A Lesson in Homophobia and Performative Masculinity in the
Metal Music Scene
[TRIGGER WARNING: Homophobic language.]
I had to sign a waiver before I entered
the venue.
That’s how I could tell this was going to be a great metal
show.
Amid the musk of body odor and PBR, through the swaying
bodies of beard, flannel, gauges, and tattooed fists, I found my way to the
pole in the middle of the floor—there’s always a pole. It supports me through most metal shows, which
often take their toll on my body after a few bands.
I was nodding along to the opening act, giving them some
credit for playing what appeared to be a hard to please Clifton Park, NY crowd. And
boy was I right.
Between the Buried and Me was the headlining act.
I love
those guys. They prove vegans can kick ass.
The crowd was overwhelmingly a BTBAM crowd. It seemed there was little room to be impressed.
Which brings me to right before BTBAM when deafheaven performed, which is the band I truly came to see, seeing as I'd been to a number of BTBAM shows in the past. Deafheaven released what I considered the most important metal album last year, Sunbather, on what I consider to be the most important record label today, Deathwish Records. The band combines beautiful atmospheric elements of Explosions in the Sky
with the power and shear brutality of black metal.
However, their sound hasn’t been completely accepted among
metal purists because it is too atmospheric and uplifting at times while the
lyrics are screamed completely incoherently to the untrained ear.
I was in love with their opening number, “Dream House,” the
first track on the aforementioned, Sunbather.
The track has so many elements of dynamic emotion and raw, heinous, unbridled
metal. After the euphoria of the nine-minute epic, I was given a chance to
breathe.
That’s when I heard it.
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| George Clarke of deafheaven consistently brings a dynamic performance. |
“This band is so gay!”
The man who said it resembled a young Rutherford B.
Hayes—with one full sleeve of tattoos, a Bud Light, and an unkempt beard. I
turned my head immediately and responded, “Not cool, bro.” He smirked at me and
said some other unsavory words. The next song, my favorite song, started, so I
turned my attention back to the stage.
Ten minutes passed as I enjoyed the next song—however, I
couldn’t enjoy it because of what that man said about deafheaven. I wasn’t okay
with it.
I’ve heard disparaging statements like this many times at many
shows. I often let it slide because it’s whatever. I know that music doesn’t
have a sexual orientation. I know that people say things like this out of
ignorance. But I couldn’t let this one slide.
When their set ended, I turned to the dude and asked him to
explain why he said what he said. He didn’t give me a straight answer. Well, he
did and he didn’t.
“They aren’t even metal—it’s hipster bullshit. They don't belong here.” he told me.
I turned my head, confusingly, “and what does that even have to do with sexual
orientation?”
“Don’t be so sensitive, dude,” he told me.
Sensitive? Obviously this dude didn’t know me or my history
of allyship.
He said, "they don't belong here" and all that flashed in front of my face was the discrimination of the Civil Rights movement, the women's suffrage movement, and even today in places like Arizona and Kansas, where homosexuals have recently had legislature proposed to ban them from certain services. Situations like this are moments for learning and for growth. So that's what I wanted to do.
He said, "they don't belong here" and all that flashed in front of my face was the discrimination of the Civil Rights movement, the women's suffrage movement, and even today in places like Arizona and Kansas, where homosexuals have recently had legislature proposed to ban them from certain services. Situations like this are moments for learning and for growth. So that's what I wanted to do.
I kindly and coolly explained to him and his snickering
friends the reality of his words, the reality of the persecution those, like me,
in the LGBTQ+ community face every day because of people tactlessly throwing
around abusive language like that.
I obviously didn't want to cause a scene--the man was bigger than me--yet, I simply wanted to make a point that men shouldn't be afraid to call out other men when we hear offensive and abusive language that disenfranchises other men.
He sipped his beer, obviously annoyed to have been called
out.
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| Album cover for deafheaven's album, Sunbather, released June 11, 2013. |
“Oh, and pink isn’t metal?” I respond.
“No. It’s fucking gay.” He said.
Classic gender roles on display right there. Pink isn’t
masculine. Are we still at that point in history? Boys are blue and girls are
pink? I’m tired of that form of gender role association.
Yes, deafheaven’s new album, Sunbather, has an all-pink cover. And no, it is in no way
homosexual. In fact, I praise the high level of irony and beauty the cover
brings to the metal scene. I have a sticker of the album cover on my water
bottle. I see the album cover every day. Also, the vinyl release for this
record is also all pink! It’s quite wonderful to hear such rawness emanating from
a pink vinyl record.
The fact that deafheaven is willing to present themselves
with such allure, such care for their sound and release their tunes behind a
gender role-shattering album cover makes me so proud to be their fan. Sure,
that probably wasn’t their point and they may never read this, but I felt the
need to stand up to the man who made such a bigoted comment in regard to
something he doesn’t understand.
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| Japan's Baby Metal is an example of brilliant intersectional metal the crosses gender and musical stereotypes. |
Dudes often use offensive and derogative language when
confronted with anything they don’t understand. That is in no way excusable. Men
who talk and act like this at shows give metal a bad name, give men a bad
name, and make me ashamed to identify in either category. I’m tired of this
gross lack of respect for art and sexual identity.
“I’d rather be
water-boarded than listen to this band again.”
After the show, my friend told me he had heard another
person in the crowd say that in reference to deafheaven as the flamboyant
vocalist, George Clarke, kissed the crowd goodnight and walked offstage.
I was shocked beyond compare—almost more than the homophobic
slur because this was purely an instance where absurd hyperbole is at play, and
ignorant stupidity is at fault. While the metal scene is largely based around
hyperbolic epic lyrics and language, so too is its fan’s reactions to acts they
do not like.
Music is an artform of sound, harmony, beats that fall into
varying genres, subgenres and postgenres—of which some styles don’t appeal to
everyone. And that’s fine. Yet, what this deeper demonstrates is the power and
gross misuse of language.
What it all comes down to is that whatever band it is, the band
really doesn’t matter—this applies to any band in any genre at any show,
anywhere. What matters is that we, as concertgoers, act as active bystanders
when we hear potential harmful language, see harmful actions, and speak up!
I call for all concertgoers to intervene in any of these
situations—like I did—stand up for the voiceless, be willing to confront
ignorance and disrespect. Because if you won’t, who will?
I’m not sure this will resonate with all readers; yet, this
is something that reaches far beyond music—it happens everywhere. That doesn’t
mean we must tolerate this sort of behavior.
Speak up in the face of disrespect.
Lemme know your thoughts!
Be well, all.
Join me in dialogue:
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