'That Metal Show'...your thoughts

[Cosmicman]

MIB41, you don't realize this is our Lawrence Welk. We are getting old. Our kids are laughing at us (you just don't know it.) LOL
I saw and hung out with Don Dokken awhile ago as to Frankie Banali and George Lynch. These guys used to be on my wall and looked like Gods. Now I was sitting back stage with them telling jokes and they looked like.........normal people.
Not just "normal people"......older people that were trying to keep their youth.
Frankie wears enough black hair dye and you can tell he dyes his mustache. I have a few years before I am in that bracket but reality has really came crashing down when you see the metal stars of yesterday are playing the same bars your band is.

When you're a parent to three girls and dress up like this for a living then you can laugh and go, "What the **** is wrong with these guys?"



Oh yeah....you can find those guys above at CLICK TO LISTEN

[MIB41]

If I saw Joey Ramone coming out of ANY store, I would turn pale. He's been dead since 2001! But I get what your saying. It would be nice if myth and reality somehow blended. Unfortunately there is a distinction between the two. This show certainly drives that point home every episode.

[MIB41]

MIB41, you don't realize this is our Lawrence Welk. We are getting old. Our kids are laughing at us (you just don't know it.) LOL

Actually I did say that. This IS our Lawrence Welk, except in drag. I have kids in our house and trust me, the looks I get are priceless. I will say that KISS still holds some appeal so that's good. But the gimmick kind of helps cover SOME of the aging process. Certainly not all of it. The wig on Paul is getting close to silly. At least he has a vest on now to hold down his
man-boobs.

Last year... YAAAAH!


This year... Stringed those puppies tight! I see a KISS pushup bra on the horizon.

[4NDR01D]

If I saw Joey Ramone coming out of ANY store, I would turn pale. He's been dead since 2001!

Geez, I walked right into that one!

[huedell]

I think shows like THAT METAL SHOW are good when they are celebrated
and reminders of how shallow society can be is when those shows are derided.

It's one thing for the younger generation to bag on the "pathetic" aging
rockers that are now "has beens"... but the older generation can be
(and has been) just as guilty, and i don't think their venom is pretty.

It's a "build 'em up"/"knock 'em down" mentality that so many in society
feed on and I think THAT'S pathetic.

These older rocker guys, no matter how how easy of targets they are now,
provided the older generation with a soundtrack to their lives...

Does this make the past their prime rockers "Gods"???---well, not exactly,
but speaking as someone that looks at music as a big part of their
spirituality, I think it makes for a scenario where i couldn't even begin to
pick these guys apart for their fading pretty-boy image or lack of business
acumen that has made them unable to sustain a rockstar income...

I'm just grateful for what these rockers did in the past and want to see
them talk about their past and their glory days and what went into the
whole process... it's interesting to me...

But things about these shows seem slanted, it seems these shows are just
another event in the series of "Hey, I'm gonna flip on the TV so I can see
another car crash/fallen star and then post about how pathetic it is on the
Internet"... and I think that's pretty unfortunate.

[mego maniac mark]

I love the show. Although I may not be into much of the metal scene anymore, they do have good guests that I enjoy hearing from. I was able to attend the show when it first taped in NY for it's first episodes.
They taped 2 shows in one day and it was fun. I was hoping to see the one with Ace Frehley and Rush, but got Dee Snider, JJ French and Mike Piazza.
Had a blast, got to meet greet and take photos with all after show finished taping. Now the tape it in LA, and gone total Hollywood.

[MIB41]

I think shows like THAT METAL SHOW are good when they are celebrated
and reminders of how shallow society can be is when those shows are derided.

It's one thing for the younger generation to bag on the "pathetic" aging
rockers that are now "has beens"... but the older generation can be
(and has been) just as guilty, and i don't think their venom is pretty.

It's a "build 'em up"/"knock 'em down" mentality that so many in society
feed on and I think THAT'S pathetic.

These older rocker guys, no matter how how easy of targets they are now,
provided the older generation with a soundtrack to their lives...

Does this make the past their prime rockers "Gods"???---well, not exactly,
but speaking as someone that looks at music as a big part of their
spirituality, I think it makes for a scenario where i couldn't even begin to
pick these guys apart for their fading pretty-boy image or lack of business
acumen that has made them unable to sustain a rockstar income...

