Metallica and Philosophy: A Crash Course in Brain Surgery by William Irwin

Metallica and Philosophy: A Crash Course in Brain Surgery Reviews

• 
  James

  This book contains many essays by different authors which cover various philosophical topics. The degree in which it covers Metallica varies between essays. Some seem like previously written essays that have shoehorned in Metallica lyrics to back them up, whereas others seem more like biographies of the band's ideas. Philosophy is quite an interesting subject, but the book is at its best when the content is convincingly about Metallica, otherwise you may as well just read a dedicated philosophy book. Since this is Metallica themed, it makes sense to be familiar with their albums, and a general idea of their career before reading this. It's the first book I've read in the series, but I'd imagine they would all the similar, so if you have an interest in these books, then choose the theme you are most familiar with.
• 
  Brent

  I've been skeptical of these blank and philosophy books but having just finished a couple of biographies on Metallica I was in the mood for something more about them and decided to give it a shot. It wasn't bad. Kind of fun way to learn about different philosophical viewpoints. This one did seem to dip into psychology more than philosophy a couple of times but on the whole I enjoyed it.
• 
  Nakayoshi Takashima

  Als ich begann, mich für die Band Metallica zu interessieren, ahnte ich noch nicht, was auf mich zukommen würde. Ich kannte noch keinen James Hetfield, keinen Kirk Hammett oder keinen Lars Ulrich – ich wusste auch nichts von einem Cliff Burton, der 1986 bei einem tragischen Unfall des Tour-Busses der Band ums Leben kam. 2 Konzerte, dutzende Fanartikel und 9 Jahre Fan-sein von Metallica waren die Folge. Inzwischen kann ich schon sagen, dass ich diese Musiker bereits so gut kenne, als wären sie meine eigene Band Und trotz allem (als Metallica-Fan muss man sich einiges gefallen lassen) bin ich ihnen bis heute treu geblieben. Und diese Treue führte mich zu diesem Buch, das mir noch sehr viele Eindrücke und Aha-Momente beschert hat. Es geht hier nicht nur um die Texte von Metallica, sondern auch um die Menschen hinter der Band – ganz besonders James Hetfield wird hier von vorne bis hinten beleuchtet, und erklärt, um was es in der Gedankenwelt des charismatischen Songwriters geht. Zahlreiche Lyrics wurden übersetzt und genauestens erklärt. Die philosophischen Bestandteile haben mir jetzt weniger gut gefallen, auch wenn die Lyrics mit vielen berühmten Philosophen und deren Zitate erläutert wurden – an diesen Stellen werden oft Kant, Schopenhauer oder Camus genannt, aber das war mir ein bisschen zu hoch. Was mich etwas gestört hat an diesem Buch ist, das Metallica zuerst als Heavy Metal-Band betitelt wurden, im gleichen Atemzug aber „Rock-Band“ genannt werden. Das regt mich immer so ein bisschen auf, wenn man sich nicht entscheiden kann und als Autor gerne mal die Musikrichtungen durcheinander wirft, die man eigentlich beschreiben soll. Für mich sind Metallica eindeutig eine Heavy Metal-Band, selbst wenn sich bereits andere Stile in ihre Musik eingemischt haben. Besonders nahe gingen mir die letzten Kapitel, in denen sich alles um „Some Kind Of Monster“ drehte, der Doku über Metallica, mit der ich eigentlich ins Fan-Sein eingestiegen bin. Diese Doku hat mich immer sehr berührt, und in dem Buch wurden noch einmal genauer erläutert, wie sich die einzelnen Mitglieder fühlen mussten: James war hin und her gerissen zwischen Sucht, Entzugsklinik und Neustart, Schlagzeuger Lars, der verzweifelt versuchte die Band zusammen zu halten, aber dadurch nur noch frustrierte wurde als er schon war, und nicht mit seinem Frust umzugehen wusste – Streitigkeiten und ein dauer-wütender Lars waren die Folge. Der stets relaxt wirkende Kirk Hammett, der sich mehr als einmal Fehl am Platze fühlte, weil er das Gefühl hatte, das ihn niemand beachtet oder will – all das erfährt man hier noch mal viel genauer, zwar kurzweilig aber dennoch gut beschrieben. Ich finde Bücher wie dieses sehr praktisch und interessant, weil man sich dann so richtig in die Musiker hinein versetzen kann. Ich werde auch weiterhin solche Bücher lesen, um mir ein besseres Bild über meine Lieblingsmusik, meine Bands und meine Lieblignsmusiker machen zu können. Und jeder, der genauso fühlt und denkt wie ich, sollte das ebenfalls tun!
• 
  Christiaan

