"Woe to us, the Metal misfits..."

[great_knuthulhu]

I just say "metal" or "heavy metal" and try to change the subject. If they insist I also say I listen to another things but when it gets annoying is when they start to ask you which bands you like. I always reply "you don't know them anyway" but most of the time they sense like an elitist, superiority thing going on, and if I start naming the bands I sound like a total nerd, so is sort of a lose/lose situation.

Or worse, when you actually name some obscure bands they respond with "Oh yeah, I've heard of them". Try convincing them they haven't is a hard chore.

I enjoy mentioning my fave bands and seeing the reactions on people's faces. And then following it up with "Oh, you might have heard of .... , they're kind of well-known" and they still don't know what I'm talking about.

"Et sny, din faen!")

Haha, då lo eg. Is that what you say to the polar bears when they try to enter your house as well?

[DMR]

I can't remember the last time someone asked me what kind of music I listen to. Maybe it's because the answer is obvious. Maybe it's because strangers usually avoid talking to me! If the situation ever arises in the future, I'll use Helm's method of answering.

[bigfootkit]

This is a great thread, nice to see the full gamut of responses to that oft dreaded question.
Really, i suppose it all depends on the person(s) asking the question, the circumstances & location, my response might be different depending on those factors.
On a recent 20 minute taxi journey i got that question from the driver, and gave him the "lots of stuff,but mostly rock & metal", response and to my surprise this balding middle aged guy got all animated and started telling me about his glory days in the 80's when he drummed in a band who supported Suicidal Tendencies on a UK tour! We struck up a fun conversation and the chat show radio was turned off in favour of a comp cd of his fave metal/thrash/punk bands. "This is great, i never get to listen to good music at work!" he beamed.
So there are some advantages to "putting it out there". I think it made both our journey's far more enjoyable.
I've been spending some time recently with a girl who i used to vaguely know back in the day, when she was a full on glam rocker. She still loves her Hard Rawk stuff, but it turns out that she always thought i & my friends looked down on she & hers then because we were (in her eyes) "Thrashers".
I've always had a wide range of musical interests, so she was shocked to discover classic Kiss & vintage Aerosmith etc in my collection, and it turns out she's got some cool stuff in hers too, which just goes to show that preconceptions and ignorance aren't just confined to the "non-metal" community.
It was great to be able to introduce her to stuff she was unfamiliar with (the likes of New York Dolls, Starz & Silverhead too) and confound those expectations, we so called "Thrashers" know a thing or 2 it seems...
Communication's a great thing, i should do it more often.

[Khnud]

I just say "metal" or "heavy metal" and try to change the subject. If they insist I also say I listen to another things but when it gets annoying is when they start to ask you which bands you like. I always reply "you don't know them anyway" but most of the time they sense like an elitist, superiority thing going on, and if I start naming the bands I sound like a total nerd, so is sort of a lose/lose situation.

Or worse, when you actually name some obscure bands they respond with "Oh yeah, I've heard of them". Try convincing them they haven't is a hard chore.

I made that mistake at work the other day. One older colleague of mine asked me what I was listening to, as I usually listen to my mp3-player while working. I responded that it was a British band called COBRA, and he replied that he "used to be into hard rock" when he was younger and had probably been listening to them at some point. Before I could stop myself I blurted out "I seriously doubt that", and immediately realized how incredibly elitist I must have appeared to him. I'm never doing that again.

[Piotr Sargnagel]

on a completely different note: anybody here into home-brewing/winemaking?

yes - land of mystery - bier thread

['pataphysicien]

on a completely different note: anybody here into home-brewing/winemaking?

yes - land of mystery - bier thread

right. and thanks dan for starting the thread. nice to see that this sparked up so much discussion. the vulnerable and misunderstood metalhead, not your usual picture.

I talk a lot about music with a guy who loves prog rock for example, and I get along with him much better than with tons of metalheads I know that are into metal just 'cause of the drinks, drugs and tough guy image. Most metalheads in this area are real morons, so I'm friend mostly with non-metalhead people.

same here. although the topic tends to gravitate towards the prog because it's hard talking about bands the other person doesn't know. as for other metalheads in this town I can't really say much, but as said previously, I have never been one for the typical scene-life.

Ok, about the neandertal (is that even how it's spelled in english?) phrase: No, bodily fluids do not disgust me. I'd be pretty useless at work if it did. In my current profession, you wipe asses with one hand and eat lunch with the other. That's also a figure of speech! Wink It's just so bluntly stated, and not perticularly good for showing other people what you're made of. So I don't really mind at all, I just found it an awkward way of introducing oneself. And I promise to ignore all cream in the future, without commenting -guess it's something I have to put up with in this men's club that is the Corroseum.

well... with the said pinch of salt it does not feel so neanderthal to me. I actually think it's a pretty funny way to say that something blew your mind. probably even more so if a woman used it casually in a conversation with me. but I see your point. and I also don't think you should ever have to put up with anything you find offensive. especially as a woman in a male-dominated place. and before you ask, I do consider myself a feminist, quite a bit more than a neanderthal anyways. but who knows what kind of progressive politics they were up to?

