For my first "real" post here, I am going to attempt a pretty broad statement, using a specific set of examples...so a few qualifying statements are necessary. This post is not meant to advocate for or against any particular band or style of music. I happen to be a huge appreciator of Metallica and their music, but I am also a fan of many bands and musical styles that are not named Metallica and sound nothing like them. They, however, are a very good example for a case study in musical trends, as they have existed for nearly 30 years; and many steps on their journey are at least evolutionary, if not revolutionary for the music world in general. Agree or disagree, please bear with me and feel free to share your thoughts....
This will come as no surprise to anybody who knows me, but I hate American Idol. I don't just hate it because it sucks (although that would be reason enough). I hate it because it is embarrassing to me that it is taken seriously as a vehicle for cultivating the next generation of artistic creation and expression. The net result is cash in the pockets of corporate executives, and a universe of art that is literally manufacturing turds to step around while searching for gems that are truly representative of the culture we live in, and what it means to be a part of it.
Rock music is always most effective and powerful when it is taking dead aim at societal norms and inviting you to join the artist in rejecting them. Themes can range anywhere from a vision of alternative utopia to all out revenge against "the establishment," or anywhere in between. This makes sense to me as it was born out of Gospel music and blues which are passionate expressions of emotion. So why on Earth are we spending so much time letting Simon Cowell (or whoever his stand in will be) tell us who should be the next glorified karaoke star to make an appearance on Good Morning America before disappearing into obscurity? (Note 1). This waste of creative energy is flat out offensive.
When I was a teenager, I was prematurely dismissive of Metallica, mostly because I didn't identify with the people who identified with Metallica (or at least I didn't think I did). That's unfortunate, because what I learned much later on was that I did identify very strongly with what Metallica was creating at the time. But one of the things that I did learn from the legions of denim jacket wearing fans with Metallica patches sewn on the back was that art, when done right, has the power not just to define us as we are, but also to shape who we become.
A few years later, Metallica broke somewhat with fans who wanted to keep their favorite underground sensation to themselves when they created a music video for MTV. This wasn't the first time Metallica was accused of selling out, but it was the loudest accusation of it to date (though still more serious accusations of it were yet to come). Whether or not it was actually an act of "selling out" is not an argument I'll attempt to solve here. Passions run deep on this topic, so I'll just talk about what it meant to me.
Seen in the video are intricate riff structures played with precision, progressive and aggressive drum patterns, lightning fast lead guitar solos, and also a baby faced Jason Newsted on bass who had recently replaced the deceased Cliff Burton. But the most significant component was the montage of footage from "Johnny Got His Gun" intertwined with footage of the band. The mainstream music world, and I, were re-introduced to Metallica through the story of Joe, the protagonist from "Johnny Got His Gun" who has survived combat injuries serious enough to take away his ability to connect with the outside world. We already knew that Metallica was hard, fast, heavy and angry. I now also had a sense that social awareness helped fuel the creative energy behind this band.
I had no comment on what I'd just seen, but I knew it was important, complicated, and discomforting. In other words, it did to me exactly what art is supposed to do: It challenged me. This was no cliche message about the horrors of war. It was a comment about those that society willingly leaves behind to be forgotten and utterly disenfranchised. If you identified with that, then you suddenly knew that you weren't alone. Metallica understood, and they were pissed off on your behalf. What it did for the music world was establish that Metallica could and would write and play on a level much higher than most of those who turned out what passed for mainstream music. The Rock universe now had to acknowledge that there was a band out there that would not compromise whenever they decided to take something on.
So many examples of this exist, but one that really stands out to me is the 1991 Monsters Of Rock performance in Moscow. This was only the second performance of rock music in what was the aftermath of Glasnost and the fall of communism in the former Soviet Union, and it was the first that contained any hardcore music like Metallica's. Many remnants of the old Soviet bloc still existed, most notably the police state like atmosphere to maintain order. The police were not used to seeing Russian youngsters behaving so freely and openly enjoying themselves. It wasn't long before violence became the method of first resort for reigning in the crowd. Several bands took the stage and Metallica became concerned about the escalating violence prior to their set. When it was their turn, the choice they were faced with was to not perform, perform a watered down show to hopefully calm the crowd, or hit it as hard as possible. To them, it wasn't really a choice. Canceling or watering down their set would mean losing the crowd, and that would mean chaos would rule the day. There was only one way to reign the clashing police and concert goers in, and that was to draw them all into the performance. And you can see the results here:
Music has the power to destroy inhibitions and put people on a path to complete freedom. When this happens, we know who we are, and we know what we want to be. Too bad Simon Cowell and his little show don't have any appreciation for that.
1. Some may read this and scream "bbbbbut Carrie Underwood, and bbbbut Kelly what's her name uhhhmm Clarkson!!!!" You may have a point, at least as far as the not having become obscure. Fair enough. But "making it" (if that term even applies here) does not make you an Idol of American culture. All it means is that you've postponed your date with obscurity. To avoid that fate is to do something truly remarkable, and usually requires that you contribute to what shapes your culture and not just be on the receiving end of high profile publicity.
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