http://metal-rules.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t=41281
A post about False Metal has brought up some of my less stellar moments from the past. Some of the things brought up are true, and since I have tried signing up for that board several times in the past without being approved, I will address everything here.
Anyone that is signed up on that board, please link this thread there and let them know I'd be happy to discuss issues they have with me in any forum that I, you know, have access to.
So, then...
First, I haven't lived in Atlanta since July 2004.
The accusation with "not reviewing demo bands" is years and years old. The story about my activities regarding demos may very well be true, I can't remember. Let's assume it is 100% true. That's 1998. I have no doubt I pissed a ton of people off and did things in a very counterproductive way out of sheer ignorance. I can only respond to many charges with "I done fucked up." I certainly didn't understand the idea of "tear sheets" and I've never (as in ever, up to and including the 5th Anniversary issue) been any good at making sure everybody reviewed was directly sent a copy of the mag. But if I reviewed it, I 100% definitely listened to it. Over the years there were a few "reviews" I wrote without listening to the item in question, but in those cases I was always, ALWAYS, forthcoming about the fact that I didn't actually listen and was discussing things other than the music found. I wonder if MetalCrypt's reference was to that GBK review I reposted here some months back where I reviewed the press release and not the album.
As far as ripping apart all demos and refusing to review them, well, I had that "aawww it all SUCKS and I don't want to be bothered" attitude at times for sure, but going back to issue #2 in early 1999, there were positive reviews for unsigned bands. I certainly didn't just trash everything out of habit, ever.
I don't think Vic has seen LotFP since then. So I can't even blame him for shitting all over me if that's all he's ever seen. I can also say he's a friggin moron if he thinks I have the same approach in 2006 that I did in 1998.
For one, I invite unsigned bands to send their things in and they will get an interview for the website sent to them. (One label even sent a whole fucking box of them, which was cool except most of the bands I sent interviews to after that never bothered responding, heh).
As for the "letter to Metal Maniacs", yeah, seeing some of that coming back at me all these years later isn't fun, but what can you do. In the interest of making sure the facts are known in full and not working on seven year old memories, here is the complete text as printed in Metal Maniacs (and scanned in from the print issue so forgive any bad text). I don't have the original letter any longer, and it was twice as long as what was printed.
"To Mike G and Metal Maniacs:
I just bought and read the Oct. '99 Metal Maniacs (MANOWAR/MA1DEN cover). Are you consciously trying to run heavy metal into the ground? As if it isn 't bad enough that many of the fans, bands, and labels do their best to kill themselves off by being as ignorant and small-minded as possible, as the largest North American heavy metal publication, you are doing your best to finish it off.
Let's start with MACHINE HEAD. MACHINE HEAD doesn 't want to be pigeonholed as a metal band? (pg. 36, columns 1 & 2). Then get them the fuck out of Metal Maniacs! Mike, you have your tastes. I respect that.
You're into the attitude of music, but for you the attitude comes before the music. The attitude you promote is the attitude of the "streets, " this common-bond, fight-the-man, toughguy type thing. Hence the proliferation of hardcore, MACHINE HEAD, PANTERA, KORN, etc. in the pages of the magazine. I'm not saying this vibe is "wrong", but I thought Metal Maniacs was supposed to be about heavy metal. Music before attitude!
And when you do give the underground some coverage, Spider's ThinkTank does everything possible to make underground metal fans seem like ignorant septic tanks of hate just waiting to spew all kinds of shit. Up to this point you've done well keeping racist/homophobic bullshit out of the magazine. But if you're senstivie about Nazi/anti-Semitic shit and all that, what the hell was this article allowed in for? Now both you and Terrorizer give the Russians a chance to start all that bullshit again, and possibly on a larger scale. Glorifying anti-Jewish, go-beat-up-a-band-that's-different and all-around ignorant behavior is just what we need more of in metal, eh? Or was the article more justification to publish more mainstream stuff in the future, with the excuse that underground metal doesn't deserve the space due to the extremely dunderheaded nature of the scene leaders?
