"You Sold Out, Man!"

Few pictures in the music industry caused more backlash and fan resentment than the above image of the then newly short-haired boys from Metallica on their 1996 album, Load. I've never particularly liked talking about the politics of music (past and present) but last night I was reminded once again how public image and fan worship, or in this case, fan ridicule, lives on indefinitely. I’ve also never been of the theory that looks or most specifically, the length of one’s hair was the overriding factor to the credibility of the musical genre they belong to.  With the emphasis that it really should be all about the music why do we continue to want our rock stars long haired and in studded leather jackets. If it truly is all about the music then the foundation that is built on the credibility of a metalhead is never shaken because they now choose to have a crew cut.  With that in mind, last night I spent a good ten minutes being told that Metallica sold out in 1996; when they cut their hair and when Load became too “dancey” (their words). I wish it was the first time I heard this sentiment but unfortunately it was not. It was not the first time I heard someone view an individual or a group as a “sell out”. Rather, the words “sell out” and “poseur” are so entrenched in Youtube’s music video comment thread that one expects to be involved in a long discourse on it if they are bold enough to comment on a video they like. Few things are also more entertaining than witnessing people on a Facebook thread discuss who “sucks” and who “sold out”. With our frivolous categorization of who is a poseur and who is a sell-out by the length of hair and amount of riffs on an album, I gotta ask, whats next? Are were going out to count who has more glued on studs on a jacket to determine who is more badass? On that note, it always boggles my mind how fans and non-fans of a band think they are the overriding authority on who has 1. sold out 2. who is a “poseur fan” and 3. who has changed their music to appeal to a bigger demographic. Lets get one think clear- human beings are multidimensional and forever changing (and so are their musical preferences). Same goes with the musicians who make the music. If members of Sepultura woke up tomorrow and wanted to make a melodic country album, guess what? They can! Its called being a multifaceted human being and refusing to be pigeonholed into any sort of musical category.

Another fan friendly topic is who became “too mainstream”. Nowadays its as though fans get upset when “their” band gets moved to a larger venue. No, no, more people want to see them, it’s a good thing. And don’t even get me started if a self proclaimed die hard fan shows up to a show and does not approve of the demographic in attendance (usually by one's lack of black). So what if average Joe went to see Watain in his khakis and flannel shirt? Is the band no longer as heavy? Or better yet, is average Joe a poseur? Of course not! But being an ignorant purist fan has its drawbacks. Once you establish that you do not own a band or dictate the musical journey that will lead them, life will be so much better and maybe you will even get to discover new bands and sounds that you didn’t even know you liked because as much as you do not care to admit it, you too are multidimensional and non stagnant . Above all though, once fans curb the musical snobbiness that plagues the plethora of Toronto concert venues, we can actually have a music scene that is saturated in inclusion and belongingness rather than exclusion and the lowering of volume of a Euro dance song that you just happened to be in love with while wearing your studded black jacket and long beard. You can be into metal and like Euro dance, its ok metal soldier, they’ll understand. Even after you cut your hair.