Recently, our class has been reading The Lyre of Orpheus: Popular Music, the Sacred, & the Profane by Christopher Partridge. It's by far the most academically dense book in our reading list, but it nevertheless gives some valuable insights into what makes popular music so appealing. Partridge argues that there are two primary elements of popular music that do this: transgression and romanticism. Today, I want to talk about transgression. Or, perhaps I need to talk about it.
I'm a metalhead and have been for the past few years. For a while, I didn't ask questions of myself regarding why I was so attracted to the world of heavy metal. It's a pretty abrasive genre with a lot of unwelcoming qualities, though I've always found it a thrilling sounds with lots of variety and excitement in its various corners. The readings from this class have done a lot to help me understand the general appeal of heavy metal, and thus why I like it so much. Sylvan's Traces of the Spirit had an entire chapter devoted to metalhead culture, which I appreciated very much, but while Partridge doesn't speak about metal only when he talks about transgression, his book has helped a lot in giving me terms to use when I think about what's awesome about heavy metal. For example, Partridge speaks about the distinction between sacred and profane. He talks about the "impure sacred", that which deals in serious topics but is social taboo. The impure sacred would include things like death, pain, suffering, the macabre, the terrifying, sadness, and so on. Many of these are part of our daily lives, yet they are sequestered away from acceptable modes of living our day to day lives. Many artists such as Patti Smith and Nick Cave have explored transgressive ways of doing music by engaging with topics such as these and critiquing how mainstream society deals with them. Metal is, in my opinion, the ultimate music of transgression. Many artists explore uncomfortable topics and uncomfortable sounds, but metal is where those elements are taken to their most extreme forms. The lyrics may deal with flat-out disgusting topics in gory detail, often dealing in moods of rage, aggression, and misanthropy. Coupled with the harsh noises of down-tuned guitars, loud drums, and guttural vocals, metal can sound downright hellish. Partridge looks to death metal as one of these extreme expressions of transgression. The lyrics are incredibly taboo. The sounds are abrasive. The music dives straight into the realm of the impure sacred and revels in getting covered in it. So now, I'm asking myself, does this line up with the way I feel about metal? In many respects, it absolutely does. Metal is a jolt to the system. It demands you leave the space you were just in and enter a new one. It's a space of thrills and excitement, one that wouldn't be possible if it was in the realm of the exclusively sacred, the exclusively socially normal. Metal embodies transgression. It seems I am a seeker of transgression on some level, if I listen to so much of it. Partridge and others are helping me tremendously to understand not just what makes metal so appealing generally, but what makes it appealing to me. Understanding my personal taste more deeply, I believe, will help me to relate to others about what kind of music they like and why any music appeals to anyone.
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AuthorSam Coker Archives
April 2018
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