Been reading several interesting web pages on backward masking and conservative complaints about the bad influence of certain metal rock bands.
Generally, I think: Oh, shut up!
But got me to thinking since I generally don’t listen to extreme music of certain genres (punk, goth, metal, rap, etc.).
Are there really certain bands out there with music that could REALLY be considered evil or harmful (even to liberal-minded people)?
For example: Music that is genuinely satanic or by bands who admit they’re Satanists or music that ENCOURAGES depression, suicide, homicide, anarchy, rape, etc (meaning, you’ve listened to a particular song several times and you’ve actually felt these urges whereas you never did before…and you feel it’s related to the song).
Gaahl, lead singer of Gorgoroth, has been jailed twice for assault – on the second occasion he allegedly collected the man’s blood in a goblet to drink (though he claims it was just to keep the blood from staining his carpet.)
And of course there’s the infamous Varg “Count Grishnack” Vikernes, who was convicted of burning several ancient Norwegian churches, and even went so far as to put a picture of one of the burned churches on an album cover, and packaged the album with a free lighter. Later he murdered his Mayhem bandmate by stabbing him twenty-three times in the back, and claimed it was self-defense.
It always irritates me when these websites & TV shows focus on such comic-book Satanic acts like Venom or Slayer, claiming their music has an “evil influence” on the young listener’s mind when in fact it’s just for shock value (Slayer’s Tom Araya, for example, is a devout Roman Catholic) – but they ignore the whole Scandinavian metal scene with bands who really DO practice what they preach!!
Oh, and King Diamond is a LaVey Satanist – but at least it’s the “nice” form of Satanism.
I admit to not being an expert on LaVey, but that type of Satanism always struck me as just Ayn Rand’s Objectivism with cool parties and a flair for the theatrical.
How about Charles Manson? Even though he wasn’t primarily known as a musician, he worked briefly with Dennis Wilson, who rewrote Manson’s song “Cease To Exist” and had it recorded by the Beach Boys as “Never Learn Not To Love.” In addition, Manson released an album of his own, called “Lie: The Love & Terror Cult” in 1970. Another of his songs, “Look At Your Game, Girl,” was recorded by Guns 'N Roses and released on “The Spaghetti Incident?”
In 1970, The Manson Family recorded “The Family Jams” which had songs written by Manson, although he did not perform on any of the recordings.
Manson’s discography includeds 14 albums and his family has released two others.
I’ll concede interest in Manson’s recordings is largely due to his notoriety and status as a convicted murderer and not due to any actual talent of his own.
Back in the early 90s Deicide used to go on evangelical TV to talk about being satanists. The frontman of the group, Glen Benton, is now active in his local PTA.
