This is your last chance. After this, there will be no turning back.
If you take the red pill, the story ends, you'll wake up in your bed and you can continue believing whatever you want.
"Now, if you take the blue pill, you'll stay here in Wonderland, and I'll show you how far this new world goes."
THE BLUE PILL
By Daniel Dystyler
– Dude, I can't believe it!!! You actually like Heavy Metal?
The question is usually accompanied by wide eyes and a tone of voice that fluctuates between surprise and horror. Then I answer:
Yes, I like it. Why? Don't you like it?
This is my favorite response because of the irony involved. It's obvious the person doesn't like it. But I want to ask just to prolong the torture. To let them talk. To attack. To let them think they're in control.
– Of course I don't like it… Heavy Metal is all noise.
(or “ It's the devil's work ” or “ It's drug addicts' stuff ” or “ It's evil people's stuff ”)
In short, you get the idea… The response varies a bit, but it's always along those lines. Aggressive. It tries to belittle us. It tries to make us feel somewhat ashamed for liking something "supposedly inferior, of dubious taste, or evil .
All of us headbangers have been through this situation many times.
And that's when I have to make a decision: whether I explain or not.
Because explaining is always better. But not everyone deserves an explanation.
So if I'm in the mood and think it's worthwhile, I'll explain. And my explanation (with some variations) goes something like this:
– But what do you think Heavy Metal is to have such a negative idea? Do you know any band that has given you the impression of being just noise (or something devilish, drug-addled, or evil)?
People usually don't know the answer to that question. So I help:
– Do you know, for example, let me think… umm… the Scorpions?
The person looks at me thoughtfully, as if not understanding the question. They know the Scorpions but don't understand what the connection is to the subject… So, I hum:
– Here I am, rock you like a hurricane… Or: I'm still loving you…
And then comes the phrase I was waiting for:
– Ah, but that's not Heavy Metal.
And that's it. With that phrase, the person fell into my trap.
She is now defenseless, open, prostrate, guard down, disoriented, in short, surrendered. Totally at my mercy.
So, I'll begin:
– But of course it's Heavy Metal. If you want, I can show you the whole story of why it's Heavy Metal, how they created the Metal scene in Germany, about their show on Metal night at the first Rock In Rio in '85, and much more, but first, let me ask: And Sweet Child O' Mine by Guns N' Roses, do you know it? Yes? Oh, that's cool… And Smoke On The Water? And Highway To Hell, Iron Man, Rock And Roll All Nite, Jump, Love Ain't No Stranger, Crazy Train, Fear Of The Dark, Enter Sandman????
– Ah, but that's not Heav…
That's Deep Purple, AC/DC, Black Sabbath, Kiss, Van Halen, Whitesnake, Ozzy, Iron Maiden, and Metallica. All Heavy Metal.
- But…
– I'm going to do this... I'm proposing something to you. Are you in?
It depends…
– I'm going to create a playlist for you. It's a list I made. It has 66 bands (a cabalistic number). All Heavy Metal. There are new bands and old bands. There are famous bands and unknown bands. There are very heavy bands and lighter bands. There's heavy music and lighter music. I'll put 2 songs from each band. One slower and one faster. With this, you'll have a very complete overview of what Heavy Metal is. A general view in 132 songs that, if recorded in MP3, would fit on a single CD. And the deal is this: You're going to listen to this CD a few times. Paying attention. And then you're going to tell me what you thought and if you still have the same opinion about Heavy Metal.
And that's it. Another catechization has been done. If she does what was agreed upon, she'll come back and say something like:
Wow! I think I liked Heavy Metal and didn't even know it.
Because explaining is always better. But not everyone deserves an explanation.
I named this playlist "The Blue Pill," based on the scene in the movie Matrix when Neo, Keanu Reeves' character, is offered two pills and has to choose which one to take: One pill will return him to his normal little life, allowing him to disregard everything that had happened up to that point. The other pill will make him " ultimately awaken to reality " and discover a new world. The real world. The truth.
(Ironically, I was told I switched the color of the pills. This text should be called "The Red Pill" because in the movie, it's the red pill that makes Neo wake up to reality. But now I'm so used to calling my playlist and the catechization process "Blue Pill" that I can't change it anymore.)
So if you feel the need to convert someone and make that person understand and (possibly) like Heavy Metal, offer them the blue pill.
Below is my "Blue Pill," which consists only of, let's say, " the essentials, only the essentials " (a phrase always hummed by a friendly Disney bear who, if he were to make a list, would be known as "The Balu Pill"... Hahaha).
My “Blue Pill” was put together with the intention of breaking down the barriers many people have with Metal. It's not a list of the best bands or best songs. It's a list intended to dismantle prejudice and encourage people who criticized without even knowing what they were talking about to take the first steps towards respecting a cultural movement that is over 40 years old and present all over the world.
Of course, questions arise as to why a particular band (or song) was included or not included on the list. Whether Foo Fighters or Bon Jovi should be part of it, and why Motörhead isn't present (just to mention a few of the dozens of controversial points). But that's not the focus. The focus is on making sure the movement is respected.
And the best part is that everyone can create their own "Blue Pill".
Ultimately, there's no shortage of examples of extraordinary Heavy Metal songs that will convince people.
And the extraordinary is too much!!!
