Winter writing plans

Winter seems like a more fitting time than ever to write a Thesis on Heavy Metal!
Over the break I am going to do my best to get my hands on all the books I was unable to find during the semester. I'm going to write out some questions and interview a few friends in Buffalo and in Chicago that I need to get a hold of.
I will be keeping in touch with my secondary adviser to help fix up my literary review and start to form a more well functioning and cohesive outline to get everything up and running. I still have some momentum in me after moving to keep working on my thesis! After about a weeks worth of comatose sleep I'm excited to get back to working on my thesis. Thank you everyone who has helped me and given me great feedback on this all semester. <3

The Black Satans, a parody Black Metal band from Finland

Thesis so far.

This has certainly been a wild ride. I've often been finding myself getting extremely caught up into the inner workings of an early thriving and functioning underground metal scene and breaking down the culture and processes of the genre and how it has evolved that I often forget to explain the simplest of things like differences between sub genres or names of bands. It is a whirlwind of information on a topic that has largely existed through means of oral history and word of mouth. Still it has been a lot of fun to research for sure. I've been an active part of the metal scene since I was a teenager and I'm still learning new things.
I am hoping to add to a subject with little to no prior scholarship. As states previously the genre has largely functioned and thrived on word of mouth and oral tradition so not much has been written down. For a genre that has existed since roughly 1965-1967 it's surprising that not much has been written down, or at least to me it is. I am hoping that this thesis can actually evolve into an actual museum down the line, but until then I still have a lot of work to do!

What I've learned so far

Heavy Metal culture is a lot more expansive than I expected previously. The subculture of Heavy Metal has grown exponentially since its incarnation in the late 1960's. The name "Heavy Metal" and the distinct sound of the music has its origins in the steel and metal working industries in Britain. The development of the scene and the community has also been a rocky and long winded journey in and of itself. There are distinct differences in the European and American metal communities and how they hold festivals and their presentation of Heavy Metal in everyday culture.
What I still need to know is more inner workings in how festivals are held and how that affects the communities and towns around them. I am also looking into correlations on the environments of the cities and towns Heavy Metal originated in. Also putting more research into current scholarship and exhibitions done on the genre and its history.
The research has been a lot of fun to do and I'm having a great time discovering more about the community and music I love so much.

Fig 1. Rob Halford and Ozzy Osbourne, two of the original members of the bands Judas Priest and Black Sabbath. Link to photo origin

A new challenge!

So, my thesis topic has changed and I will be focusing on something new.
My topic will be focusing on the impact of Heavy Metal (the music not actual heavy metals) on Cultural Heritage and Tourism and how museums can be used in the process. I've seen a lot of work on how Cultural Heritage has impacted the Metal subgenre but not much about the other way around. Since it's introduction in the mid 1960's the music and scene has become a cultural phenomenon around the world. Because of this certain sites focused around metal and its history have gained popularity and have become prime tourist spots in different countries. Also to help sustain tourism European open air festivals have been put in areas where there often is little to no tourism, bringing in thousands of people from around the world to one location. Also how Heavy Metal has become known as cultural heritage in different areas. Looking into a museum in Birmingham United Kingdom and a restaurant in Chicago Illinois and how they have turned Heavy Metal into Cultural Heritage.

Kumas Corner

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