I enojoyed this piece, and agree about the "any music can be violent music". its a few ignorant people that can paint a bad picture and I like how this piece counters that
"Mind Your Metal" provides the casual listener (and metal newbie) with a basic overview of the genre, and some of the surrounding controversies. The piece opens with an interesting look at metal through generations - even the women at the local Dairy Queen are metal fans, and they fondly recount the music of their youth.
For me, this was the most interesting aspect of the piece. Although "Mind Your Metal" would have benefited from a greater historical context, it deos a great job examining how metal isn't just a craze for "kids these days" but rather something each generation has enjoyed, a point that is driven home well through an interview with one narrator's English teacher, also a devout metal fan. In this interview, common misconceptions about metal are discussed and debunked - it is stated that "metal is what you want to make of it", and after listening to the interview, by far the most interesting segment of the piece, I came away with a newfound respect for this much-maligned genre of music.
The only major change I would make relates to the music in the piece - an original metal song is included at the end in its entirety, and while the song is a great addition to the piece, it would probably be more effective sprinkled throughout.
Boy, this is an interesting day. Today in our fair state we are seeing the demise of a student run College Radio Station at risk of going dark due to a change at an News and Information station. This piece would be perfect on the college station and not perfect on the News Station. Young folks will love this piece. Old folks will dismiss it. This piece, like the two stations who don't understand each other, have little in common, and don't see the value to the community the other provides, doesn't really bridge the gap effectively.
The producer could have made this piece relatable to both groups, but the defense of Metal Music is, well, defensive. It's not really too insightful, but it is wonderfully logical, passionate and heart felt.
College stations must air this piece.
I can't really recommend this to the News and Info stations out there, but I can endorse this to any college station and many AAA stations, when used in context.
There is a false ending around 5 mins into this piece that takes us directly into a song. A nice touch really, that ensures the integrity of the piece is matched by the music following it.
I liked this piece a lot. It defends metal from the distorted viewpoint that many people have of it. I think it all boils down to this oh so cliched, yet oh so true, moral: don't judge a book by it's cover.
For someone like me with my many preconceived notions about the violence of heavy metal music, this piece represents well the perspectives of both the artists who create and the listeners who love this music; the story presents a very positive, convincing argument for the genre. Particularly creative is the montage of voices that opens the piece. The use of heavy metal for transition music also adds to the depth and flow of the piece. For the most part, the narration works well, although it could be improved by editing the script to make it more succinct and by reading more smoothly. Overall, however, the piece leaves even the most skeptical listener with a better sense of the motivation behind creating and listening to this genre.
Comments for Mind Your Metal
Produced by Amy Brashears and TJ Caudill
Other pieces by Appalachian Media Institute
Rating Summary
5 comments
craig bryda
Posted on June 08, 2006 at 01:25 PM | Permalink
Review of Mind Your Metal
I enojoyed this piece, and agree about the "any music can be violent music". its a few ignorant people that can paint a bad picture and I like how this piece counters that
Emily Raymond
Posted on February 25, 2006 at 10:32 AM | Permalink
Review of Mind Your Metal
"Mind Your Metal" provides the casual listener (and metal newbie) with a basic overview of the genre, and some of the surrounding controversies. The piece opens with an interesting look at metal through generations - even the women at the local Dairy Queen are metal fans, and they fondly recount the music of their youth.
For me, this was the most interesting aspect of the piece. Although "Mind Your Metal" would have benefited from a greater historical context, it deos a great job examining how metal isn't just a craze for "kids these days" but rather something each generation has enjoyed, a point that is driven home well through an interview with one narrator's English teacher, also a devout metal fan. In this interview, common misconceptions about metal are discussed and debunked - it is stated that "metal is what you want to make of it", and after listening to the interview, by far the most interesting segment of the piece, I came away with a newfound respect for this much-maligned genre of music.
The only major change I would make relates to the music in the piece - an original metal song is included at the end in its entirety, and while the song is a great addition to the piece, it would probably be more effective sprinkled throughout.
Steve Yasko
Posted on February 24, 2006 at 02:07 PM | Permalink
Review of Mind Your Metal
A great defense of Heavy Metal.
Boy, this is an interesting day. Today in our fair state we are seeing the demise of a student run College Radio Station at risk of going dark due to a change at an News and Information station. This piece would be perfect on the college station and not perfect on the News Station. Young folks will love this piece. Old folks will dismiss it. This piece, like the two stations who don't understand each other, have little in common, and don't see the value to the community the other provides, doesn't really bridge the gap effectively.
The producer could have made this piece relatable to both groups, but the defense of Metal Music is, well, defensive. It's not really too insightful, but it is wonderfully logical, passionate and heart felt.
College stations must air this piece.
I can't really recommend this to the News and Info stations out there, but I can endorse this to any college station and many AAA stations, when used in context.
There is a false ending around 5 mins into this piece that takes us directly into a song. A nice touch really, that ensures the integrity of the piece is matched by the music following it.
Ben Lavine
Posted on January 20, 2006 at 05:19 PM | Permalink
Review of Mind Your Metal
I liked this piece a lot. It defends metal from the distorted viewpoint that many people have of it. I think it all boils down to this oh so cliched, yet oh so true, moral: don't judge a book by it's cover.
Eilis O'Neill
Posted on January 17, 2006 at 12:27 PM | Permalink
Review of Mind Your Metal
For someone like me with my many preconceived notions about the violence of heavy metal music, this piece represents well the perspectives of both the artists who create and the listeners who love this music; the story presents a very positive, convincing argument for the genre. Particularly creative is the montage of voices that opens the piece. The use of heavy metal for transition music also adds to the depth and flow of the piece. For the most part, the narration works well, although it could be improved by editing the script to make it more succinct and by reading more smoothly. Overall, however, the piece leaves even the most skeptical listener with a better sense of the motivation behind creating and listening to this genre.