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The (badly) aging metaler
- Thread starter HeavyJazz
- Start date
There may be no better feeling that what you get after exercise like that. But I have so many injuries now I can't exercise as much as I want to. Not even close really.
One of the things I respect about Lamb of God, from my home state capital, is that they don't seem to care about image:
I notice that none of them are wearing anything but black t-shirts and jeans. Not caring about an image? I don't think so.
Interesting that this thread became about image and how old you look. For me, the most interesting part of the OP was this: At some point I would just think they'd look in the mirror and make some adjustments in direction - "Am I still really this angry all these years later?"
To me, metal music was always about anger. The lyrics could be about any number of topics but it was essentially your anger about that thing. So it is strange to me to see a guy in his 50s or older making music that's all about anger. It's either sad that he's still so angry at this point in his life, or it's sad that he's not angry but is pretending to be.
To me, metal music was always about anger. The lyrics could be about any number of topics but it was essentially your anger about that thing. So it is strange to me to see a guy in his 50s or older making music that's all about anger. It's either sad that he's still so angry at this point in his life, or it's sad that he's not angry but is pretending to be.
This hits it in my opinion. When someone bases craziness associated with youthfulness on who they are (Think Andrew W.K., Flea, or Weird Al), it's different than when someone tries to fit into a genre that associates itself in that manner. When the image for pop punk rock is tattooed 14-25 year olds with bright colored hair, thin waistlines, and tight jeans on you look REALLY silly trying to do the same thing at age 43 (Talking to you, Billie Joe). But hey, it's a free country...people do ridiculous things all the time and if they are happy with the money it makes them or w/e then so be it.
What I do find funny is the guys smoking out in front of the rehearsal facility my band goes to. It's pretty much this, guys in their late 40's-mid 50's complaining about young punks and the music they play today drowning out all the "good metal" they play. In Houston, Prog Metal is a huge thing right now, but most of your screaming metal brings in the crowds too. The old guys hate it and wonder why they can't play the same stuff they always have and make more money. Many times I've wanted to tell them "Hey, I absolutely love nu-metal and late 90's alt rock...not really much of a market here so I'm trying my hand at indie rock. We'd all love to play what we like and make money for it, but things become popular for a reason...people like it. Sometimes it sucks, but you have to make compromises."
Most of my favorite metal musicians were fugly the day they were born. I suppose if I was gay I might care, but as it is, as long as they sound good, they will get my support. Devin has been sporting the Mr. Clean look for a while now, but the Skullet was basically flipping the bird to people who judge a book by its cover.
That's the thing. His hairstyle was a "F**k you", and who wears their hair in a certain way just to say "F**k you"? It's such a teenie bopper anger that doesn't fit when you're fifty.
Nah. It's just dude with a seriously receding hair line trying to hang on to his teenage hair-band look. There are probably hair extensions weaved into his 2-3 surviving hair strands.
Of course, blokes like this were nearly bald by their 17th birthday.
;-)
True.
But then again, I know a lot of angry 50-year-olds. Come to think of it, they are all bald.
Here's my neighbor:
This grumpster plays Baritone Sax. Figures.
Yes, anger is the exclusive province of the young, and old people have nothing to be angry about because all the things they were angry about in their youth have been fixed.
Can't wait till you guys get old. You'll look back at all these ridiculous statements you say about old people, and someone young will say the exact same things to you because they don't know any better. And hopefully I'll still be around to laugh in your faces.
Jimmy, I'm not a youngster myself. But I think it's clear that as we grow older more is expected of us and we learn to let go of our anger or deal with it in better ways than we did when we were younger. At the very least, there's a change of perspective. I remember an interview I heard with the singer from Pearl Jam and he was talking about how easy it was for them to make music when they were young and angry at the world. After they had some success, got married, had kids, they weren't so angry anymore, so they had to find other things to write about.
If a 2 year old cried over spilled milk, we accept it because he's a child. If a fifty year old cries over spilled milk...?
When Steve Vai hired him as a young man he had a shaved head. As said before. Devin is more metal than you (and more successful, and more famous than you) with or without the hair. I'm sorry that your hair bands turned out to be lame in their old age, but my favorite thrashers have been scuzzy since day one.
Anyone who lives in this universe,who is not perpetually pissed-off....is a delusional fool.
Or just too young to know better.
Or just too young to know better.
Oh, I'm not metal at all, and avoid scuzz like the plague. As far as success, as in financial? Maybe, but probably not. AND, I have a full head of hair.