Wow, you talk more than most women -I like it! Laughing

why tank you! although I think this kind of writing activity is not normal for me. it helps to have serious work that I have waiting but am avoiding atm. nothing like the internets for procrastination..

[Chiroptera]

"Et sny, din faen!")

Haha, då lo eg. Is that what you say to the polar bears when they try to enter your house as well?

No, they're too damn smart to come near. I suspect they know they'll end up in front of my fireplace if they try! Here, cuddly! (In lack of how to properly call a polarbear.)

well... with the said pinch of salt it does not feel so neanderthal to me. I actually think it's a pretty funny way to say that something blew your mind. probably even more so if a woman used it casually in a conversation with me. but I see your point. and I also don't think you should ever have to put up with anything you find offensive. especially as a woman in a male-dominated place. and before you ask, I do consider myself a feminist, quite a bit more than a neanderthal anyways. but who knows what kind of progressive politics they were up to?

Seriously, I DON'T MIND! My own reply had bucketloads of salt in it. Nevertheless; you'll never hear that term cumm.. I mean comin' out of my lips!

why tank you! although I think this kind of writing activity is not normal for me. it helps to have serious work that I have waiting but am avoiding atm. nothing like the internets for procrastination..

I'll drink to that! So true.. I should be picking up those books and reading like hell for my exam -but it's so much more fun fiddling away on the internet while listening to obscure metal!

['pataphysicien]

Seriously, I DON'T MIND! My own reply had bucketloads of salt in it.

you're right. my salt detector might be broken, will have to get it checked asap. it was the word neanderthal and the quasi-resigning tone I reacted to I guess. nevermind my rant then.

I'll drink to that!

cheers!

[Chiroptera]

you're right. my salt detector might be broken, will have to get it checked asap. it was the word neanderthal and the quasi-resigning tone I reacted to I guess. nevermind my rant then.

cheers!

Judging by your avatar, that should be a walk in the park for you. And please have the decency to inform me when it's done, so I might start tossing salt about the place once more.

And it's SKÅL! in norwegian. What're we having? Homecooked brygg tasting like a sunny vestlandsk summer's day?

[Avenger]

I'm having an awfully hard time trying to follow these recent conversations.

It must be due to my residing in North America...

[Stormspell]

Take a note and learn how to announce your musical affinities from this little girl:

I LOVE THRASH METAL

[The Knell]

I listen to all sort of things, mostly old metal. Old metal. Not new sounding stuff

Most of them go: haha, oh those old guys with shaggy hairdos and bad production

And I only say Well sort of because I'm quite tired answering to always the same BS from an acne guy telling me that DevilDriver or Children Of Bodom are real DEATH METAL!!! *\m/* while swinging his ridiculous emo hair rag (yes I have that one in my class)

What can I do, I'm just digging the old way even if it was made before me (I know that this sounds weird to some people). It's fine by me when other people listen to the new crap, but only without telling me what's metal and what is not when they didnt even tried to check out its "roots" or making fun of my shit.

[MEXDefenderOfSteel]

I listen to all sort of things, mostly old metal. Old metal. Not new sounding stuff

Most of them go: haha, oh those old guys with shaggy hairdos and bad production

And I only say Well sort of because I'm quite tired answering to always the same BS from an acne guy telling me that DevilDriver or Children Of Bodom are real DEATH METAL!!! *\m/* while swinging his ridiculous emo hair rag (yes I have that one in my class)

What can I do, I'm just digging the old way even if it was made before me (I know that this sounds weird to some people). It's fine by me when other people listen to the new crap, but only without telling me what's metal and what is not when they didnt even tried to check out its "roots" or making fun of my shit.

haha i also have this same problem!...im a complete weirdo back in my college becasue i dont listen to cannibal corpse,mayhem,o even (newer) metallica!, is like "of wtf with this guy,his bands seems obscure but are not brutal at all"

[Witchkiller]

-What kind of music you dig man?
-Heavy Metal
-What?
-Yeah,Heavy Metal,the louder the better
-I really don't understand you dude
-Let's take a stripjoint ride.....i'll explain to you along the way(blast goes the radio)

[Cochino]

I listen to all sort of things, mostly old metal. Old metal. Not new sounding stuff

Most of them go: haha, oh those old guys with shaggy hairdos and bad production

And I only say Well sort of because I'm quite tired answering to always the same BS from an acne guy telling me that DevilDriver or Children Of Bodom are real DEATH METAL!!! *\m/* while swinging his ridiculous emo hair rag (yes I have that one in my class)

What can I do, I'm just digging the old way even if it was made before me (I know that this sounds weird to some people). It's fine by me when other people listen to the new crap, but only without telling me what's metal and what is not when they didnt even tried to check out its "roots" or making fun of my shit.

haha i also have this same problem!...im a complete weirdo back in my college becasue i dont listen to cannibal corpse,mayhem,o even (newer) metallica!, is like "of wtf with this guy,his bands seems obscure but are not brutal at all"

Yeah, when I was in school the most melodic metal fans (who are quite a lot down here) thought that the music I liked was too extreme, and the ones playing the tough card thought that my music was too melodic.
I like both Judas Priest and Mortician, what's the big deal about it? And they call us metalheads "close minded"