I hadn't intended to mention this here for a while, but I screwed up the other day and posted a comment at another blog while I was logged on with the wrong profile … and then made a bumbling attempt at an explanation … so, anyway …

I've started another blog, where I'll post stuff about one of my life-long interests and hobbies, heavy metal music. I'll be posting there with at least one other blogger and maybe a few others. It's just kind of a loose, fun thing, as is befitting the topic.

I've started this second blog because I abso-friggin-lutely love heavy metal music and I feel drawn to write about it, from one angle or another, from time to time. I love metal. I grew up on it. I was a teenager in the '80's, during the height of metal's popularity, and I've never stopped enjoying it. I don't think I ever will. I'm sure I'll spend the rest of my life reading comic books, playing video games, and crankin' up the metal. I've written about metal here in the past, but I've always felt that those SouthCon entries have stuck out like a sore thumb.

For one thing, this blog is mainly devoted to family life and my religious and political opinions … so posts about Metallica and the like tend to seem out of place here.

For another thing, metal just doesn't seem to interest the few folks who've been kind enough to make a habit of checking this blog. It makes sense for me to try to keep that particular interest segregated and try to build something separate with it.

Beyond that, there's the issue of vulgarity.

As you may or may not know, vulgar language is fairly common place in the world of heavy metal. Metal bands and metal fans tend toward a course manner of speech that wouldn't be appropriate at the same blog where I post about my family and my religious faith. Now, this is not to say that I'll be using vulgar language at my other blog, I won't consciously write differently there than I do here. But if I quote song lyrics or quote from an interview, I'll not be compelled to censor the language the way I would at SouthCon.

And, if you're interested, here's where I stand on the matter of vulgarity: It really doesn't bother me. I'm more interested in context and intent than I am in words themselves, and I'm more offended by a bad idea expressed well than I am by an innocuous expression roughly phrased.

As far as the "satanic" element of metal goes, here's the thing: Bands like Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, Marilyn Manson, etc., have to a large extent built their careers around the ability to freak people out. That's part of the attraction for some of their fans. However, when you examine the actual lyrical content of their music, you'll find that it's harmless. It's typically just b-grade horror movies stuff, and I'd be far more comfortable with my kids listening to that than I would if they were listening to music that actually encouraged alcohol abuse (like lots of country music) violence (like most hip hop) and sexual promiscuity (just turn on the radio).

Now, there are a few bands out there who really do despise Christianity. Some of them write lyrics that I just can't take seriously, and while I wouldn't play them around my kids, I still enjoy their music for the sake of their well played songs (for instance, Slayer.) Then there are bands who write anti-Christian lyrics that really bug me … I guess because they argue their case better, or because they attack Christianity on philosophical grounds. Some of those bands have a sound that I really enjoy, but I don't listen to them because the lyrics bug me too much. A great example would be the very talented but horribly negative band called Lamb of God.

Most of the metal that I listen to, however, features positive, honest, smart lyrical content. I'm thinking about the last two Tool albums, and about Killswitch Engage, and like POD, and like Anthrax and Metallica and, yes, Iron Maiden. I'd be happy to discuss those bands' lyrics with my priest, my kids, my mom or anyone. I might need to censor an f-word here or an s-word there, but the content, the context is what matters, and those bands express ideas that I support and/or agree with.

So, anyway, there it is. I'll write my metal stuff there, and I'll write my other stuff here.

Labels: Blogs, Entertainment