HEADBANGER HAZARDS 2: WHIP IT REAL GOOD!

Whiplash is a horrible injury. It can come from vehicular accidents...Riding on a carnival ride...or headbanging. Headbanging and moshing can really mess up your spine. Phil Anselmo claims that one of the reasons that he had such a drug problem with Pantera was the result of flailing his head every night while he sang songs like Shedding Skin and Good Friends and a Bottle of Pills. All I know is that I never felt sore after headbanging or moshing when I was 16-25. Now I am sore for days after headbanging.

I headbanged so hard when I saw QOTSA live a few years ago that sweat was raining from my long curly hair onto the people in front of us, and we were in a theater with a slope...the next day. I had to take nsaids and put a heating pack on my shoulders.

When I saw the Melvins at a small bar gig, I moshed like crazy with these skinhead dudes, keeping them from stepping on people. As one of the larger men, I felt that I had to take care of the smaller men and the women. The next day I had to soak for hours in the bath, so weak and sore.

When I was 18 I used to thrash to local punk bands Persecuted Bisexual Rednecks (PBR) and Skoidats and local metal in the form of Bacchus and Contortion. I would leave totally beat after a night of drinking/drugging/chain smoking. By the time that I'd had dinner at an all night family restaurant, I'd be ready to ride again and rock out with a few other dudes at somebodies house, with a few babes in tow. Often I'd end up going to party with the guys in PBR, one of whom was batshit crazy. He'd go and commit crazy acts of senseless vandalism. Stealing from someone's car so that he could spread their map/registration/snow scraper/gloves/tire gauge throughout the neighborhood walking/drinking/pill popping/killing 18 yr old braincells/toking/huffing/chainsmoking. His name was Jack, his bassist was Derek. I would have stuffed myself with booze/lortab/BraincellDeath/ganja/whipits/camel filters/top anyway, but with Jack there was so much more chaos and destruction to balance his creativity. Such a good guitarist/stage presence, Fall asleep and you'd have a dick drawn on your face/toothpaste in your hair/bottles broken where you sleep. Creation Requires Destruction to Exist/Destruction Requires Creation to Exist. Point is I'd never used to feel a sore neck or back when I used to Headbang hard, but now I am sore if I roll out the bed wrong, or lose my pillow in the night.. Could be just age though. At 31, I started hearing music from when I was in highschool on the classic rock station. Not mainstream music but Megadeth's Countdown to Extinction and Soundgarden's Jesus Christ Pose.

I don't believe that headbanging and moshing are good for you. Many of my creaks and groans are probably from when I was too hard on my body.


3-7-77

HEADBANGER HAZARDS 1: CRABS (& scabies)

I noticed that while I have been spending time with articles on yoga, which is one of the two main topics for this blog, I hadn't really spent any time on articles pertaining Heavy Metal Music. I have decided that I am going to be starting a new weekly post on HEADBANGER HAZARDS. These posts will cover several (hopefully comical) conditions that could afflict a Heavy Metal star or die hard follower.

I have chosen to use CRABS as the topic of my first Headbanger Hazard post and I am reserving other STDs for future posts.

Crabs are a universal for the touring heavy metal band, and I have yet to meet a band that has not had them run through at least one or two of their members. I even knew a punk band where all the members caught crabs from crashing at a groupie's place. The bassist and guitarist caught crabs from sleeping with the groupie and her friend, while the drummer only caught crabs from sleeping on her couch. They vowed that it would be their last trip to Spokane, and their performances were greatly hindered for the next few nights, as they missed riffs and whimpered to the itching in their groins.
Crabs is a horrible affliction to heavy metal. If you are a headbanger going to a concert with crabs, you will not be doing much moshing. If, on the other hand the band that you're going to see has crabs, hopefully you get pretty wasted before the show, as they are not going to be playing their best as they try to casually itch their nether regions. The pain that they suffer from the crabs effectively wussifies their demonic lyrics as they whimper more than growl. The riffs will not be clean, and the band will not be syncing up very well. I've seen more metal shows that were killed by crabs. Thankfully I usually had the needs to get drunk / stoned enough to enjoy the show. (I have even been able to enjoy Jam Bands with enough of a buzz.
Sadly, I had my encounter with these little demon bugs when I wasn't in a band, way back in high school. They really will ruin your week. Thankfully I also didn't have any concerts to go to.
Crabs can ruin a concert, but thankfully they won't ruin your life.




3-7-77

Metalhead Haircut

A week ago I decided to cut my hair. There's kind of a spiritual element to it. I cut it so that I would have no hair when my son Hektor is born. I will continue to grow my hair until my wife is ready to have our next child. As you can see I started w/ long hair and a beard



I shaved that off on 1/22/9. I still had my hair though.







The night of 1/23/9 I shaved my head, still got a tuft to play with.





Then that went too.



I freaked out everyone at our baby shower. Usually the cycle I follow is, grow it out for 4-6 years then dye it all black, last time this included the beard, which was freaky. I then get tired of redying it a year or so later and I cut it off.




Me w/ my sweet Meggie as Haides and Persephone on our first Halloween as a married couple in 2003.

Om SHAnti SHAnti SHAnti