Sep 9th, 2003, 08:33 PM
Anyone cracking down like this should have their musician status stripped, and they should be sent to live inside a haunted tomb in Australia until their dying days. Why? Greed. Greed, greed, greed. This all started in the public eye with Metallica, a band that did exactly what Sabbath did before them: made four quality albums (yeah, i'm one of those whiners) and then decided that from then on, it was going to be about making money, not good music. So the quality declined, and they arrived where they are now: middle-aged rockers trying to regain their status as Thrash Icons through meaningless re-invention and pointless lineup changes. Sounds familiar, doesn't it? (Off the record, i hate Suicidal Tendencies) The only difference here is Metallica forgot that being a musician is about making music, not money, so they tried to pull their jaw out instead of fixing the one cavituous tooth.
Let's be clear here: You're very lucky as a musician to make any particularly large sum of money above what Joe Schmoe worker would make. Being a musician is like being an artist. If you're a street painter, and someone comes by and takes a picture of your latest piece, is it lawsuit time yet? It's the same basic thing, but somehow it isn't theft? What about if i read a book in the library, and photocopy a picture or a paragraph that i may want to keep around for a school report or something? Can you sue me yet? Think of it this way: rather than starve or stay on the current (less)greed(y) train, Metallica has decided that it is best to just eat oneself. If they were on par with The Beatles, maybe i could see them suing fans for theft. Thankfully, they aren't. They have the most BORING DRUMMING EVER, and they weren't the only band doing what they were at the time. They already charge horrible ticket prices, (Eighty dollars to see 40 year old men pretend they're still cool just isn't my bag) and they still get kazillions of fans to attend their shows. If they hadn't spent loads and loads of money on sex, drugs, and booze, i might say they have a right to try to get their money back, but when you owe all your debts to a brazillian cocaine cartel, i won't feel sorry for you. Like all rock stars, greed and extravagance has become their number one fixation to the point where "make good music" just becomes a nattering in one's brain, not a driving force in one's heart.
Rather than continue on a stupid rant about Metallica, i'll just give you ten better thrash bands than Metiallica, so you won't even have to think about them anymore.
1. Slayer (overrated, but at least they have competent drum work)
2. Megadeth
3. Anthrax
4. M.O.D.
5. S.O.D.
6. Satan
7. Destruction
8. Exodus
9. Nuclear Assault
10. Sodom
Pick one, and give it a whirl. None will disappoint. None will sue you for listening to them, either.
edit: Whoops, i meant Destruction. Why the fuck did i say Whiplash?
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