And MARILYN MANSON... who gives a shit if MARILYN MANSON matters? MANSON is not metal, so by putting that shitty article in there, you effectively robbed a deserving band of an article! Being openminded and appreciative of outside influences outside of metal is all good and well, but don't waste space covering these "outside influence" bands.' Every page in your mag should be precious, and it's bad enough you waste so much space on pretty formatting, but giving space away to this shit? And [Paul] Gargano is a bigger mushhead than you are, Mike. Metalheads need MARILYN MANSON "because he doesn't give a shit about being politically correct." Any 100 real metal bands could fit into that last paragraph in the article. MARILYN MANSON is a pop phenomenon, not a metal one.
Where did you drudge this writing staff up from? Wagner, (I'm going to kiss his ass until the end of time), Rytkonen, Gehret and Zahler (good pick!) are your star writers. The others are OK but bland. Yourself (if there's a shitty band to be featured, you are always the one to do the article) and Krgin 's writing sucks!
I understand (albeit on a much smaller scale) the pressures of putting together a publication. You have sales numbers to worry about. You have advertising dollars to worry about. As a newsstand publication, you have a responsibility to attract as many readers as possible. I do my own 'zine, Lamentations of the Flame Princess. 1 give thousands of copies away for free. It costs a lot of money. So much that if a good friend didn't believe in it enough, I literally couldn't eat because I spend all of my money getting the 'zine out there. I have a cushy office job that I probably wouldn't have if certain people at my job knew how much 'zine business was done at the office after hours. And I have my doubts about the 'zine. My metal fandom didn't commence until after I graduated high school in 1992. For six years I was never in contact with anyone who knew the metal scene. I dug down into it all by myself. I don't know anything about the technical aspects or the proper vocabulary of music. 1 am just now learning about the roots of metal by getting CDs by great bands like DIO, IRON MAIDEN, OMEN, and ACCEPT. I don't have "I'm old enough to remember when Lemmy got his first pube " credibility. After intent listening, I can't understand why VENOM, BATHORY, SLAYER, BLACK SABBATH or MOTORHEAD have any value past the fact that they influenced much better bands. However, I understand their relevance and that it all boils down to a matter of taste.
I even feel guilty that I receive promos for free from labels. Right now I'm effectively putting my life into spreading the word of heavy metal as I see it, and I feel I'm leeching off the scene by getting these things. Let's
not even go into how I feel when 1 make advertising pitches. I sweat it worrying about if my reviews are substantial enough to warrant getting advance promos. I care whether or not my advertisers are really getting the full exposure they deserve for their dollar.
1 mention my shortcomings because 1 feel it is important to know where I am coming from. With my 'zine out there, people are going to look at it and perhaps spend their money based on things I've said. I see that as an awesome responsibility on my shoulders and I act accordingly. How much of this responsibility to the scene are you feeling when you put Metal Maniacs together, Mike? Is it just a paycheck for you? Do you wrap up an issue and then be glad to be done with that guitar shit so you can go home and listen to tapes of ducks farting or whatever is rebellious, full of attitude, and considered "in" this week? Damn it, I see good bands in the magazine (MANOWAR, IRON MAIDEN, GAMMA RAY, OPETH, SENTENCED, etc.) and I assume someone [else, it should have said 'someone else'] was responsible for them being included, because issue after issue your playtist is a disgrace, not because your tastes are "wrong", but they are wrong for the editor of Metal Maniacs.
Metal Maniacs should be run by a metal lifer. It should be pushing the bright lights in the scene, not following what you think the people want to read about. Mike, either resign and let someone who feels this music run things, or change the name of the magazine.
Jim Raggi
PS. Looking at this a day later, this is way obnoxious, overblown, and probably unfair on many levels. I should probably go back and tone it down. Hell with it. It needs to be said. Enthusiasm over good sense... not the smartest way to handle things, but it staves off the boredom well enough."
And Mike G's response:
"Dear Jim,
You give away your 'zine for free? You spend all your money on it? Sometimes you can't even eat? You feel guilty getting advance promo CDs? You're an idiot. Don't you know these freebies are tax write-offs for the labels? You 're making sacrifices for what? You 're tossing away your future, as you say, or any chance at a life because you "believe in the music." Hah! We all believe in the music, pal, but I also know what you obviously don't. Bands have to sell records to survive. Don't fool yourself. Metal doesn't love you for what you 're doing. It could care less. Hello?
