Running with the Devil: Power, Gender, and Madness in Heavy Metal Music (Music / Culture)

“A solid, scholarly analysis of the power, meaning, musical structure, and sociopolitical contexts of the most popular examples of heavy metal.” —Library JournalDismissed by critics and academics, condemned by parents and politicians, and fervently embraced by legions of fans, heavy metal music continues to attract and embody cultural conflicts that are central to society. In Running with the Devil, Robert Walser explores how and why heavy metal works, both musically and socially, and at the same time uses metal to investigate contemporary formations of identity, community, gender, and power. This edition includes a new foreword by Harris M. Berger contextualizing the work and a new afterword by the author.Ebook Edition Note: all photographs (sixteen) have been redacted.“Walser belongs to a small but influential group of academics trying to reconcile ‘high theory'with a streetwise sense of culture... an excellent book.” —Rolling Stone“Takes musicology where it has never gone before; I once saw the chapter on metal guitarists and the classical tradition performed live in a lecture hall, but even on paper it smokes.” —SF Weekly“Walser is truly gifted at doing what few critics before him have done: analyzing the music... In virtuoso readings of metal music that forge persuasive links between metal and particular classical music traditions, Walser reveals the ways that musical structures themselves are social texts.” —The Nation“Making surprising connections to classical forms and debunking stereotypes of metal's musical crudity, Walser delves enthusiastically into guitar conventions and rituals.” —The Washington Post From The Publisher: A Choice Outstanding Academic Book. A Musicologist And Cultural Critic As Well As A Professional Musician, Robert Walser Offers A Comprehensive Musical, Social, And Cultural Analysis Of Heavy Metal In Running With The Devil. Dismissed By Critics And Academics, Condemned By Parents And Politicians, Fervently Embraced By Legions Of Fans, Heavy Metal Music Attracts And Embodies Cultural Conflicts That Are Central To Our Society. Walser Explores How And Why Heavy Metal Works, Both Musically And Socially, And At The Same Time Uses Metal To Investigate Contemporary Formations Of Identity, Community, Gender, And Power. Acknowledgments -- Introduction -- 1: Metallurgies: Genre, History, And The Construction Of Heavy Metal -- Genre And Commercial Mediation -- Casting Heavy Metal -- Heavy Metal In The 1980s -- Headbangers -- Nasty, Brutish, And Short? Rock Critics And Academics Evaluate Metal -- 2: Beyond The Vocals: Toward The Analysis Of Popular Musical Discourses -- Genre And Discourse -- Musicological Analysis -- Writing About Music -- Metal As Discourse -- Runnin With The Devil -- Negotiation And Pleasure -- 3: Eruption: Heavy Metal Appropriations Of Classical Virtuosity -- Classical Prestige And Popular Meanings -- Ritchie Blackmore And The Classical Roots Of Metal -- Edward Van Halen And The New Virtuosity -- Randy Rhoads: Metal Gets Serious -- Yngwie Malmsteen: Metal Augmented And Diminished -- Popular Music As Cultural Dialogue -- 4: Forging Masculinity: Heavy Metal Sounds And Images Of Gender -- Behind The Screen: Listening To Gender -- No Girls Allowed: Exscription In Heavy Metal -- Kiss Of Death: Misogyny And The Male Victim -- Living On A Prayer: Romance -- Nothing But A Good Time? Androgyny As A Political Party -- Real Men Don't Wear Makeup -- 5: Can I Play With Madness? Mysticism, Horror, And Postmodern Politics -- Professing Censorship: The Pmrc And Its Academic Allies Attack -- Suicide Solutions -- Mysticism And Postmodernism In Heavy Metal -- Horror And History -- Guns N' Roses N' Marx N' Engels -- Appendix 1: Heavy Metal Canons -- Appendix 2: Heavy Metal Questionnaire -- Notes -- Select Discography -- Select Bibliography -- Index. Robert Walser. Includes Bibliographical References, Discography, And Index. Cover 1 Running with the Devil 