METAL HEROES
According to Merriam-Webster, a hero is a mythological or
legendary figure often of divine descent endowed with a great strength or
ability (Merriam-Webster, 2013). In this paper, I will relate that definition
of a hero to metal music. The mythological aspect of the definition will not
apply, but the heroes of metal are legendary figures that are definitely seen
as having great ability. A more modern definition of hero, without the
Greek-originated divine descent and mythological dimensions, applies more to
the metal music genre than the traditional definition of hero.
Some of the original founders of metal music, Black
Sabbath, Alice Cooper, Slayer and Metallica, have become the heroes of the metal
popular culture environment. Many people still recognize these bands as the
reason a metal scene exists today and I personally have heard one of the
above-mentioned bands recognized at nearly every metal concert to which I have
been (that is a lot of concerts). Ozzy Osbourne, of Black Sabbath, has gone on
to have a very successful solo career in metal and appeared in many films, such
as Little Nicky, The Jerky Boys and Moulin Rouge (Imdb:Ozzy Osbourne, 2013).
Ozzy has also had his own reality television show and all of this comes due to
his position as a hero in the metal popular culture.
The type of wild fame that both Ozzy and his family still
enjoy also ties into the cult of celebrity in modern popular culture. Though
Ozzy, or his family, cannot produce the great music that he once could, they
are now famous simply for being famous. The nation will continue to follow the
family only because they are celebrities, which is the pure definition of cult
of celebrity. Metal has also produced a huge cult of celebrity among other
artists such as Marilyn Manson, who have brought on changes in fashion amongst
metal listeners, especially in the younger populations of the fan base. Also,
certain bands in metal music in general can be credited with changing sexual
behavior and trends in both the metal and general community (Donze, 2010).
REFERENCES
Donze, P. (2010). Heterosexuality Is Totally Metal:
Ritualized Community and Separation at a Local Music Club. Journal Of
Popular Music Studies, 22(3), 259-282.
doi:10.1111/j.1533-1598.2010.01241.x
Merriam-Webster.
(2013). Celebrity- definition. Retrieved from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/celebrity
Merriam-Webster.
(2013). Hero- definition. Retrieved from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hero
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