Yes, it’s true. Once upon a time, I was quite the metalhead (as the icon for this post will prove.) What can I say? I was in a teenager in suburbia during the 80’s, and there was no better form of rebellion than listening to Slayer. It’s really all my father’s fault, it was a Black Sabbath record from his record collection, picked and played more or less at random, that resonated with me and opened my ears.
I played in all manner of bad metal bands in Cleveland throughout the 80’s (and even one not-so-bad hardcore band that met with some modicum of success, albeit mostly after I quit.) and remained a metalhead until late in the 80’s, when my ongoing exploration of the darker side of the world led me to Skinny Puppy, who I found more frightening and subversive than any metal band out there, and never looked back as I transformed into a rivethead for a few years.
So, there you have it. The proverbial cat is out of it’s bag, and my youthful silliness is exposed for the world. The full picture the icon above was taken from is here.
While we’re at it, a few more confessions:
I have a penchant for really bad synth-pop, especially when it has a female singer. I have CD’s by Kylie Minogue, Aqua and Ace Of Base hidden within my collection. Sadly, I have no Abba, but I do mean to get some eventually. My old metalhead fans would probably want to kick my ass right now, if I still knew any of them.
I’m known to occasionally watch professional wrestling. Look, it was big when I was a kid in the late 70’s/early 80’s and it stuck with me. I had kicked the habit for a long time, until rediscovering it a few years back. I’m ashamed to admit that I know the Undertaker’s real name is Mark Callaway and Shawn Michael’s real last name is Hickenbottom, and I know why fans in Montreal like to chant “You screwed Bret” all the time.
I have an almost fetish-like appreciation for Japanese women. Love ’em. Most beautiful women on the planet. I plan to visit Tokyo some day just to be surrounded by them all day, I want to go and just walk around the streets in a daze. I even have several false starts attempting to learn Japanese just so I can communicate with them while I’m there.
I really enjoy cheesy high school flicks. It started with the classics, like Breakfast Club or Pretty in Pink, but continues today with true drivel like Can’t Hardly Wait (which I actually own on DVD) and 10 Things I Hate About You. I’ve seen Drive Me Crazy more than once, it’s that bad. Shameful, really.
Okay, enough confessions for now. I’ve embarrassed myself enough for one day. :)