Metal confronts what people fear. Metal admires the things society scorns. Metal celebrates what everyone denies.

 

THE SELF-FULFILLING PROPHECY

By Daniel Dystyler

Dov Eden is an American who became a naturalized Israeli citizen.

He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Michigan and was recently in Brazil for a series of lectures revolving around the following theme:

The Self-Fulfilling Prophecy.

The concept of the " Self-Fulfilling Prophecy " is quite simple:

Basically, he says that the more people believe in something, the more they behave in ways that contribute to making that thing happen. And with that, they influence the outcome of that thing, and in the end, most of the time, that thing ends up happening.

Simple, right? Actually, obvious…

Employees who believe the work year will be bad work in a demotivated, unfocused, and unmotivated way , worried about their jobs, and in the end, this behavior contributes to making the year truly bad. The promise of a bad year ends up becoming reality. The prophecy is fulfilled.

Similarly, players on a team who truly believe they will win have an attitude (dedication, confidence, commitment, giving their all, focus, camaraderie) that truly influences the team's performance, and with that, they will influence the outcome, and possibly win. They will self-fulfill their prophecy.

In the 80s, I was just a teenager, a Heavy Metal fan, a Viper roadie (by the way, very happy with this unpaid "job"), obsessed with Iron Maiden and Atari video games at the time, and I didn't worry about (or even know about) any of that. Lectures, work, professional life, self-fulfilling prophecies—these were things that didn't belong in my daily life.

My usual routine at the time consisted of leaving school around lunchtime and walking for 30 minutes to my house, and then meeting up with the Viper gang after lunch. But that routine changed during the month of October 1985.

Instead of the traditional walk, I would take a bus called "Avenidas" that went in the opposite direction from home. The bus went up Avenida Angélica and turned onto Paulista Avenue. I would get off near Gemini (also known to us Paulistanos as "Prainha," a ready-made joke for any Carioca) and I would go into a record store that was there.

The salesperson already knew what I was going to ask, but even so, he let me formulate the question, which consisted of one word:

- It arrived?

Somewhat awkwardly, almost apologetically, he replied:

Not yet. Maybe tomorrow.

I would say thank you, turn my back, and begin the long walk home. The next day the ritual would repeat itself. For six days, this was my routine.

And I insisted, because it was obvious that it was there, in that store (which was also an importer), that "the darn thing" would arrive first in São Paulo (even before reaching the legendary Woodstock Store in Anhangabaú or the Galeria do Rock, which at the time was just beginning its heyday).

On the 7th day, upon entering the store, the salesman came over all smiles and, even before letting me ask the question, almost happier than I was, stated:

- It arrived!!!

15 seconds later I was holding in my hands the LP of Live After Death, without a doubt the album I had been most eagerly awaiting in my life.

This brief true story from my teenage years is just so everyone can try to teleport themselves back and remember the feeling of anxiety and joy that came with waiting for the LP of one of their favorite bands: Opening the booklet, seeing the photos, the details of the cover, putting the vinyl on the record player to follow the lyrics…

(Words like "LP," "insert," "vinyl," and "record player" in the same sentence don't help me at all in trying to sound younger, but anyway...)

Many important people have already written in the Tribune of Honor of the Wikimetal Portal about this anxiety and how much we value each of these achievements. The book that we are starting to write (and we count on your help) – Fury, the history and stories of heavy metal in Brazil – talks about this in its Preface .

Therefore, I don't need to repeat myself: Everyone already understands how special this was in the 80s, the beginning of the Metal movement in the country.

And everyone also knows about all the changes we've gone through, the decline of the movement in the 90s, the lack of support, the places that were closed, etc.

Everyone already knows that.

What not everyone knows (or hasn't noticed) is the great change that began slowly a few years ago and has been gaining more and more strength and speed. Just like Angus Young's runaway locomotive in the opening video of AC/DC's last tour, Metal in Brazil is gaining overwhelming momentum.

Packed shows. New bands. Old bands (better like fine wine). Sensational releases. Band revivals. Specific reports (check out "The tribe of black that keeps growing " in Veja magazine), a new generation of fans, "old-school" headbangers returning to the movement, and much more.

All of this signals that a new era has arrived.

Let's not fool ourselves: Our movement will always be a minority. Heavy Metal is underground by definition. In fact, as the brilliant Sam Dunn said, Metal confronts what people are afraid of. Metal admires the things society disdains. Metal celebrates what everyone denies. And that's why Heavy Metal will always be a culture of the excluded.

But 35 years after Black Sabbath first played the devil's note, the Culture of the Excluded continues to grow and thrive. More and more. More people have joined this Culture. More people " to help push it forward ."

And as Celso Barbieri said, " Metal will get there ": We're not "just" going to fill stadiums (as we already do today, even though our music isn't played anywhere and doesn't receive any support).

We'll also have a complete scene, with bands treated with dignity and respect, and earning money. With shows in decent venues for national and international bands. With highly differentiated services for headbangers. With streets and shops dedicated to metal. A commerce, thousands of people working, t-shirts, pins, records, guitars, cables, amplifiers. Everyone will benefit: the public, the bands, the merchants, Brazil; we'll have an export product.

It's a revolution that has already begun.

Is all of this really going to happen? Of course it will…

It's enough that all of us, headbangers from all walks of life (fans, musicians, journalists, bands, managers), all those who have metal in their blood and heart, do our part the right way, that is, with dedication, confidence, commitment, competence, focus, professionalism, and friendship. And all of this will happen.

This is our self-fulfilling prophecy.

Welcome to the Revolution.

Welcome to the Wikimetal Portal.

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