when it was still young (in the case of thrash and death metal more like in its infancy and it being ostracized as devil-worshipping music by politicians and televangelists). Hell, I remember when Metallica was banned from performing in Manchester, NH, because someone in the city thought the song "One" advocated suicide and God-hating! Even still, I admit it's kind of amusing to me, too, that they find my old metal self so fascinating. To me it's just part of who I am and was and is nothing all that exciting. Yeah, I headbanged. I used to bemoan not hearing thrash and death metal on the radio (except in the early days of WAAF when they were refering to themselves as untamed radio and pirate radio). Meh. It was fun when I was young. :P

I think part of why I'm just not so metal as I used to be is that I'm also just not as angry and feeling opressed as I was back then. I mean, seriously. I was obsessed with Metallica's "Dyers Eve" and regarded it as an anthem for my life at the time. It's nice to listen to

Comments

[ciliandis.livejournal.com]

I may be a bit younger, but ... I still remember how when I first started listening to Metallica and Cradle of Filth and such, that I thought I was being all rebellious and edgy just because it was the kind of stuff my mother would hear people blasting from their cars and complain about. And for a while it was, like you said, mostly about being pissed off and feeling oppressed and ostracized and emo "before emo was cool", and all that. Same with my listening to Rasputina and Switchblade Symphony, and other goth/industrial stuff... I always sort of considered them in the same vein as metal because they put me in the same mindset: I Am Listening To This Music, So Fuck You. :P

Now I listen to it more as just what it is: damn good music. And because it's fun. So ... long story short (too late): I hear ya, lady. Rock on. \m/

[srturtle.livejournal.com]

Totally!

I still remember the day when my Mom came into my room to insist I turn down my music. I think it was the only time my music offended her to the point she insisted I turn it down. My bedroom was next to the bathroom, and while she was using it I was listening to Suicidal Tendencies' "I Saw Your Mommy (http://www.darklyrics.com/lyrics/suicidaltendencies/suicidaltendencies.html#3)." Yeah... not cool on my part.

[ciliandis.livejournal.com]

I think the only time I honestly caught hell for having my music up loud was when I was listening to Hey! by Boingo (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=85rjnaRIB_8). ... Actually, no. I was listening to something by Matthew Good Band that got me in trouble, too, of all things. Suburbia (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYI74J7JI2E&feature=related). Which isn't even heavy or metal or anything. I think - gasp - they might've actually paid attention to the lyrics. (Never mind the video itself ... it was the only one I could find that wasn't a poor-quality live video.)