A Sound of Thunder made it to CNN

[usaprogmusic]

Ok, here's a female perspective:

CNN has been doing a series of "weight loss" stories for awhile. I give Nina props for speaking up about her weight issues because it's something that plagues many women (including myself) and not everyone is as successful as her to keep the weight off. I don't think that this is a story about ASOT or metal. It just happens to be that CNN uses that angle to make her story more interesting. So if ASOT can get some publicity then that's great. I think we should be happy that heavy metal is getting some mainstream coverage! If this was Revolver, Metal Hammer, or some other metal mag and they focused on Nina's weight loss then I'd probably have an issue with it because that is a MUSIC magazine and it should be about the music! So now you have my perspective as a woman and as someone who just wrote a book about the subject (women in metal)! Now I'll wait for all of you to virtually throw tomatoes at me and tear apart what I am saying because that is what this forum is turning into and why I very seldom frequent it anymore. (Does not reflect how I feel about the ProgPower event. I just am sick of the negativity on this forum)

 

[GammaJosh]

Jeremy your question of whether our Adam's Banana April Fools Day joke is selling sexuality is ridiculous. Secondly, even if it were serious, how is it ok for bands like Manowar to sell sexuality by putting chained mostly naked women on their covers, but not ok for a woman to have mostly-clothed promo pic of herself out there? Thirdly, why is it cool for metal covers to be generally the most homo-erotic crap in the world, selling idealized male body images, but somehow it's wrong to sell the female body image in any way shape or form?

 

[DuchessOfDork]

Jeremy was responding to my dislike of the Butcher Babies, which I stand by. Not (only) because they used to wear pasties, but because I really hated their music.

 

[Diabolik]

It would be interesting to hear female perspectives. The only one I hear is the one getting ready for work who I'm reading this thread to.

Like I have said...I am working with a band who has a female member and they do not advertise the fact they have a female in the band...they are just considered a creative equal. Even in band pictures there is no spotlight on it.

 

[DuchessOfDork]

Links?

 

[Diabolik]

check out the band Axxion and early Skull Fist. Same person in the band...never anything pushing a girl in the band....early on I had no clue even until seeing live footage.

 

[DuchessOfDork]

Just did a google image search for Axxion and the chick is wearing hot pants. Nithing wrong with that, but, she shows way more skin than I do.. So your example confuses me. Is it because she doesn't mention the fact that she's a lady? Because she probably just didn't need to. Neither do I, you can sorta tell (when I tuck my dick anyway..), unless someone asks me to describe the band, in which case yeah. I'm a girl singer. I'm also a short singer.

 

[GammaJosh]

We don't push that either...try to find one band photo where we're not portrayed as equals. Again, the CNN article was about Nina, not ASoT. We go out of our way not to focus on sex. But I guess some people won't be satisfied unless we put Nina in burka.

 

[GammaJosh]

Wait, do we all hate Butcher Babies? Can we all actually agree on something?!

 

[GammaJosh]

Nina, hot pants are not selling sex because Bruce Dickinson wore hot pants on stage circa Accident of Birth/ Chemical Wedding. Also, going completely topless is not selling sex as long as you oil up...cuz Manowar.

 

[DuchessOfDork]

Okay as long as it's coconut oil for my skin!

 

[OrionSon]

Bruce's hot pants were at their worst in the Skunkworks era. How those were comfortable on stage night after night remains a mystery.

 

[GammaJosh]

I beg to differ. Saw Bruce in 97 at Slim's in SF. Small club and I was front row. At this stage Bruce's hot pants were more of a hot pants/cod piece mashup, complete with laces up the front.

 

[The Surfing Alien]

The article was fine. The writer obviously studies the "tabloid journalism" textbook and took away from the story what was needed to sex it up and make it interesting for the average joe or joann. And yes, being a rockstar is interesting and exciting to most people. If it was not included in the article, the writer would be guilty of professional negligence.

The only problem I had with the article is pictures were too small So, here is a nicer version.

A few more. Hope it's not too sexy for some people

 

[OrionSon]

I beg to differ. Saw Bruce in 97 at Slim's in SF. Small club and I was front row. At this stage Bruce's hot pants were more of a hot pants/cod piece mashup, complete with laces up the front.

Yeah, I got my tours mixed up. It was Accident of Birth I was thinking of.

 

[J. Golden]

Like I have said...I am working with a band who has a female member and they do not advertise the fact they have a female in the band...they are just considered a creative equal. Even in band pictures there is no spotlight on it.

that is exactly where the intgrity comes in, with women that really don't have to boast about it. It is easier to respect women who don't make the fuse over it or actually will even step away from that focus on them.

 

[J. Golden]

Jeremy your question of whether our Adam's Banana April Fools Day joke is selling sexuality is ridiculous. Secondly, even if it were serious, how is it ok for bands like Manowar to sell sexuality by putting chained mostly naked women on their covers, but not ok for a woman to have mostly-clothed promo pic of herself out there? Thirdly, why is it cool for metal covers to be generally the most homo-erotic crap in the world, selling idealized male body images, but somehow it's wrong to sell the female body image in any way shape or form?

Question makes perfect sense; be it or joke or not it is still playing up a sexual angle. I refer to ‘Smell the Glove’
I have not said anything against the idea of selling female images, more power to women. If I were a woman I would be a huge whore and why not. I don’t feel there is an issue with the male or female images on album covers; maybe you have issue with that. I don’t see a difference between the glove shoved into the woman’s face oppose to the guy being chained down by the women, both are playing the same hand.
But since you bring up album covers, is "Queen of Hell' any different than Manowar covers? Is the chick on the cover not to help sell that EP or is this a case of "a fine line between clever and stupid"? Thinking the images on Manowar covers is there to sell those albums just as the marketing behind Camel cigarettes uses a female character.
We can go into a whole discussion about album covers and the marketing behind them if you like.
Back to point: this interview bringing attention to one’s body and then using that platform to promote one’s band is no different than using their body in any other way to achieve the same results. I believe it was even said earlier that new fans have been made because Nina is an “inspiration” to fat women now or something like that, well oviously those fans did not come aboard based on musical merit now did they.
Gain attention for your by by any means you can, but at least be honest about how you are doing it.

 

[J. Golden]

Wait, do we all hate Butcher Babies? Can we all actually agree on something?!

The music is certainly terrible. But more power to them for what they do no matter how stupid it is. I really doubt those ladies are confused about it.

 

[Diabolik]

The music is certainly terrible. But more power to them for what they do no matter how stupid it is. I really doubt those ladies are confused about it.

at least they are in on the joke and not realizing they are becoming a joke like some bands.

 

[J. Golden]

Sexy no, but interesting yes.
Wonder Woman is a great and strong role model for women. The character was created by a misogynistic man who was married to a woman who seemed to have no issue that his mistress also living with the family. And he also liked to tie up woman and put them into submission.
If anyone has issues with Misogyny I would not think they would want to sport a WW shirt
Ah reading to much into it, but still something about it was striking me as funny.