1 Moneytalks (AC/DC)
2 Highway To Hell (AC/DC)
3 Indifferent (Adrenaline Mob)
4 All On The Line (Adrenaline Mob)
5 Jaded (Aerosmith)
6 Cryin' (Aerosmith)
7 No More Mr. Nice Guy (Alice Cooper)
8 Poison (Alice Cooper)
9 Only (Anthrax)
10 Indians (Anthrax)
11 Welcome To The Family (Avenged Sevenfold)
12 So Far Away (Avenged Sevenfold)
13 Stillborn (Black Label Society)
14 Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow (Black Label Society)
15 Wishing Well (Black Sabbath)
16 Changes (Black Sabbath)
17 Have A Nice Day (Bon Jovi)
18 Welcome To Wherever You Are (Bon Jovi)
19 Tattooed Millionaire (Bruce Dickinson)
20 Born In '58 (Bruce Dickinson)
21 Oh Yeah (Chickenfoot)
22 My Kinda Girl (Chickenfoot)
23 Into the Fire (Crucified Barbara)
24 Jennyfer (Crucified Barbara)
25 Love Removal Machine (The Cult)
26 Edie (Ciao Baby) (The Cult)
27 Highway Star (Deep Purple)
28 Soldier Of Fortune (Deep Purple)
29 Hysteria (Def Leppard)
30 Foolin' (Def Leppard)
31 Rainbow In The Dark (Dio)
32 Carolina County Ball (Dio)
33 Magic Man (Dokken)
34 In My Dreams (Dokken)
35 Holding On (Dragonforce)
36 Last Man Stands (Dragonforce)
37 Forsaken (Dream Theater)
38 Another Day (Dream Theater)
39 Everybody's Fool (Evanescence)
40 Lost In Paradise (Evanescence)
41 Tragic Comic (Extreme)
42 Hole Hearted (Extreme)
43 From Out Of Nowhere (Faith No More)
44 The Morning After (Faith No More)
45 Eye To Eye (Fates Warning)
46 We Only Say Goodbye (Fates Warning)
47 Learn To Fly (Foo Fighters)
48 The Pretender (Foo Fighters)
49 The Storm (Flying Colors)
50 Love Is What I'm Waiting For (Flying Colors)
51 Chest Pain Waltz (Freak Kitchen)
52 Breathe (Freak Kitchen)
53 The Spirit (Gamma Ray)
54 The Guardians Of Mankind (Gamma Ray)
55 Gasoline (Glenn Hughes)
56 The Truth (Glenn Hughes)
57 Sweet Child O' Mine (Guns N' Roses)
58 14 Years (Guns N' Roses)
59 Power (Helloween)
60 Lavdate Dominum (Helloween)
61 Ten Thousand Strong (Iced Earth)
62 Anthem (String Mix) (Iced Earth)
63 The Evil That Men Do (Iron Maiden)
64 Prodigal Son (Iron Maiden)
65 Summer Song (Joe Satriani)
66 Always With Me, Always With You (Joe Satriani)
67 Breaking The Law (Judas Priest)
68 Living After Midnight (Judas Priest)
69 Center Of The Universe (Kamelot)
70 Forever (Kamelot)
71 Raise Your Glasses (Kiss)
72 Hard Luck Woman (Kiss)
73 Rock & Roll (Led Zeppelin)
74 D'Yer Mak'er (Led Zeppelin)
75 Living Like A Runaway (Lita Ford)
76 Kiss Me Deadly (Lita Ford)
77 The Gods Made Heavy Metal (Manowar)
78 Carry On (Manowar)
79 Curl Of The Burl (Mastodon)
80 The Hunter (Mastodon)
81 Trust (Megadeth)
82 A Tout Le Monde (Megadeth)
83 Until It Sleeps (Metallica)
84 Fade To Black (Metallica)
85 Live Wire (Motley Crue)
86 Home Sweet Home (Motley Crue)
87 Today Was Your Last Day (Nickelback)
88 Far Away (Nickelback)
89 Wishmaster (Nightwish)
90 Nemo (Nightwish)
91 Mr. Crowley (Ozzy Osbourne)
92 Mama, I'm Coming Home (Ozzy Osbourne)
93 Cowboys From Hell (Pantera)
94 Cemetery Gates (Pantera)
95 Ride The Wind (Poison)
96 Something To Believe In (Poison)
97 Breaking The Silence Queensrÿche)
98 Silent Lucidity (Queensrÿche)
107
Power
and
the
Glory
(
Saxon )
Darkened Room (Skid Row)
117 Raining Blood (Slayer)
118 Dead Skin Mask (Slayer)
119 Electric Crown (Testament)
120 Return To Serenity (Testament)
121 We're Not Gonna Take It (Twisted Sister)
122 The Price (Twisted Sister)
123 Lights Out (UFO)
124 Doctor Doctor (UFO)
125 Dance The Night Away (Van Halen)
126 Dreams (Van Halen)
127 16 Dollars (Volbeat)
128 Still Counting (Volbeat)
129 Guilty Of Love (Whitesnake)
130 The Deeper The Love (Whitesnake)
131 Far Beyond The Sun (Yngwie Malmsteen)
132 Gimme, Gimme, Gimme (Yngwie Malmsteen)
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