2 Title 4 Copyright 5 Contents 6 Foreword to the 2014 Edition 8 Acknowledgments 18 Introduction 20 1. Metallurgies: Genre, History, and the Construction of Heavy Metal 32 Genre and Commercial Mediation 34 Casting Heavy Metal 38 Heavy Metal in the 1980s 42 Headbangers 47 “Nasty, Brutish, and Short"? Rock Critics and Academics Evaluate Metal 51 2. Beyond the Vocals: Toward the Analysis of Popular Musical Discourses 57 Genre and Discourse 58 Musicological Analysis 65 Writing about Music 70 Metal as Discourse 72 “Ruinin’ with the Devil” 82 Negotiation and Pleasure 86 3. Eruptions: Heavy Metal Appropriations of Classical Virtuosity 88 Classical Prestige and Popular Meanings 89 Ritchie Blackmore and the Classical Roots of Metal 94 Edward Van Halen and the New Virtuosity 98 Randy Rhoads: Metal Gets Serious 109 Yngwie Malmsteen: Metal Augmented and Diminished 124 Popular Music as Cultural Dialogue 133 4. Forging Masculinity: Heavy Metal Sounds and Images of Gender 151 Behind the Screen: Listening to Gender 155 No Girls Allowed: Exscription in Heavy Metal 157 The Kiss of Death: Misogyny and the Male Victim 160 Living on a Prayer: Romance 163 Nothing but a Good Time? Androgyny as a Political Party 167 “Real Men Don’t Wear Makeup" 171 5. Can I Play with Madness? Mysticism, Horror, and Postmodern Politics 180 Professing Censorship: The PMRC and Its Academic Allies Attack 180 Suicide Solutions 188 Mysticism and Postmodernism in Heavy Metal 194 Horror and History 203 Guns N’ Roses N’ Marx N’ Engels 208 Afterword to the 2014 Edition 216 Appendix 1: Heavy Metal Canons 224 Appendix 2: Heavy Metal Questionnaire 226 Notes 230 Select Discography 256 Select Bibliography 260 Index 266 About the Authors 278 Metallurgies : genre, history, and the construction of heavy metal. Genre and commercial mediation ; Casting heavy metal ; Heavy metal in the 1980s ; Headbangers ; "Nasty, brutish, and short"? Rock critics and academics evaluate metal Beyond the vocals : toward the analysis of popular musical discourses. Genre and discourse ; Musicological analysis ; Writing about music ; Metal as discourse ; "Runnin' with the devil" ; Negotiation and pleasure Eruptions : heavy metal appropriations of classical virtuosity. Classical prestige and popular meanings ; Ritchie Blackmore and the classical roots of metal ; Edward Van Halen and the new virtuosity ; Randy Rhoads : metal gets serious ; Yngwie Malmsteen : metal augmented and diminished ; Popular music as cultural dialogue Forging masculinity : heavy metal sounds and images of gender. Behind the screen : listening to gender ; No girls allowed : exscription in heavy metal ; The kiss of death : misogyny and the male victim ; Living on a prayer : romance ; Nothing but a good time? Androgyny as a political party ; "Real men don't wear makeup" Can I play with madness? Mysticism, horror, and postmodern politics. Professing censorship : the PMRC and its academic allies attack ; Suicide solutions ; Mysticism and postmodernism in heavy metal ; Horror and history ; Guns n' Roses n' Marx n' Engels Afterword to the 2014 edition Appendix 1. Heavy metal canons Appendix 2. Heavy metal questionnaire. A Choice Outstanding Academic Book.A musicologist and cultural critic as well as a professional musician, Robert Walser offers a comprehensive musical, social, and cultural analysis of heavy metal in Running with the Devil. Dismissed by critics and academics, condemned by parents and politicians, fervently embraced by legions of fans, heavy metal music attracts and embodies cultural conflicts that are central to our society. Walser explores how and why heavy metal works, both musically and socially, and at the same time uses metal to investigate contemporary formations of identity, community, gender, and power.Ebook Edition Note: Ebook edition note: all photographs (16) have been redacted. A comprehensive musical, social, and cultural analysis of heavy metal music. This 2014 edition includes a new foreword contextualizing the work and a new afterword by the author.