In my opinion, being “un-metal” is the most metal thing you can do. Does that make any fucking sense to you at all? Well, let me explain. In my opinion, most of those alpha-metal types of people are the very similar if not identical to the pseudo alpha-males. You know those guys. The guys are trying so hard to prove their manliness, their masculinity, and to prove that they are “stronger than all” and more man than you’ll ever be. In a lot of ways, in my opinion, those types are hiding things about themselves that they are afraid people might perceive as being “unmanly” or “weak.” Well, the same goes for those alpha-metal types.
Take for instance those Five Finger Death Punch guys. They strive so hard to prove their toughness and their aggressiveness that I wouldn’t put it past that meathead singer to have an iPod full of Nelson, Warrant, and Firehouse songs. Couldn’t you just see this dude singing, “After the Rain” while in his bunk reading “Bridget Jones’ Diary?” That aside, you know these types. These people that believe that in order to be “metal” it has to be 100 mph at all times, and aggressive, and stuff that makes you want to kick old people when in reality, the truly most metal thing you can do is to admit and actually be un-metal at times.
I consider myself a metalhead and have been for wee over 30 years. While this is true, I also know that I have zero problems admitting that I like probably some of the most un-metal shit. When I was high school, there were the kids who loved thrash. Slayer, Anthrax, Megadeth, etc and for them to even be caught muttering the words, “Poison”, “Cinderella”, or “Tangier” would mean, to them, that they had to cash in their metal cards. I had the same 3 or 4 friends from 10th – 12th grade and we were a really open minded group of kids. We saw absolutely no problem liking Poison, Tangier, or hell, even Winger yet at the same time loving Suicidal Tendencies, Queensryche, Black Sabbath, Megadeth, and Venom. Hell, we were even kids who appreciated and loved bands like The Allman Brothers Band, The Animals, Jellyfish, The Ramones, and I’ve been a diehard fan of the Monkees since 1985. In my opinion, that is fucking metal.
Why is that metal? Because isn’t the point of being a metalhead not to give a flying fuck what anybody thinks? Being a metalhead means standing by your bands and never hiding your love for the music that moves you and makes you feel fucking good. So couldn’t being metal also mean taking that mentality across the board in general no matter what the genre is that you like? Look. I think its way more fucking metal for Tom Hunting, drummer for thrash legends Exodus to express his love for Journey than it is for Phil Anselmo to tell you to “walk on home, boy.” Remember Winger? People considered them to be the most un-metal thing you can be but when I interviewed Kip Winger, he told me, “Metallica had some good stuff in the old days but now they’re just musically bankrupt.” Man, if that’s not metal… I don’t know what is!.
I believe that metalheads are some of the most open-minded, wholehearted, passionate people that I know. I know metalheads personally who will tell you just how much they fucking love Behemoth but then turn around and talk about their favorite classical composer. I know metalheads who will listen to the doomiest of doom metal but then rave about the best jazz music they saw while in New Orleans. Hell, I know someone who runs a metal blog and plays guitar and sings in a folk/rock band (that would be me). I don’t know about you but I’d consider these people to be the most metal of them all.
Being un-metal is without a doubt the most metal thing you can do. Period. It isn’t a sign of weakness or vulnerability but a sign of a true, honest, and cultured person who stands by the most un-metal music that they love with conviction, honor, and passion. To be unapologetic about the non-metal things you love and to not only love it but express it to people with honesty is the most metal thing you can do.
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