Yeah DRI and COC were two bands that really lost me when they transitioned over to mainstream metal.
But having been in bands that have toured myself and being a former promoter, I can easily see why a band which is offered the choice of playing a dirty squat with a $5 door and playing a large, clean, well furnished venue with an actual backstage and a $15 door, why some would choose the latter. Musical integrity gets old pretty fast when you are sleeping on floors and eating at soup kitchens.
On another note, I've always found the metalhead biography books kind of better than similar punk/hardcore books. If for no other reason than the metalheads were only ever there for the music. They are under no illusions that they are waging class warfare or changing things. (Black Metal notwithstanding).
The punks have this whole 'we built this perfect scene' thing that is just nauseating to listen to.
I'm actually in a couple books myself since I was part of the late 80's punk/hardcore scene in the Bay Area at Blacklist/Epicenter/Gilman st. I've went to great lengths to elucidate my ideology on the point that idealistic people who want to see change in the world would be better served volunteering at a homeless shelter or drug recovery program. As opposed to 'volunteering' for loud music as if punk rock is a cause.
However they have always managed to obfuscate what I said and make me sound like a drunk idiot.
But I've always butted heads with that whole MRR crew about their anti-drugs and alcohol stance. They are very open minded and positive until they realize you are high as fuck, then you are ruining 'the scene'.
It's also highly ironic that for all the polemics about race, class and gender, when you went into these DIY punk scenes it was 90% white guys watching bands that are 95% white guys. So after all that effort, not much different really than the metal scene.
But I am venting.