One way a good young band gets ahead is to open for- or be in a mag with- a headliner so folks buy the damn thing in the first place. You 're not even worth pointing out what we do here every issue for bands you can't read about anywhere else. And since you're not into diversity, I'll also refrain from my multi-genre rap.
You sorta sound like me when I was real young and ignorant. During my college radical days, we practically closed dawn the damn school with our revolutionary rhetoric. 1 remember locking myself in the Dean's office overnight with my comrades- after throwing garbage at the Board of Directors meeting- and thinking, "sheesh, are we really going to overthrow the establishment?" Then we took more drugs. We didn't understand. We were, as the saying goes, "young, dumb, and full of cum. " That's you. You don't get it. We do more in one issue here to help metal than you'll ever do. You want a headbanging metalhead- instead of a metal-loving professional journalist- to be in charge around here? You want me to resign? Think again.
Keep writing your little 'zine, and keep yourself broke for your love of metal. Enjoy it.
Oh yeah, one more thing. I let Spider's story stand on its own merit because of the incredible research she amassed. Regular readers know my anti-anti-Semitic scissor well. Sometimes, though, you have to show folks for what they are. Sorta like why I decided to run your
rant.-Mike G"
hmmm. Not nearly as embarrassing as I remember, although it has its moments for sure. The whole thing about feeling guilty about promos is pretty dumb, and anyone that saw me balloon up from 99-04 knows I certainly didn't starve doing the zine, haha. I'm still not much of a Slayer, Ozzy-Sabs, or Bathory fan. Krgin's writing didn't suck so much as just be fucking boring in the news section detailing unnecessary information, and writing about not so great bands. Ah well. I should point out that it was Chris Black that encouraged me to send it in to Maniacs in the first place (I had just written it in the Maniacs forum) and as a result of the letter I got to know Jeff Wagner, so it couldn't have been all that awful if they encouraged me after seeing it.
Anyway, yeah. I wonder how much more I'd have to do to be a real metalhead and not a lying scumbug poser.
A post about False Metal has brought up some of my less stellar moments from the past. Some of the things brought up are true, and since I have tried signing up for that board several times in the past without being approved, I will address everything here.
Anyone that is signed up on that board, please link this thread there and let them know I'd be happy to discuss issues they have with me in any forum that I, you know, have access to.
So, then...
First, I haven't lived in Atlanta since July 2004.
The accusation with "not reviewing demo bands" is years and years old. The story about my activities regarding demos may very well be true, I can't remember. Let's assume it is 100% true. That's 1998. I have no doubt I pissed a ton of people off and did things in a very counterproductive way out of sheer ignorance. I can only respond to many charges with "I done fucked up." I certainly didn't understand the idea of "tear sheets" and I've never (as in ever, up to and including the 5th Anniversary issue) been any good at making sure everybody reviewed was directly sent a copy of the mag. But if I reviewed it, I 100% definitely listened to it. Over the years there were a few "reviews" I wrote without listening to the item in question, but in those cases I was always, ALWAYS, forthcoming about the fact that I didn't actually listen and was discussing things other than the music found. I wonder if MetalCrypt's reference was to that GBK review I reposted here some months back where I reviewed the press release and not the album.
As far as ripping apart all demos and refusing to review them, well, I had that "aawww it all SUCKS and I don't want to be bothered" attitude at times for sure, but going back to issue #2 in early 1999, there were positive reviews for unsigned bands. I certainly didn't just trash everything out of habit, ever.
I don't think Vic has seen LotFP since then. So I can't even blame him for shitting all over me if that's all he's ever seen. I can also say he's a friggin moron if he thinks I have the same approach in 2006 that I did in 1998.
For one, I invite unsigned bands to send their things in and they will get an interview for the website sent to them. (One label even sent a whole fucking box of them, which was cool except most of the bands I sent interviews to after that never bothered responding, heh).
As for the "letter to Metal Maniacs", yeah, seeing some of that coming back at me all these years later isn't fun, but what can you do. In the interest of making sure the facts are known in full and not working on seven year old memories, here is the complete text as printed in Metal Maniacs (and scanned in from the print issue so forgive any bad text). I don't have the original letter any longer, and it was twice as long as what was printed.