I'm just grateful for what these rockers did in the past and want to see
them talk about their past and their glory days and what went into the
whole process... it's interesting to me...

But things about these shows seem slanted, it seems these shows are just
another event in the series of "Hey, I'm gonna flip on the TV so I can see
another car crash/fallen star and then post about how pathetic it is on the
Internet"... and I think that's pretty unfortunate.

Music of all types provide the soundtrack to our lives. I have music in most every genre (from movie scores to rock) that speak to me for variety of different reasons. It doesn't mean I have to stand up and blindly cheer shows like American Idol that may or may not give those genres the kind of dignity I think they deserve. If you like them, more power to you. No one is saying you shouldn't. How we choose to celebrate music is also a personal choice. With regards to aging, we all have a choice in how we choose to represent ourselves. Whether we be people of notoriety or your standard neighbor down the street, it all counts. So opinions will always vary. Whether you play music or not hardly gives you artistic license to be overlooked in that assessment. Translation: If you don't have enough common sense to know dressing like a 15 year old at 60 is perhaps foolish, then you go into public at your own peril. Playing music doesn't make you any less of a clown for the oversight. And it doesn't have a thing to do with being artistic. It's called denial.

[torgospizza]

Watching this show also makes me realize how naive I was about rock bands in my youth. I use to place so much importance on these bands because of their image. MTV had such a powerful impact on society in the 80's. It dictated how we dressed and what we listened to. It was really a lifestyle. And I wanted to be like so many of these "stars". But now I look back on it and understand it was really nothing more than nonstop programming to buy product.

I understand exactly what you're saying, and you're describing me at 17. I believed the hype 100%. I remember watching a Motley Crue or KISS VHS tapes and they'd be partying with these gorgeous girls in limos and so on, and I was convinced that was their daily life. Now, however, I'm convinced those girls were paid models and a lot of those guys in some of my favorite bands of the time (Rough Cutt, Black N Blue, Helix, Vandenberg, f.ex.) weren't making nearly the money we were led to believe.

I do remember back around '84 seeing Adam Bomb being promoted heavily in Circus and wondering why they were spending so much money on advertising when the promotional single sucked so hard. I guess someone at a label thought he was pretty and that was enough. They were wrong, because most of the metal heads I knew started using his name as a punchline. A wimpy remake of Mott the Hoople's "All the Young Dudes" didn't go over well in the conservative (yet excessive) '80s. Got to give the dude credit, though--he's still out there plugging away at almost 50.

[huedell]

Music of all types provide the soundtrack to our lives. I have music in most every genre (from movie scores to rock) that speak to me for variety of different reasons. It doesn't mean I have to stand up and blindly cheer shows like American Idol that may or may not give those genres the kind of dignity I think they deserve. If you like them, more power to you. No one is saying you shouldn't. How we choose to celebrate music is also a personal choice.

I don't know if I'm reading your post wrong.... but to hold AMERICAN IDOL
responsible for carrying the torch of other genres of music except
metal music... or ANY other genre doesn't sound right as we're talking
about the musicians themselves, not just a style of music.

With regards to aging, we all have a choice in how we choose to represent ourselves. Whether we be people of notoriety or your standard neighbor down the street, it all counts. So opinions will always vary. Whether you play music or not hardly gives you artistic license to be overlooked in that assessment. Translation: If you don't have enough common sense to know dressing like a 15 year old at 60 is perhaps foolish, then you go into public at your own peril. Playing music doesn't make you any less of a clown for the oversight. And it doesn't have a thing to do with being artistic. It's called denial.

Maybe so. I guess I don't wanna be the one slinging mud is all.

I can be called a hypocrite tho. I sling mud for other reasons on the Net.
Other reasons that are music related, even.... just not IMAGE related
within the music field.

If someone wants to have fun with their look... I say "Have fun"
---and mean it. Age shouldn't be a limit as far as I'm concerned.

[MIB41]

If someone wants to have fun with their look... I say "Have fun"
---and mean it. Age shouldn't be a limit as far as I'm concerned.

