I adore metal. It's one of my defining personal traits, though it probably shouldn't be. It's just that when you listen to music that offends so many sensibilities for so many people, some eyebrows are raised. It's a polarizing form of musical expression. But I didn't come to it honestly. I started out hating metal; I found it distasteful on a number of levels. But something about it just gnawed at me: how could so many people feel so passionately about a musical tradition and artistic vision on both sides? So it was a morbid fascination to begin with. Eventually, however, my interest evolved. It was no longer simply a morbid curiosity. I didn't really enjoy metal, but I enjoyed its conceits and excesses. I thought it was really funny that you could listen to an entire metal album and not understand more than a half-dozen words of the lyrics. It was so over-the-top that I couldn't help but admire it.
Eventually, I purchased Mechanical Animals by Marilyn Manson. It was followed (don't get the joke? You're about to!) by Korn's Follow the Leader and the rest was history. Wisconsin Death Trip came next. I won't trace the whole progression, but suffice it to say that an ironic appreciation gradually became a legitimate one. I love metal and I can't imagine what I'd be listening to if I'd never happened on it.
So this is my fear: what if the Raiders are the same way? What if, over the course of years away from Foxboro's warm embrace, I'm becoming a Raiders fan? Before you laugh, consider this: just today, I fired up NFL Game Rewind (a phenomenal service if you're passionate about the league) and watched parts of last weekend's horrific loss to the mighty Chiefs of Kansas City. I really did that. I have used a great free utility called MS Paint to assemble the following chart, which I think will illuminate what I'm trying to say. This is for real.
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