The big 3-0

The rumours you've heard are true. Today, I turn another corner of my life and enter the world of being thirty. I now have inexplicably thick nasal hair, a complete inability to cope with a hangover and a steadily decreasing grasp on modern technologies. However this milestone can mean only one thing for today's Metal Harmony; the 30 Songs Wot Made Me Who I Am Today list.

I originally intended to put this in order but that's just fucking impossible. Instead, this is just thirty tunes that have impacted me, or remind me of an important bit of my life, or are just awesome. Simple as this.

1. Leatherface - How Lonely
2. Lagwagon - Violins
3. Iron Maiden - The Trooper
4. Dire Straits - Money for Nothing
5. Rise Against - Prayer for a Refugee
6. Westside Connection - The Gangsta, The Killa and the Dope Dealer
7. Ten Foot Pole - A.D.D.
8. Cradle of Filth - Dusk and Her Embrace
9. Manic Street Preachers - You Love Us
10. Prodigy - No Good
11. Slayer - Raining Blood
12. The Goo Goo Dolls - Iris
13. Lynyrd Skynyrd - Simple Man
14. N-Trance - Set You Free
15. Type O Negative - Wolf Moon
16. Limp Bizkit - My Generation
17. Neil Young - Heart of Gold
18. HIM - Buried Alive by Love
19. Massive Attack - Unfinished Sympathy
20. NOFX - Philthy Phil Philanthropist
21. Nirvana - Territorial Pissings
22. Dr. Dre - Still D.R.E
23. Extreme Noise Terror - Damage 381
24. Machine Head - Take My Scars
25. Point Break - Freaky Time
26. Awesome 3 ft. Julie McDermott - Don't Go
27. Steely Dan - Reelin' in the Years
28. Pear Jam - Once
29. Black Sabbath - Iron Man
30. Metallica - Battery

So there you have it.

I'm off to change my incontinence pants and have a mug of Horlicks.

M
\m/

Why can't we all get along?

So I've finally succumbed to the temptation to become that guy with the opinions online. I've started this blog to ask a simple question - why can't we all get along? Clearly I don't mean this is in a tree-hugging, nuclear weapon-disarming, Bernard Matthews turkey-releasing way but more in a sense of, why do people decide to complain constantly about music and bands?

Every gig I've been to recently, of which there are many, has included the two dudes who bitch for the duration of the set about how shitty the band are, how conventional the music is, and various other tired tirades which, let's be honest, are of no real value to man, woman or ferret.

I've recently bought tickets to Download 2008 as a present for my lurvly wife. This alternative music festival has been causing more controversy in the music world since them four scousers said something about Jesus. Why? The line up may not be amazing but there's enough metal and good old fashioned rock on there for everyone - and they're only about a third done. Not all the bands will be playing guitar with the severed head of a virgin dove whilst defeacating into the hair of their dead grandmother but surely the likes of Throwdown and Job For A Cowboy can't be seen as anything other than metal?

We are a nation of complainers but is not the whole point of the metal scene to embrace the different and be proud of our acceptance of diversity? Or do we really just want to feel hard because we like tough bands?