I think that's a fantastic philosophy. Whatever makes you feel good and doesn't hurt others, do it. Absolutely. But what I was touching on at the start of this thread was not about personal choices. Or even about how one looks as they age. I was reflecting on the undertones of this particular show. And how they tend to betray the intent implied. On the surface, yes it appears to be this celebratory show about rock stars from the 70's and 80's. Fair enough. But after watching a number of seasons, that vibe gets lost in the obvious perspective that most of these musicians, while aging, are actually rather destitute looking or not very well individuals who are clearly on hard times. Listening to them talk about their "next project" like it's still 1983 (when they had a major label backing them) is just completely ludicrous.

The music business doesn't even work like that anymore. Warner Bros wouldn't even cut a record for Van Halen when they reunited with Roth because no one believed the record could sell after all these years. And to date the new record (under Interscope) still hasn't sold enough to even be certified Gold. So if someone that high profile is rejected, it only follows the smaller bands are not making any money off records either.

So when I hear them talking about their next "gig" like it's a lucrative show, I just hang my head. It's sad. These guys are doing now what they did as kids. They're playing any bar that will have them and they're broke. Of course in the midst of all of these musicians, you have some of the established acts like Metallica, Hagar, Crue, and such that own their publishing and still make good money. But that is the exception to most of these guys who had fifteen minutes of fame back in the 80's and haven't done anything since. So when Trunk brings them on wearing outfits from that era with hair styles they clearly can't wear anymore, I find that very sad. I'm not making fun of them. I feel pity for them. It doesn't feel like a celebration. More like exploitation. So when viewers walk away thinking, "Gosh he looks really bad" is that doing them a service? Will that help them land a record deal? Nope. It only offers a frank reminder they are no more than a pale shadow of their former image. And to me that is not about aging, because most of the established acts still look good. What it's about are people who got devoured by this industry who are once again being exploited by this glorified fan boy, Trunk. And they come because he'll say nice things about them. I don't know Huedell. That seems kind of underhanded to me. I see your point. And I respect that view. But I'm no longer sure Trunk is really celebrating these folks. Just my observation.

[huedell]

I'm not making fun of them. I feel pity for them. It doesn't feel like a celebration. More like exploitation. So when viewers walk away thinking, "Gosh he looks really bad" is that doing them a service? Will that help them land a record deal? Nope. It only offers a frank reminder they are no more than a pale shadow of their former image. And to me that is not about aging, because most of the established acts still look good. What it's about are people who got devoured by this industry who are once again being exploited by this glorified fan boy, Trunk. And they come because he'll say nice things about them. I don't know Huedell. That seems kind of underhanded to me. I see your point. And I respect that view. But I'm no longer sure Trunk is really celebrating these folks. Just my observation.

I read your whole post there... and as a result, I'm glad we pushed the issue
a bit further because with your new post, I feel i understand more what you
are saying in that, to celebrate the genre, you have to show off the artists
in a good light, and you (and many others) feel that that is just not
happening on THAT METAL SHOW, which sounds like a fair assessment.

I guess, in the end, it may be a tainted idea... as in.... "How else
could the show be rendered?" and if there IS no other way, then why bother
celebrating the genre at all with a show?

I'll also add that after years of posting on the Internet about these bands,
I am quick to assume that the majority is out looking for blood
at all costs, when maybe all they're looking for is more reality
on the part of these older musicians, and ya can't blame 'em for that.
Indeed us older fans AREN'T naive kids anymore, so the slant on
marketing yourself should reflect that.

One more thing I'll say... and that is... after all is said & done
I'm just glad these bands have the attention they do, for better or for
worse... I remember seeing THE MAMAS & THE PAPAS, DEL SHANNON
and GARY & THE PLAYBOYS in the 80s and it was one of the cooler things
I ever did... I just want all rock to be celebrated... unfortunately
for every good thing, there's a cost, and I guess I should be more comfortable with that.

[Type Two]

Just wanted to stick this in:

-Regarding "That Metal Show," the MAIN highlight for me was that they managed to get Lynch and Dokken on the same stage one more time! They didn't play any music, but at least they didn't kill each other.

OK.