Classic Metal Class Session 17 — Parody in Heavy Metal
from Spinal Tap to Steel Panther. . . and beyond
One set of topics we touched on occasionally in previous sessions of Classic Metal Class concern parody bands. If they engage primarily in poking fun at the genre of heavy metal, do they and their music still belong within that genre? Or should they be regarded and treated as something different? And are there any clear boundaries where we cross from heavy metal over into parody or satire of it? Are there different sorts or modes of parody? Can bands that once were taken quite seriously — or who at least take themselves seriously — degenerate or devolve into parody?
So, for session 17, Scott and I decided it was high time to approach these topics head-on. Here’s the videorecording of the session, if you’re interested in hearing the entire exploration.
Before we shifted our attention to perhaps the most iconic parody metal band ever, Spinal Tap, we delved into a little backstory about other plausible parody bands and artists. Frank Zappa and Cheech and Chong both produced humorous and also heavy songs that were sometimes satyrical, sometimes parodies. Think, for example, about “Earache My Eye”.
The music and bands of developing heavy metal scenes as the term gained currency and a recognizable though rather ill-defined genre coallesced were often over the top. In some sense, you could say that they contained the seeds of parody within them. Or even wore them on their sleeve. Think of KISS in the 1970s, where in some sense they became a parody of themselves (appearing on lunchboxes, and in the movie Kiss Meets the Phantom of the Park). The Plasmatics, and their singer Wendy O’ Williams provides another prime example, as do W.A.S.P., Manowar, and Bitch. By the mid-1980s, there’s also GWAR. Later on in the 2000s, Cauldron would make us wonder, with songs like “Chained Up In Chains” their 2009 album Chained to the Nite.
Then there’s Spinal Tap. And they are just parody. But you gotta admit, their music, produced to fully commit to the gag (or gig) isn’t bad at all. We typically think of them as starting in the 1980s, with the This is Spinal Tap mockumentary, ostensibly following the band on a 1982 United States concert tour to promote their new album Smell the Glove. This was followed by appearances on Saturday Night Live, including them playing “Big Bottom” and “Christmas With The Devil”. As it turns out, they first appeared in a sketch in The TV Show in 1978. Spinal Tap would put out additional albums, including Break Like the Wind in 1992, and Back from the Dead in 2009.
We looked at a number of other parodic (or at least arguably so) heavy metal bands during the session, discussing their approaches and commitment to the metal schtick. Here’s some of them we spent time exploring:
- S.O.D. (Stormtroopers of Death)
- Psychostick
- Betty Blowtorch
- Nanowar (of Steel)
- Steel Panther
- Tenacious D
- Alestorm
- Witch Taint
- Mac Sabbath
There’s also a good bit of television-connected parodies of metal. Foremost in our times would be the legendary band Dethklok on the show Metapocalypse (which included additional parodies Magnus Hammersmith, Dr. Rockso (the Rock N. Roll Clown), and Snakes N’ Barrels). There are even metal fan characters who are delibarate parodies, like Beavis and Butthead in the 1990s, or Karl Blutowski in the 2000s. There’s skits like SNL’s “More Cowbell” featuring Christopher Walken as “Bruce Dickenson”, French and Saunders’ “Court and Tabs” featuring cameos by Lemmy and Gary Moore, and a later SNL “Kiddie Metal” advertising an album of kid’s songs putatively done by Axl and Slash (Adam Sandler and Keifer Sutherland).
So, there’s all sorts of interesting parodies of heavy metal bands, albums, tours, fans, and more out there. So long as there are people listening to, producing, and playing heavy metal, there will be people poking fun at it. And some of it will even be pretty solid stuff!
If you’re relatively new to classic heavy metal, and looking for some suggestions where to get started, then you’ll want to check out this set of solid recommendations!
If you’d like to see all of the other class sessions we’ve done so far, here’s where you can find them!
I’m Greg Sadler, the Heavy Metal Philosopher. I’m also the president of ReasonIO, a speaker, writer, and a producer of highly popular YouTube videos on classic and contemporary philosophy. I teach at Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design, and offer classes to the wider public in my Study With Sadler online academy. I also produce the Sadler’s Lectures podcast and co-host the Wisdom for Life radio show
