Black Sabbath and the heavy metal that followed from them are folk/classical derived? 
I thought Sabbath and other Metal musicians were reacting against all the folk and classical influences that infected the Prog Rock of the time. That is what made them differnt from ELP or Fairport Convention, or even Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple.
I wouldn’t be a very good hipster, I know all of the references mentioned. I guess I follow pop culture too close.
Just this week I found out my partner does not know anything about movies. He says he likes Goodfellas, but did not recognize the name Martin Scorcese. Or Coppola. Or Kubrick. Never saw The Godfather or 90% of the movies we were asking about.
A couple years ago my National Guard unit had to drive some old vehicles to Lakehurst Naval Airstation where they were being turned in. When we were done I was talking to a couple of my soldiers and I pointed to the open area a short distance away. “That’s where the Hindenburg crashed.” Blank stares. Never heard of the Hindenburg. I would guess its probably the most replayed film footage in history. Certainly in the top 5. Oh the humanity.
If Michael Bay had made a movie set against the Hindenburg disaster (instead of Pearl Harbor) everyone would know about it.
I was referring to the way that Mahler/Wagner-style musical elements came to the fore pretty quickly, along with druid/Viking/generally tribal drumming. Blues was/were lessened. Plus, the look and doom-laden lyrical attitude was a huge contrast with the confident swagger of a lot of rock and rollers (like Zeppelin and Deep Purple), as well as the hippy happiness of the Flower Children.
Black Sabbath predates most Prog Rock so couldn’t really react against it, while Sabbath itself was a major influence on Prog Rock. Most histories of rock music put classical-and-folk-influenced bands such as Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple squarely in the (early) Heavy Metal bracket, just like contemporary media labeled the bands.
Heavy Metal acts that post-date Prog Rock such as Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Ronnie James Dio etc. most certainly did not not react against classical influences, or prog rock, but doggedly carried on many of the musical and lyrical themes of the prog dinosaurs when mass media had already turned against it. It was the punk rockers who hated folk, classical and prog; Metal Gods such as Steve Harris famously loathed anything to do with punk rock.
Well, I can name it now, but I’ll have forgotten it ten minutes after I leave this thread.
While we’re on the subject: People seem to be referring as a group/band/whatever. I thought Van Halen was a person - Eddie Van Halen, or some such. Am I confused?
Yes, Van Halen is a band. Original lineup was Eddie Van Halen, Alex Van Halen, David Lee Roth and Michael Anthony (I think.) I was never a huge Van Halen fan but they were probably at the height of their popularity when I was in high school so it’s hard not to know about them. I’ve always been much more of an REM and U2 fan. 
I have a good friend who just yesterday found out about the “Harlem Shake.”
I still don’t know what it is.
I know Van Halen though. 
I think I was about 25 when I realised that “Sedan” wasn’t an automaker like, say, Ford or Ferrari.
I figure that if you wanted to know you’d check out you tube yourself.
It was particularly odd because many of our mutual friends posted Harlem Shake videos on FB back when it was still a new meme, so it wasn’t like something that never crossed her radar. But all is well. She thinks it’s as stupid as most people think it is. But to have never even heard of it…
When I was a lad, a much sought-after treat was to be selected (out of ten kids) to have a sleepover at my paternal grandmother’s house. She loved to sleep in on a Saturday morning, and so she would leave a large bowl of individual-serving boxes of cold cereal on the kitchen table for her earlier-rising grandkids.
When she got up, she’d make what she called a “second breakfast” for us (generally of the bacon, eggs, and toast variety). And I don’t believe she ever read any Tolkien in her life, but when I read The Hobbit, the term gave me a warm and fuzzy feeling of recognition.
Eddie’s son Wolfgang is now the bass player, so 3/4 of the band is named Van Halen.
They really should have named them “The Screw-Turners.”
Or failing that, the “Colts.”
I think the Colts was taken.
Just a little over 29 years ago.
I heard.
They shoulda renamed that team the 500s.
Hey, I was a huge DC5 fan… and I’m related to Millard, but not a fan (sorry, unc!).
My wife grew up not getting any cultural literacy from her family (long story…), so she often gets references wrong.
As well as “Old Sayings That Everyone Knows.” (which is another type of Cultural Literacy). Nope, in our house it’s “Old Sayings That Everyone But Mom Knows”:
“Okay, that’s a cow of a different color over the moon.”
“Well, aren’t you just pleased with the Kool-Aid?”
(I think she meant “Pleased As Punch”)
And in the heat of an argument she triumphantly proclaimed: “Aha! NOW you’re walking a mile with the foot on the other ankle, aren’t you?” I still can’t believe I kept a straight face… and made it until she calmed down before I mocked her.
I am totally going to steal that.
I thought I was bad one day when I exclaimed “Well, that threw a monkey in the wrench!”
Like others, I have heard of it but don’t know what it is.
I’ve only heard of the Harlem Shake in the past month and have yet to see it.