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Contrasting sounds and overlapping scenes: The role of the middle class in punk/metal crossover

Leighton, Tristan Daniel
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1617318778941129

Abstract Details

2021, Master of Arts (MA), Bowling Green State University, Popular Culture.
The heavy metal scene has a long history of crossover with punk rock, with many subgenres of heavy metal being influenced by punk. Previous research on punk and metal understood the punk subculture to be strongly tied with the middle class, while the heavy metal subculture was understood to be mostly working class. Over the past twenty years, however, the class demographic of the heavy metal subculture has shifted to be primarily middle class. This thesis is an attempt to understand how heavy metal’s shift in class demographics has influenced crossover between punk rock and heavy metal musics. To understand the relationships between class, punk rock, and heavy metal, this thesis makes use of Steve Waksman’s metal/punk continuum and Pierre Bourdieu’s theory of distinction and cultural capital, as well as lyrical analysis and ethnographic research conducted in between July 2019 and February 2020 in the heavy metal scene in the greater Detroit area. In this thesis, I dissect the differences between heavy metal and punk rock. When viewed as Weberian ideal types, I found that, as a genre, heavy metal tends to avoid overt discussions of politics, whereas punk rock openly engages with politics. I argue that the heavy metal subculture has retained a working class habitus, which is seen in metal’s avoidance of overt discussion of politics. This working class habitus in the heavy metal scene is in tension with the middle class habitus of many metalheads. As a result of this, middle class metalheads use various techniques to navigate this tension, including enjoying metal music which more openly discusses politics due to punk rock influences. Finally, I argue that the subgenre of metalcore, a hybrid of hardcore punk and heavy metal, is a product of the middle class fanbase in heavy metal, as it focuses on topics such as sociopolitical troubles and mental health. In doing so, metalcore reflects the lived experiences of the middle class metalhead
Jeremy Wallach, PhD (Advisor)
Esther Clinton, PhD (Committee Member)
Katherine Meizel, PhD (Committee Member)
104 p.
Music
heavy metal; punk rock; metalcore; class; cultural capital; subcultural capital; habitus; popular music; subcultures; genre crossover; metal punk continuum

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Leighton, T. D. (2021). Contrasting sounds and overlapping scenes: The role of the middle class in punk/metal crossover [Master's thesis, Bowling Green State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1617318778941129

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Leighton, Tristan. Contrasting sounds and overlapping scenes: The role of the middle class in punk/metal crossover. 2021. Bowling Green State University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1617318778941129.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Leighton, Tristan. "Contrasting sounds and overlapping scenes: The role of the middle class in punk/metal crossover." Master's thesis, Bowling Green State University, 2021. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1617318778941129

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

bgsu1617318778941129
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This open access ETD is published by Bowling Green State University and OhioLINK.
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