"To Mike G and Metal Maniacs:
I just bought and read the Oct. '99 Metal Maniacs (MANOWAR/MA1DEN cover). Are you consciously trying to run heavy metal into the ground? As if it isn 't bad enough that many of the fans, bands, and labels do their best to kill themselves off by being as ignorant and small-minded as possible, as the largest North American heavy metal publication, you are doing your best to finish it off.
Let's start with MACHINE HEAD. MACHINE HEAD doesn 't want to be pigeonholed as a metal band? (pg. 36, columns 1 & 2). Then get them the fuck out of Metal Maniacs! Mike, you have your tastes. I respect that.
You're into the attitude of music, but for you the attitude comes before the music. The attitude you promote is the attitude of the "streets, " this common-bond, fight-the-man, toughguy type thing. Hence the proliferation of hardcore, MACHINE HEAD, PANTERA, KORN, etc. in the pages of the magazine. I'm not saying this vibe is "wrong", but I thought Metal Maniacs was supposed to be about heavy metal. Music before attitude!
And when you do give the underground some coverage, Spider's ThinkTank does everything possible to make underground metal fans seem like ignorant septic tanks of hate just waiting to spew all kinds of shit. Up to this point you've done well keeping racist/homophobic bullshit out of the magazine. But if you're senstivie about Nazi/anti-Semitic shit and all that, what the hell was this article allowed in for? Now both you and Terrorizer give the Russians a chance to start all that bullshit again, and possibly on a larger scale. Glorifying anti-Jewish, go-beat-up-a-band-that's-different and all-around ignorant behavior is just what we need more of in metal, eh? Or was the article more justification to publish more mainstream stuff in the future, with the excuse that underground metal doesn't deserve the space due to the extremely dunderheaded nature of the scene leaders?
And MARILYN MANSON... who gives a shit if MARILYN MANSON matters? MANSON is not metal, so by putting that shitty article in there, you effectively robbed a deserving band of an article! Being openminded and appreciative of outside influences outside of metal is all good and well, but don't waste space covering these "outside influence" bands.' Every page in your mag should be precious, and it's bad enough you waste so much space on pretty formatting, but giving space away to this shit? And [Paul] Gargano is a bigger mushhead than you are, Mike. Metalheads need MARILYN MANSON "because he doesn't give a shit about being politically correct." Any 100 real metal bands could fit into that last paragraph in the article. MARILYN MANSON is a pop phenomenon, not a metal one.
Where did you drudge this writing staff up from? Wagner, (I'm going to kiss his ass until the end of time), Rytkonen, Gehret and Zahler (good pick!) are your star writers. The others are OK but bland. Yourself (if there's a shitty band to be featured, you are always the one to do the article) and Krgin 's writing sucks!
I understand (albeit on a much smaller scale) the pressures of putting together a publication. You have sales numbers to worry about. You have advertising dollars to worry about. As a newsstand publication, you have a responsibility to attract as many readers as possible. I do my own 'zine, Lamentations of the Flame Princess. 1 give thousands of copies away for free. It costs a lot of money. So much that if a good friend didn't believe in it enough, I literally couldn't eat because I spend all of my money getting the 'zine out there. I have a cushy office job that I probably wouldn't have if certain people at my job knew how much 'zine business was done at the office after hours. And I have my doubts about the 'zine. My metal fandom didn't commence until after I graduated high school in 1992. For six years I was never in contact with anyone who knew the metal scene. I dug down into it all by myself. I don't know anything about the technical aspects or the proper vocabulary of music. 1 am just now learning about the roots of metal by getting CDs by great bands like DIO, IRON MAIDEN, OMEN, and ACCEPT. I don't have "I'm old enough to remember when Lemmy got his first pube " credibility. After intent listening, I can't understand why VENOM, BATHORY, SLAYER, BLACK SABBATH or MOTORHEAD have any value past the fact that they influenced much better bands. However, I understand their relevance and that it all boils down to a matter of taste.
