Metal Jew

Bruce Dickinson - hero of Lebanon

Link: Rock legend airlifts hundreds to safety.

Rock legend airlifts hundreds to safety

Hess the frontman for one of the great metal bands of all-time. He was a world class fencer. Now, after helping to rescue scores of Britons from the fiery hell of war, he's a national hero.

Bruce Dickinson, lead singer for Iron Maiden, gets bored pretty quickly. He keeps himself busy with many hobbies and art projects. Years ago he was trained as a commercial pilot by friend Captain Phil Dales of British Airways.

When Dickinson got word that his countrymen were stranded in Cyprus after having fled the war in Lebanon, he leaped at the chance to help.

"He was only too keen to get involved and help. He has a strong interest in the welfare of people caught up in international conflicts and cares about what is going on," said a colleague.

Dickinson piloted a Boeing 757 down to the tiny island nation to pick up 200 Britons and return them to the safety to Gatwick Airport in England.

Now Dickinson will return to hosting his weekly radio show on BBC 6Music and resume rehearsing for Iron Maiden's fall tour opening at Budokan.

Dieu(x) et la musique du Diable

Fabien Hein, a Frnech scholar who has published on Rock and Metal has an interesting book out on Rock and Religion:

De           tous temps, les hommes ont eu tendance à mythifier, sacraliser           et déifier, vénérant idoles de pierre et dieux           de l’esprit. Aujourd’hui, de nouvelles divinités           émergent parmi les stars bien terrestres du sport, du cinéma           et… du rock. Qu’ils aspirent à la pureté du           Paradis ou côtoient les forces de l’Enfer, les dieux du           rock n’ont cessé d’emprunter préceptes, images,           vocabulaire, comportements et pratiques à une religion, qui,           jusque là, avait toujours fait bon ménage avec la musique.           Scènes rock et religieuses possèdent chacune leurs apôtres,           fidèles et autres disciples, toujours prompts à les célébrer           par des cultes comparables en de nombreux points. Ensemble, ils composent           un puissant vecteur de propagation de la foi. Mais quelle foi ? Le rock           est-il une religion ? Face à un clergé défendant           son pré carré, tantôt hostile, tantôt favorable           – s’accommodant même d’un « rock chrétien           » en plein essor – le rock compose avec de multiples croyances           : judaïsme, islam, hindouisme, satanisme... Comment le rock profane           a-t-il pu ainsi pénétrer le royaume sacré des Dieux           ? Au prix de quelles tensions ? Pour quels résultats ? Rock           & Religion y répond en faisant le point sur les           rapports étroits progressivement tissés entre culture           rock et cultes religieux, entre Dieu(x) et la « musique du Diable           ».

Link: Rock & religion - Dieu(x) et la musique du Diable.

Heavy Metal Muslim

Something called the Orange County Weekly has a fine article on Rock and Metal musicians in the Islamic world . Full of hope - both for Metal and for the Islamic world:

What’s most interesting here is that unlike metal artists in the U.S. or Europe, who haven’t tended to be the most intellectual or activist artists around (think of Metallica joining the suit against Napster), and while hip-hop artists have become largely depoliticized since the late 1980s heyday of political rap, the most important rock and rap artists in the Muslim world are in fact well-educated and very political.

Link: Orange County Weekly - Heavy Metal Muslim.

More Metal silliness

The ever-wonderful Gothenburgers HammerFall have surpassed themselves: Following on from their video in support of the Swedish women's Olympic curling team, they have no recorded a new song and video for the Swedish team in upcoming European Athletic Championships in Gothenburg.

As is becoming usual, words fail me.

 

New Salem track

Israel's finest Salem have a new track on their MySpace site . A change of direction from their past work, 'Once Upon A Lifetime' is in the Meshuggah vein and demands to be heard.

More Ultra-Orthodox Black Metal

Someone commented on my recent post on Ultra-Orthodox Black Metal. They were a bit cross but also mentioned a number of outifits I'd never heard of or that I hadn't posted about before including Rockiah and Tifeeret Ha Neelam. More info on wither of them would be welcome!

Oh to be a New York Jewish artist

The 6 Points Fellowship is offering an amazing scheme for Jewish creative artists in the New York area:

The Six Points Fellowship supports individual artists in the New York area who want to develop new projects with a Jewish focus, theme or element. We believe that creative expression is essential to Jewish community, identity, and meaning and the Six Points Fellowship was created to support the artists who contribute to that process. The two-year fellowship program will provide 12 artists with a living stipend, financial project support, professional development workshops, and ongoing peer and professional-led learning opportunities. The fellowship will accept artists working in visual arts, music, and performing arts.

Will we ever have something like that in the UK?

Potentially blasphemous memorial

So today is the anniversary of the 7/7 attacks in London last year. This isn't a very serious blog so I present a not very serious tribute: What better way of fighting terror than with INSANELY GREAT POP MUSIC!! Check out the ludicrously bonkers video for Japanese girl group Shanadoo's single King Kong

Fuck terror. Fuck seriousness. Hail silliness.