We didn't have enough class time Tuesday to talk about the moral panic caused by the metal subculture, but I felt compelled to share some of the reference points I have about the subculture that are also touched upon in the Goths, Gamers, and Grrrls book.
Although Heavy Metal Parking lot showed the more humorous and lighthearted side of the metal subculture, there was a lot of hostility towards it in the 1980s and 1990s that culminated in multiple court hearings that put both metal artists and fans on trial for simply listening or making certain types of music.
There was a senate hearing in 1985 where metal artists (among others) testified in front of the Parents Music Resource Center (the group that puts the Parental Advisory stickers on CDs) for objectional content in their songs. Here's a clip showing a metal artist talking at the hearing:
Judas Priest (the band the kids were talking about in Heavy Metal Parking Lot) also was put on trial for alleged backmasking of subliminal messages in their songs that supposedly caused a teenage metalhead to commit suicide. The case was eventually thrown out of court by the judge. Link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QvvLL_oAvus&feature=player_detailpage
On a more current note, the West Memphis 3, who were finally released from jail in August of this year, stood trial in 1993 for the murder of 3 boys in 1993. They were found guilty and one was sentenced to death, even though there was no evidence that linked them to the crime. Many believed that the only reason they were accused was because they were young, poor, and disposable, and most of all, were outcasts in their small town because they were heavy metal fans. This case is considered the most famous out of all the cases coming out of the Satanic Panic in the 1990s. Here is a trailer for the documentary that helped expose their case to the nation and helped free them:
Although Heavy Metal Parking lot showed the more humorous and lighthearted side of the metal subculture, there was a lot of hostility towards it in the 1980s and 1990s that culminated in multiple court hearings that put both metal artists and fans on trial for simply listening or making certain types of music.
There was a senate hearing in 1985 where metal artists (among others) testified in front of the Parents Music Resource Center (the group that puts the Parental Advisory stickers on CDs) for objectional content in their songs. Here's a clip showing a metal artist talking at the hearing:
Judas Priest (the band the kids were talking about in Heavy Metal Parking Lot) also was put on trial for alleged backmasking of subliminal messages in their songs that supposedly caused a teenage metalhead to commit suicide. The case was eventually thrown out of court by the judge. Link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QvvLL_oAvus&feature=player_detailpage
On a more current note, the West Memphis 3, who were finally released from jail in August of this year, stood trial in 1993 for the murder of 3 boys in 1993. They were found guilty and one was sentenced to death, even though there was no evidence that linked them to the crime. Many believed that the only reason they were accused was because they were young, poor, and disposable, and most of all, were outcasts in their small town because they were heavy metal fans. This case is considered the most famous out of all the cases coming out of the Satanic Panic in the 1990s. Here is a trailer for the documentary that helped expose their case to the nation and helped free them:
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