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Geddy Lee: Metal: A Headbanger's Journey interview clips

Sun, Aug 6, 2006@8:40AM | comments removed/disabled

[Geddy Lee on heavy metal]

Earlier this year, the news came out that Geddy Lee would be featured in a documentary which was to chronicle the history of heavy metal; Metal: A Headbanger's Journey. The film debuted in the US in late March at the SXSW film festival to rave reviews. It was released on DVD in late May and I finally got a chance to see it this week. I loved it. I thought it was one of the best music-related documentaries I'd ever seen. You can find out more about the film at its website, www.metalhistory.com.

The films creator and star Sam Dunn is, in addition to being a metalhead, a professional anthropologist. He approaches the subject of metal from a very scholarly angle but still manages to have a good time in the process; it's obvious how much of a genuine fan he is. He classifies the different subgenres of heavy metal in a very concise and accurate (in my opinion) way. He puts Rush at the forefront of the progressive metal category, which I completely agree with. To me, Rush took the progressive approach of late 60s and early 70s bands like Pink Floyd, King Crimson, Genesis and Yes; and cranked it up a notch, pioneering a whole new sound. Granted they moved away from this in the 80s and beyond, but it's definitley accurate to say they were the first and most influential progressive metal band.

Three short interview clips from Geddy Lee appear throughout the movie. In the first clip Geddy makes the argument that Blue Cheer, while little known, was probably the first heavy metal band. In the second clip, he talks about the influence of blues on heavy metal and Rush in particular. And in the last clip he talks about the male-oriented appeal of heavy metal. I compiled the 3 clips into one very poorly-edited package and stuck it up on YouTube. You can watch it here.

Related Posts:
[Metal: A Headbanger's Journey DVD release date]
[The reviews are in for "Metal: A Headbanger's Journey"]
[Heavy metal documentary featuring Geddy Lee: Update]
[Geddy Lee featured in heavy metal documentary]

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