Monster in the mirror

The Independent screened the Metallica documentary for free last night, although there was a two-drink minimum. So with cheese steaks in our bellies, El Lefty Malo and I split a pitcher and enjoyed Some Kind of Monster on the big(gish) screen and in full-throttle, high-volume stereo stage sound.

There is a lot of humor in the film, much of it not intended by the band members, which keeps it interesting for a non-fan. There are times when the group-therapy process seems farcical and ridiculous, and other times when it seems like the only thing that can keep these overgrown adolescents from killing each other or throwing away the best thing that ever happened to them.

But you know what sticks with me the most? Yes, Monster "humanizes" the guys in Metallica, and shows them as "three-dimensional people" -- which really only serves as a reminder that their music itself doesn't really do those things at all. The reason I've generally avoided heavy metal music is that its emotional range so often spans roughly from A to B, or at least to A-minus. These guys have made such a career out of being fucking relentless that we've never seen much vulnerability at all, or much of anything else besides anger and fear, for that matter, in their art.

Punk rock, which extends the middle finger just as high as metal does, is more liable to be self-effacing as it rages. Pop songs, other kinds of rock'n'roll, classic songcraft (pre-1950 style, roughly), jazz and classical music -- they just seem more likely to include a range of ideas and emotions, often within a single song. But metal? I guess there is metal that ranges from disappointment to triumph to wistful longing and reflection... somewhere. Maybe I haven't looked hard enough, but I've always thought the genre was limited that way. And sure enough, the documentary shows metal's kings as somewhat emotionally retarded, and exposes something with which they've never dealt -- either in their music or anywhere else, it seems.


Now playing: X's "The World's A Mess, It's In My Kiss," Husker Du's "Celebrated Summer," The Band's "Caledonia Mission," and Spoon's "The Way We Get By"