I even feel guilty that I receive promos for free from labels. Right now I'm effectively putting my life into spreading the word of heavy metal as I see it, and I feel I'm leeching off the scene by getting these things. Let's
not even go into how I feel when 1 make advertising pitches. I sweat it worrying about if my reviews are substantial enough to warrant getting advance promos. I care whether or not my advertisers are really getting the full exposure they deserve for their dollar.
1 mention my shortcomings because 1 feel it is important to know where I am coming from. With my 'zine out there, people are going to look at it and perhaps spend their money based on things I've said. I see that as an awesome responsibility on my shoulders and I act accordingly. How much of this responsibility to the scene are you feeling when you put Metal Maniacs together, Mike? Is it just a paycheck for you? Do you wrap up an issue and then be glad to be done with that guitar shit so you can go home and listen to tapes of ducks farting or whatever is rebellious, full of attitude, and considered "in" this week? Damn it, I see good bands in the magazine (MANOWAR, IRON MAIDEN, GAMMA RAY, OPETH, SENTENCED, etc.) and I assume someone [else, it should have said 'someone else'] was responsible for them being included, because issue after issue your playtist is a disgrace, not because your tastes are "wrong", but they are wrong for the editor of Metal Maniacs.
Metal Maniacs should be run by a metal lifer. It should be pushing the bright lights in the scene, not following what you think the people want to read about. Mike, either resign and let someone who feels this music run things, or change the name of the magazine.
Jim Raggi
PS. Looking at this a day later, this is way obnoxious, overblown, and probably unfair on many levels. I should probably go back and tone it down. Hell with it. It needs to be said. Enthusiasm over good sense... not the smartest way to handle things, but it staves off the boredom well enough."
And Mike G's response:
"Dear Jim,
You give away your 'zine for free? You spend all your money on it? Sometimes you can't even eat? You feel guilty getting advance promo CDs? You're an idiot. Don't you know these freebies are tax write-offs for the labels? You 're making sacrifices for what? You 're tossing away your future, as you say, or any chance at a life because you "believe in the music." Hah! We all believe in the music, pal, but I also know what you obviously don't. Bands have to sell records to survive. Don't fool yourself. Metal doesn't love you for what you 're doing. It could care less. Hello?
One way a good young band gets ahead is to open for- or be in a mag with- a headliner so folks buy the damn thing in the first place. You 're not even worth pointing out what we do here every issue for bands you can't read about anywhere else. And since you're not into diversity, I'll also refrain from my multi-genre rap.
You sorta sound like me when I was real young and ignorant. During my college radical days, we practically closed dawn the damn school with our revolutionary rhetoric. 1 remember locking myself in the Dean's office overnight with my comrades- after throwing garbage at the Board of Directors meeting- and thinking, "sheesh, are we really going to overthrow the establishment?" Then we took more drugs. We didn't understand. We were, as the saying goes, "young, dumb, and full of cum. " That's you. You don't get it. We do more in one issue here to help metal than you'll ever do. You want a headbanging metalhead- instead of a metal-loving professional journalist- to be in charge around here? You want me to resign? Think again.
Keep writing your little 'zine, and keep yourself broke for your love of metal. Enjoy it.
Oh yeah, one more thing. I let Spider's story stand on its own merit because of the incredible research she amassed. Regular readers know my anti-anti-Semitic scissor well. Sometimes, though, you have to show folks for what they are. Sorta like why I decided to run your
rant.-Mike G"
hmmm. Not nearly as embarrassing as I remember, although it has its moments for sure. The whole thing about feeling guilty about promos is pretty dumb, and anyone that saw me balloon up from 99-04 knows I certainly didn't starve doing the zine, haha. I'm still not much of a Slayer, Ozzy-Sabs, or Bathory fan. Krgin's writing didn't suck so much as just be fucking boring in the news section detailing unnecessary information, and writing about not so great bands. Ah well. I should point out that it was Chris Black that encouraged me to send it in to Maniacs in the first place (I had just written it in the Maniacs forum) and as a result of the letter I got to know Jeff Wagner, so it couldn't have been all that awful if they encouraged me after seeing it.
Anyway, yeah. I wonder how much more I'd have to do to be a real metalhead and not a lying scumbug poser.
