The debate around non-metalheads wearing the merchandise of metal bands has been raging for years. Every time a hapless Kardashian or innocent pop star commits the diabolical sin of...well...donning a t-shirt featuring the logo of a heavy band they don't happen to listen to, they become a magnet for derision, hatred and a very peculiar kind of venom via the more vocal corners of the metal internet community.
Now, it seems, the fine people at Revolver have firmly put the argument to bed, courtesy of a new video that pitches one simple question to a host of metal artists: should non-metalheads wear metal shirts?
Featuring responses from the likes of Spiritbox's Courtney LaPlante, In Flames' Anders Fridén, Suicide Silence's Chris Garza plus members of Baroness, GWAR, Wargasm, Bring Me The Horizon, Vended and more, the resounding answer seems to be: well...yeah. Why the hell not?
"My 13 year old gatekeeper hater comes out for half a second, like, 'What are you doing?'" jokes Garza. "But, this other big piece of me is like, 'I want the genre to grow'". "People have been questioning me and what I'm wearing since I bought my first band t-shirt," says LaPlante. "I got my first Despised Icon hoodie when I was a kid. I bought it with my little brother, and since I've had band shirts, people have been questioning me about that, so I don't give a shit. People are gonna question you regardless."
"I couldn't care less," offers Bring Me The Horizon guitarist Lee Malia. "We used to get shit when we first started, because I used to wear Metallica shirts in promos and stuff, and we used to get [people] saying we weren't 'metal enough'."
GWAR's Pustulus Maximus also weights in. "I don't think humans should be that concerned with what other people wear, to be honest," he argues. "I mean, who cares?" "I don't care what you wear," agrees Anders Fridén. "It doesn't matter. It's good if you know what the band is if you get a question, I guess, but you're allowed to wear whatever you want."
A couple of artists seem a little more torn. "If you're gonna put something on your body, at least do enough background research that you know enough to talk about the subject," argues Mike's Dead. "I do wish, if people spend the money to buy the shirt, I wish they would give the band more of a chance too," suggests We Came As Romans frontman Dave Stephens.
Still, judging by the full, 10-minute video, an overwhelming majority of metal artists are in agreement on the issue, and we have to say, so are we. So wear whatever the hell you like, try not to be judgemental, and for fuck's sake, if you see a young woman in a metal shirt out and about, don't ask That Question. Please.
Watch Revolver's video below.
