Leather Clad and Proud: Metal’s Fans and Stereotypes

We all know the stereotype of a heavy metal fan. Some angry kid decides he hates his parents and starts wearing black t-shirts with no sleeves. That kid gets old enough to grow a beard, and grows it as long as possible, gets a real job so he can afford a studded leather jacket and a few tattoos. That kid forever has a chip on his shoulder and acts like he has something to prove; often a fan of the WWF, or a run-in with the law, or drugs, or alcoholism, or all of the above. Like the music itself, the fans have several genres of stereotypes; goth, biker, skid, Aryan, and punk. These certainly don’t cover everything, but my concentration here is attempting to avoid the stereotype. I don’t discredit these choices in entertainment, attire, or lifestyle; in fact, they have helped make me who I am today. I now choose John Milton over The Rock, but I think you understand what I’m driving at here.
Negative stereotypes grow, like spreading cancer, from the media. I will only tackle one here, but be aware that many wrongfully exist. Skinheads, neo-Nazis, or otherwise known as the Aryan nation is often associated with heavy metal. To each their own, in opinions, but I personally disagree with what these groups represent. (Don’t judge, do your research before making accusations, but the vast majority of the world views these individuals in a very negative light. There are commendable organizations that use these terms, but universally it is a negative stereotype). This negative stereotype has plagued many heavy metalists. Pantera, in their early years, was attacked with this label. As a band from Texas, dubbing themselves the Cowboys From Hell, and Dimebag Darrell (lead guitarist) often toting a guitar with the confederate flag, these stereotypes were bound to happen. The media, like most of our country, does little more than scratch the surface. Beyond the surfaces images it isn’t hard to realize that Pantera, and bands like them, are all about freedom from oppression and equality among all races, genders, ages, and economic positions. Many of Phillip Anselmo’s (lead singer) lyrics were about the corruption in the system, and disregard for the people. These guys are simply from the south; heritage and roots, like most metal musicians, are important and this is where their emblems and demeanor come from. Not the KKK or a ridiculous Nazi ideal. Bands like Rage Against the Machine carry flags like this as well, and have helped in breaking down this mislabeled typecast. This stereotype is just one of many that gets thrown around, and if you’re a metalhead you understand, if you’re just a reader, I ask you to ALWAYS dig deeper.
The negative connotations that derive from heavy metal are always misplaced, and misguided. In the eighties, metal was a prime target for the Parents Music Resource Center or PMRC. The best reason for their action(I am, by no means, justifying the PMRC) is that these adults saw something different, and something that embraced everything taboo, and thrived on controversy. These parents, Tipper Gore leading them, saw things that they had long suppressed and therefore feared. I won’t attempt to get terribly Freudian here, but metal has been dubbed music for the eternal sixteen year old. This title is often attributed to immaturity, but is, in reality, because metal helps its listeners see the world through a new set of eyes, or rather, an ever-changing set of eyes. When we are teenagers we all come to a point of revelation about the world, and begin to see things a bit clearer. For example, we suddenly recognize our parents as other human beings rather than authority figures, capable of making mistakes, lying, cheating, and loving. It is realizations such as this that occur consistently in metal because it embraces those taboo subjects and things that we, as “rational adults,” just don’t talk about. Heavy metal throws up an unapologetic “Fuck You” to anything tries to enslave it, its listeners, or its culture.
This all comes back around to what heavy metal is, both as a genre in music and as a culture, freedom. Heavy metal is about following gut feeling, raw emotion, and disregarding what the outside world thinks. This is why heavy metal attracts and breeds strong characters; not only in appearance but convictions as well. In an interview by Sam Dunn, Rob Zombie says, “I’ve never met anybody that said, ‘yeah, I was into Slayer, one summer,’ I’ve only met the guy with Slayer carved across his chest.” Metalheads are not casual in the musical choice and culture, and whether they are labeled with any stereotype or actually are a stereotype they don’t care what you think. Thus is the glory of heavy metal.  Whether they are the smelly kid with dreads, or the bald guy with tattoo covered arms, or the lady wearing leather lingerie in public, metalheads know who they are and what they stand for. The true essence of metal is in its culture… the unified masses; in the pit, if you will. We are a massive community, and yet Britney Spears and Hannah Montana hardly know we exist. We wouldn’t have it any other way!

Stronger Than All
Keep It Metal

I leave you with one of my favorite Pantera songs – Domination