Music: Rock & Metal Profs

THE ROCK & METAL PROFS

WITH MATT ALSCHBACH & DR. COURT LEWIS

Associate professors at Owensboro Community College and Pellissippi State Community College, respectively, Alschbach and Lewis host the popular podcast The Rock & Metal Profs: The History & Philosophy of Rock & Metal. Now they're bringing their keen insights to the pages of News 4U with a monthly deep dive into some of the best bands of the rock/metal genre and thoughts on music in general.

IS THERE SUCH A THING AS “BAD PUBLICITY”?

The rock/metal genre is over the top - everything is cranked up to 11, even the hair and make-up. Famously, KISS concerts feature pyrotechnics, lasers, and a fire-breathing, blood-spitting demon flying through the air. Then there's shock rocker Alice Cooper who made headlines in the early 70’s for throwing a chicken into the crowd, which was then mutilated by the audience. The news media and “concerned citizens” made it sound as though he performed a Satanic mass on the unfortunate poultry. Bands learned early on the power of public relations (PR) in promoting their albums and mythology, so much so that some bands were better known for what they did off-stage than their music.

Consider the outlandish antics of Ozzy Osbourne, who in the 80’s lived up to his name as the "Madman of Rock & Roll" by biting the head off a bat on stage, and then duplicated the act with a dove during a meeting with CBS Records execs. He was also arrested and banned from San Antonio, TX, after urinating on the Alamo. Mötley Crüe was routinely photographed with scantily clad girls and booze bottles as they played up their badboy image. Vince Neil was even charged with vehicular manslaughter after a drunken car crash. Not convinced? Watch the rockumentary The Dirt (2019), which spends most of its running time focused on sex, drugs, and excess, with little emphasis on the band's music. Even John Lennon understood the value of a good PR stunt to increase album sales. 1968’s Two Virgins featured Lennon and Yoko Ono fully nude on the front and back covers - a vision we could have all lived without, but it certainly got people talking about the album. The year prior, The Who drummer Keith Moon blew up his drum set on national TV, but used too much explosive, leaving guitarist Pete Townsend deaf in one ear. Do these shocking (and sometimes inadvertent) attempts to gain attention have the desired effect? Or do they distract fans from what should be most important, the music? Will people remember the music of KISS, Alice Cooper, Ozzy Osbourne, Mötley Crüe and The Who, or will they be known simply for their antics? Only time will tell, but like it or not, antics seem to be a fundamental part of rock and metal.

PICTURED LEFT TO RIGHT: MATT ALSCHBACH AND DR. COURT LEWIS The Rock & Metal Profs podcast is available on iTunes, Google and Spotify.