Remember When People Could Wear What They Wanted To Gigs Without Been Mocked Online? – A Response To Paul Cooke
Edit: The original article by Paul Cooke has been removed from the online publication that published it. This article will remain up for archive purposes only.
An article came to my attention as it flooded my newsfeed on Facebook. The article, titled Remember When Metal Gigs Were Populated By Metal Fans? – A Rant by Paul Cooke, appears to have invoked the ire of a lot of my metal loving Facebook friends. Paul took it upon himself in the article to begin moaning about various going ons by people at one of the recent shows on the Slipknot–Korn Prepare For Hell UK tour. So, Paul, my question for you is, if you are reading this, what makes it acceptable for you to “rage” about people not wearing the typical attire of gig goers? Do you remember the days when people could wear what they wanted at gigs without fear of been mocked online by the press? I certainly do.
Remember the days when metal gigs were populated by metal fans? I mean people who actually looked like they were into metal? There are still gigs like this but Slipknot etc attract a fair share of the NEXT, TOP SHOP, TOP MAN, MISS TWATTIN’ SELFIDGE brigade and it winds me the fuck up. Are you so ashamed of the music you like that you can’t even be arsed to look remotely like a metal fan?
Any real metal fan will tell you that they couldn’t give a damn what they dress in as it’s the music that matters. So what if Slipknot attract people that wear clothes that are typically sold at outlets like Next and Top Shop? I’m sure Slipknot don’t care, since these are the people who have come to see them play live, not strut down the proverbial catwalk to see who looks the most metal.
Last night I sat next to a (young) couple who looked like they’d just walked out of Top Shop and Top Man respectively. Taking selfies of themselves, they never spoke a word to each other as they fannied with their phones and fooked about on Facebook between bands.
Le gasp! How dare people take photos of themselves! Oh, the inhumanity! And they “fooked about on Facebook” between bands? Oh no! They should be locked up for life! I mean, it’s not like Facebook is probably more interesting to do than watch the stage crew set things up for the next band.
Just before Slipknot hit the stage they pulled matching Slipknot t-shirts from a carrier bag and slipped them on over their clothes. They left 2 songs before Slipknot ended, removing their tees and placing them back in the bag. Total Cocks.
People do this a lot at shows. Some people – myself included – have been known to change shirts numerous times throughout a show or festival to show support for the different bands on the bill.
And to the woman in front of me who was just following Chelsea FC’s Twitter feed all night – I hope you die a horrible obesity related death.
That’s really mature. Maybe she wasn’t into the music and she was accompanying her friend/family member/significant other? But what I’d like to really know is, why did you spend so much time and energy paying attention to which Twitter feed she was following “all night”? Surely, by your logic, you should “die a horrible obesity related death” as it’s apparent you didn’t watch the bands that much.
And one the bus home I felt compelled to watch an irritating couple going through all the shit images they’d taken that night on their phones. I nearly banged their heads together. It didn’t help that she had a set of teeth that could eat an orange through a fence plus an annoying face.
I’m sure a lot of people, just like me, are wondering what this actually has to do with the show. So what if a couple were going through “all the shit images” they’d took? Why did that mean you almost banged their heads together? And why does her teeth and face have to come into the equation?
Really, Paul, are these your gripes at shows? When people go to shows, they go to enjoy themselves, not to write an article afterwards about how people just aren’t metal any more. To say that watching bands, by your logic, is more important than Facebooking or following feeds on Twitter, you certainly watched a lot of non-band stuff go on.
With no due respect, your article comes off like the whining of a 14 year old kid that’s been told by their parents that they’re banned from the X-Box for a week. All I can suggest is that next time you go to a show, ignore everyone around you and just keep your attention on the bands and the amount of beer in your glass.
Sincerely
Nico
Valkyrian Music 
21st January 2015 at 9:08 pm
Would you be interested in a chat so I can address all your points?
21st January 2015 at 10:20 pm
Seems you’ve made quite a rod for your back in a poor attempt at humour Paul?
I feel it may be better to address it on the MR site for us all to see perhaps?
21st January 2015 at 11:40 pm
Just because you didn’t like it doesn’t mean it was poor. 640 or more have liked it. 13 don’t. I was just happy to chat to you if you wanted to judge me on more than the written word. It’s no rod for me. It wasn’t a review of the gig. Just the ramblings of an old man.
21st January 2015 at 11:52 pm
I’m certainly not judging you Paul, but i am judging what you’ve written.
You see, the problem with it that i can see is not the point you were trying to raise so much – as i expect many music fans have thought these things in the past – it’s that, the show you were at was one where 2 bands have both managed to engage with audiences OUTSIDE of the traditional realms of metal.
Secondly, the frankly ridiculous vocal character assassinations of people you don’t know it’s borderline offensive and undermines the point you were trying to raise.
I’m amazed this hit the site.
21st January 2015 at 11:54 pm
Paul, Nico here – author of the response to your words – Always available for a chat. I tried avoiding making a personal attack on you in the article as I don’t know you and tried my best to sticking at just addressing the points you made in your rant.
22nd January 2015 at 12:08 am
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