  I throughly enjoyed this entire book. The pacing was great and the breadth of philosophical subjects was diverse. Don't be mistaken, this is a philosophy book to the tenth degree. It is simply put within the context of Metallica. I enjoyed the contemporary setting of philosophical inquiry, and was left with an even greater appreciation for what Metallica stood for in their lyrics, and as a band. The beauty of the book lies within its accessibility to those with a deficient philosophical background, without patronizing those already familiar with the ideas it presents. In fact, it is even more enriching for someone already well versed in such concepts. The only chapter I found redundant and unnecessary was "The Unsocial Sociability of Humans and Metal Gods." It reiterated much of Kant's ethical principles, as described in the chapter before, and failed to be particularly relevant to the band. Ultimately, it felt like sitting through another lecture on Kant's Categorical Imperative, with eyes glazed over, offering nothing new or unique. That was my only complaint. The rest of the works were concise and "fresh" in content.
• 
  Irwan

  This book is about two subjects I hold dear: philosophy and Metallica. However here they don't go that naturally (maybe they just don't). Although a few of the articles do sparks some interest to philosophical concepts, generally this book suffers from over-philosophising or desperate-popularizing of philosophy.
  
  
  
  ---
  Notes:
  
  - Chapter 5 helps illuminate my understanding of Sartre's "bad faith" :-)
  
  - Chapter 4 is quite better then the previous ones, discussing about non-conformity, individuality and truth.
  "Real happiness requires autonomy and self-direction. Happiness is not just about pleasurable experiences, but about living your own life and making your own choices."
  
  Chapter 15 is a nice discussion about mind-body problem by opposing Descartes' idea with the existence of a person depicted in the song One.
  
  chapter 16: overphilosophise...... gak penting
  
  chapter 19: oh please...
• 
  Matt Lohr

  Metallica has always been among the more thoughtful and introspective bands on the metal scene, so they're a natural subject for this probing, insightful, and always entertaining collection of philosophical essays focusing on their lives, music and the rock world in general. Standout essays include Bart Engelen's study of the nature of alcoholism in Metallica's lives and music; Thom Brooks's "Ride the Lighning", which examines the ethics of the death penalty; Joanna Corwin's "Trapped in Myself," examining "the mind-body problem" as chronicled in the band's legendary song "One"; and Mark D. White's study of the symbiotic nature of band-fan relationships, beautifully titled "Metallica Drops a 'Load'". Essential reading for fans of this band.
• 
  Shane

  This is kind of a cool idea. Take a current topic and apply philosophy to it. So you've got essays on the death penalty (Ride the Lightning), assisted suicide/euthanasia (One), intellectual property rights (the Napster lawsuit), etc... It did seem a little repetitive at times and sometimes the subject only seemed tentatively connected to the band most of the writers did seem to be genuine fans of the band so that was cool.
  
  I've been a huge fan since just about the start of the whole Metalica thing and I still like their stuff (especially St. Anger). They may be one of the last "big" bands and that's kind of sad but I'm glad they made it.
• 
  Skúli Sigurðsson

  Interesting if not riveting, the articles are of varying quality and substance. Not very in-depth for the most part, some pieces only scratch the surface. The focus is heavily on the first four albums, the album and song Master of Puppets repeatedly taking centre stage. It feels slightly repetitive at times but the approach of each author varies enough to keep things from getting stale. Definitely a fun read for Metallica fans with a philosophical streak.
  
  See also my article on Medium,
  Twenty-Twenty in Books …so far.
• 
  Vin

  This book started getting really repetitive. Unfortunately, you're half way through an essay before you realize that the author of that particular one is just talking in circles. I'm going to go back and read only the ones that seem interesting instead of trying to swallow this book in it's entirety the way it was chronologically put together by the editor.
• 
  Leonard Pierce

  One of those "_____ and Philosophy" chain store jawns, this is gonna satisfy neither fans of Metallica nor fans of philosophy. There are worse ways to spend your time, though, I guess.
• 
  Kyle

  Pulling meaning out of songs which never intended those meanings is lame. The book contains sound arguments yet each topic is a vast stretch. That stretch leaves the writing thin and dull.
• 
  Zippoku

  provocative! a holy book for fans of metallica!
• 
  Truth Devour

  Metallica rocks!