Social Deth

As you may have figured from my earlier posts, I am a metal head in my thirties. Of course, many of us haven't made it this far into our lives as surviving disciples of the riff. Many give up by the wayside, beset by an ever increasing awareness that Metal (like any other sub-culture) is geared predominantly to the young, and perhaps more so that heavy metal is frowned upon by others of a similar age. As we get older, our colleagues are less likely to be forgiving of an interest in music which appears to glorify violence and "devilry".

By way of illustration, I have been on a residential course this week in the heartlands of England. My profession is an extremely serious business, and the fellow delegates, all of a similar position within their organisations are a diverse bunch. After the course ends in the day, many of us retire to the bar and chat about our interests. "I'm into mountain climbing", says one, and a semi-interested chat churns from his disclosure. "I like fishing", says another, and a lazy fifteen minute discourse occurs in which we question the wheres, the hows and the whys of his hobby. I am aware that the cycle of conversation is spinning towards me. Luckily, the guy before me says "I'm into music". That gives me some breathing room, and the (forlorn) hope that I may have found a kindred spirit. "I used to like Iron Maidens (sic). They had the one armed drummer, right?". I'm doomed.

I take a deep breath, and tell them "I collect heavy metal". There is the silence first, of course. Then the stares - the ones which ask accusingly "at your age?" or "shouldn't you have long hair?". One onlooker finally breaks the silence and asks "what's your favourite album?". I try and answer with the aged argument "oh, I don't really have one", but succumb to my own smart-arse tendencies, and finally admit "Carcass - Necroticism". "What other bands do you like?". Now here's the rub. I know that churning out the likes of Bolt Thrower, Crowbar, Vader, Candlemass etc are likely to be met with a mixture of blank indifference, open amusement and mocking and the label of "course weirdo" for the rest of this cursed fortnight.

Welcome to the realm of the aged metalhead. The death of a thousand, slow, lingering social cuts.

Still, could be worse. I could have answered "I like all music, really". They're the real cunts.