Metallica & philosophy

“The most elucidative dissertation on Metallica ever written. And a kick-ass read to boot!!!” Scott Ian, guitarist for Anthrax “Like philosophy itself, Metallica’s music can scare the uninitiated, who fear their brains will hurt. This book makes both philosophy and Metallica accessible to the curious while deepening the experience of those already in the know.” Theodore Gracyk, author of Rhythmand Noise and Listening to Popular Music “Metallica and Philosophy is, at long last, the book which finally gives everyone’s favorite headbangers due credit for being intelligent, questioning, and even cerebral.” Joel McIver, author of Justice For All: The Truth About Metallica “Not just heavy metal, not just rock n’ roll, not just angst or anger or conceptual analysis, but a monster in a categoryof its own that shows us something dangerous about ourselves and our post-industrial culture.” Dale Jacquette, Pennsylvania State University

The Blackwell Philosophy and PopCulture Series Series editor William Irwin A spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down, and a healthy helping of popular culture clears the cobwebs from Kant. Philosophy has had a public relations problem for a fewcenturies now. This series aims to change that, showing that philosophy is relevant to your life—and not just for answering the big questions like “To be or not to be?” but for answering the little questions: “To watch or not to watch South Park?” Thinking deeply about TV, movies, and music doesn’t make you a “complete idiot.” In fact it might make you a philosopher, someone who believes theunexamined life is not worth living and the unexamined cartoon is not worth watching. South Park and Philosophy Edited by Robert Arp Metallica and Philosophy Edited by William Irwin Forthcoming Family Guy and Philosophy Edited by J. Jeremy Wisnewski The Daily Show and Philosophy Edited by Jason Holt Lost and Philosophy Edited by Sharon Kaye 24 and Philosophy Edited by Richard Davis, Jennifer Hart Weed,and Ronald Weed The Office and Philosophy Edited by J. Jeremy Wisnewski

A CRASH COURSE IN BRAIN SURGERY

EDITED BY WILLIAM IRWIN

© 2007 by Blackwell Publishing Ltd blackwell publishing 350 Main Street, Malden, MA 02148-5020, USA 9600 Garsington Road, Oxford OX4 2DQ, UK 550 Swanston Street, Carlton, Victoria 3053, Australia The right of William Irwin to be identified as the Author of theEditorial Material in this Work has been asserted in accordance with the UK Copyright, Designs, and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, except as permitted by the UK Copyright, Designs, and Patents Act 1988,without the prior permission of the publisher. First published 2007 by Blackwell Publishing Ltd 1 2007 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Metallica and philosophy : a crash course in brain surgery / edited by William Irwin. p. cm. — (The Blackwell philosophy and PopCulture series) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN-13: 978–1–4051–6348–4 (pbk. : alk. paper) 1. Metallica(Musical group)—Criticism and interpretation. 2. Heavy metal (Music)—United States—History and criticism. I. Irwin, William, 1970– ML421.M48M47 2007 782.42166092′2—dc22 2006033448 A catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library. This book is not authorized or endorsed by Metallica. All quotations from the songs of Metallica are employed only for the purposes of commentaryand criticism. Set in 10.5/13pt Sabon by Graphicraft Ltd, Hong Kong Printed and bound in The publisher’s policy is to use permanent paper from mills that operate a sustainable forestry policy, and which has been manufactured from pulp processed using acid-free and elementary chlorine-free practices. Furthermore, the publisher ensures that the text paper and cover board used have met acceptable...