…And Garbage for All

If the members of the heavy metal act Metallica decided to make and release their own peanut-butter and jelly sandwich, it would take the band much, much longer than anyone would guess was possible. Using their reality-TV-show-turned-documentary from 2004 as a roadmap, this is about how things would go:

First, the band’s management would purchase every type of sliced bread, peanut butter, and flavor of jelly available on the market and deliver it to “Sandwich-Making Headquarters.” Then singer James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich—both of whom are well into middle age—would sit in a room together for many hours a day and apply adolescence-fueled sandwich-making techniques. This would typically involve hurried and somewhat arbitrary combinations of the aforementioned ingredients, drawn-out tasting sessions for each resulting sandwich, additional hours spent struggling to note any differences that may or may not exist when compared to previous sandwiches, and regular outbursts of frustration and contrived angst interspersed with obscenities.

After about a month of this, there is a strong likelihood that a therapist would be called in for moral and psychological support due to the increasing frequency of exclamations like “Hey, making sandwiches is really fucking hard!” along with each band member having many near-realizations of “What the hell are we doing?” and “Why are we even still around?”

Occasionally, guitarist Kirk Hammett and Bass Player X would be invited to share whatever ingredients they use for their own peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, but most of these contributions would be outright dismissed, and those that weren’t would be discarded shortly thereafter.

This process would continue until an apex of frustration and exhaustion was reached, but also after most of the requisite parts of a sandwich were cobbled together. The ensuing disinterest in the project would signal to everyone that it is time to stop working and start being rock stars again, which is really what it’s all about for these guys. Of course, this means headlining an 18 month worldwide tour in support of the brand new Metalli-Sandwich, which at this point is long anticipated by fans.

In the end, Metallica’s latest creation would look and taste exactly how a PB&J should to John Q. Metalhead. Yet former fans and/or musicians not under the band’s spell are quick to notice that something is wrong with the taste of this sandwich, sort of like drinking a glass of milk after it started to sour in the fridge. Regardless, it would be a smashing success, and the many members of the Metallica Corporation—not just James, Lars, and Kirk—would make oodles and oodles of money, just like they always do when a new product is branded with the Metallica name.

So this holiday season, don’t forget to buy a Metalli-Sandwich for your loved ones, along with these other fine wares from Metallica (AKA the Wal-Mart of heavy metal):

Lots of Stuff Going On in One Place

I have always considered Ross to be one of the more distinguished discount department stores out there—it’s where I always go to buy clothes for other people. This is really classy though: an Oakland Athletics + Metallica + Ross + Sean Doolittle themed bobblehead:

metallica-000003

Naturally, this little treasure also plays For Whom the Bell Tolls icon-external-link-12x12 icon-search-12x12, which is the song that Mr. Doolittle has blasted through the stadium PA whenever he enters the game.

I was thinking about going to the April 30th Athletics game where they will be giving these away, but I wlll probably hold out for when they offer the Sean Doolittle bobblehead that features all of the above and also has a built-in bottle opener.

Betrayed by Aggressive Merchandising

Metallica-branded ear plugs are currently for sale at the group’s website: Ear Plugs with Keychain Case by EarPeace icon-external-link-12x12. Only $10.99, what a deal!

These are currently in the clearance section, suggesting that they could soon become a collector’s item. Although, rumor has it that they will be recirculated as a free gift to anyone who has purchased the band’s music since 2000.

Radio DAHC, Playlist 4: Zombie Shadow Magic

« Playlist »

Prince of Darkness icon-external-link-12x12 icon-search-12x12 (track 02 from the Risk LP by Megadeth)
“Prince of Darkness” Song Lyrics icon-external-link-12x12 icon-search-12x12
Black Magic icon-external-link-12x12 icon-search-12x12 (track 06 from the Show No Mercy LP by Slayer)
“Black Magic” Song Lyrics icon-external-link-12x12 icon-search-12x12
Shadow World icon-external-link-12x12 icon-search-12x12 (track 03 from the One Kill Wonder LP by The Haunted)
“Shadow World” Song Lyrics icon-external-link-12x12 icon-search-12x12
I, Zombie icon-external-link-12x12 icon-search-12x12 (track 07 from the Astro Creep: 2000 LP by White Zombie)
“I, Zombie” Song Lyrics icon-external-link-12x12 icon-search-12x12
Her Black Wings icon-external-link-12x12 icon-search-12x12 (track 06 from the Danzig II: Lucifuge LP by Danzig)
“Her Black Wings” Song Lyrics icon-external-link-12x12 icon-search-12x12
Devil’s Dance icon-external-link-12x12 icon-search-12x12 (track 03 from the Reload LP by Metallica)
“Devil’s Dance” Song Lyrics icon-external-link-12x12 icon-search-12x12
Help Me I Am in Hell icon-external-link-12x12 icon-search-12x12 (track 04 from the Broken EP by Nine Inch Nails)
Wolves icon-external-link-12x12 icon-search-12x12 (track 07 from the The Blackening LP by Machine Head)
“Wolves” Song Lyrics icon-external-link-12x12 icon-search-12x12