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| Photo Credit: Laina Dawes via NPR Bazillion Points |
SGL interviewed Laina Dawes by phone on November 19th. The SGL Editor-in-Chief consulted an UCLA doctorate student of performance and culture, Elyan Hill, via email on the same day to find a way to shape an uplifting educational report on dealing with injustice. Renee Marchol is also a music blogger this season on MoxiPop and anticipates more musicians with serious messages. Her answer? Focus on transformation and agency. Examine how an artist uses her skills to change the world around her to affect others. Look at how she does these things rather than focusing only on what she does.
Many thanks to the UCLA scholar and Laina Dawes.
After a screaming fight with her sister Lilo, from Disney’s Lilo & Stitch, makes a sanctuary of her bedroom and listens to Elvis on vinyl. The music made by a rhinestone-clad white Southerner from her grandparent’s teen years resonates with Lilo? Yes, it’s her self-made therapy.
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| Photo Credit: Lilo meme from Lilo & Stitch via Pinterest |
Likewise, Laina listened to angry heavy metal that mirrored her own rage as a Black girl harassed by white classmates. Music journalist Laina Dawes calls heavy metal a positive outlet to express the difficult emotion of rage.
“Imagine what it does to a body to hold in all that rage and not express it,” she posits.
Fictional Lilo is frustrated for several reasons: she is being raised by her not-much-older big sister after their parents’ death by car accident, her loss makes her alien-seeming to the other girls in her hula-dance class, and her acting out has alerted the attention of child protective services that might separate her from the remaining family she has. Rage-making factors? Yep. Why does Elvis have the power to soothe Lilo? Only Lilo knows. Is there any stigma Lilo suffers for choosing Elvis. Fortunately, no.
In contrast, real Laina’s frustration increased as an adoptive child whose parents had difficulty comprehending her emotional hurt of unrelenting race-targeted harassment in school. Unfortunately, unlike Lilo, Laina’s suffering was compounded because she was also given grief for her choice of music therapy: heavy metal. The problem was two-fold regarding two groups harassing about her perceived lack of cultural legitimacy. First, one group told her it was wrong for a Black woman to listen to something other than the blues-based music by Black artists. Second, many of the heavy metal community of fans rejected her also as unwelcome.
Laina is well-versed in blues music history but also an admirer of the stunning technical proficiency of heavy metal musicians. Fictional Lilo wasn’t pressed by her neighbors to justify her cultural legitimacy so why have others harassed Laina?
In Laina Dawes book, What are You Doing Here: A Black Woman’s Life and Liberation in Heavy Metal she interviews other heavy metal music fans, who are in the minority, who have been assaulted at live concerts targeted because of their race. Underground heavy metal musicians have also been targeted by race and punched. These victims of hate crimes have included women guitarists.
If skinheads and other violent racists declare heavy metal their territory, why not retreat? Why bother to attend live heavy metal concerts? As a life-long heavy metal fan, Laina Dawes has dedicated her career to this genre because of her awe of the technical proficiency and the quality of live performances. It’s her musical preference and these live concerts provide catharsis.
What are 3 of Lilo’s surviving-life tips?
It might be to allow friendships to develop slowly. Maybe keep the talk of brainworms and all-things-death for a second conversation rather than before a sunny trike ride. Use words instead of biting to indicate to her sister that she needs emotional space. Skip the tall tales about being disciplined with a brick when speaking to CPS.
What are 3 of Laina’s heavy metal concert-going tips?
Wear running shoes and dress low-key such as in jeans and a subdued sweatshirt. Why low key and plain? What are some no-nos? A decorative chain on a jacket can be used by someone else to pull you where you don’t want to go. Dangling earrings are also an attractive nuisance. It hurts when pulled by the lobe.
If bringing a camera, keep bags cross-body. No bulky backpacks. Personal space is at a premium and large items show disrespect for your fellow ticket-paying fan. Keep out of the press photographer pit if you are not working the concert. The professional photo-journalists have an agreement with the band’s management to get the shots needed before the second song is over and get out of the way. This means that camera flashes from an iphone, after this agreed period, will hinder the musicians and hurt the live concert experience for everyone.
How do you move through the crowd? Where’s a good place to stand? Laina cautions that the preamble to race-targeted violence by fellow fans is low-whispering and deadly stares in your direction. Your primal instincts will tell you there is tension. Move away quickly. Instead of standing at the back of the crowd, consider standing not to far from concert security to watch the show. You can also stand by the stage barrier. Always be respectful by communicating. For example when Laina must get through the crowd to get her assignment shots, first she reaches out her hand to place her hand on a stranger’s shoulder to let him/her know she is behind them, then she indicates that she is very sorry but she must get through because she is press on duty. Sometimes it is too loud for individuals to hear you but you can use non-verbal gestures to communicate courtesy. If possible don’t attend such concerts alone, go with a group of trusted friends.
SmartyFellas and SmartyGirls, resist when others try to define you. Resisting shows self-respect. You have a right to choose your own music. Rock on! Don’t let oppression eclipse your hope.
Follow Laina Dawes @Lainad on Twitter. Read one of her review on Tombs. Her advice to a new listener? Try more than subgenre of heavy metal. She’s pretty confident you’ll find one you like.
