‘Girls, girls, girls’?

Abstract

Drawing initially on research on the gendering of music scenes this article will suggest that the documentary The Metal Years (1988) depicts a Los Angeles heavy metal scene that, in accordance with popular versions of histories of this scene, is ostensibly male-dominated. However, through subsequent analysis of the film that will focus upon the performances and testimonies of individuals featured within it, together with a consideration of other primary and secondary accounts of this scene, this article will contend that gender relations evident within the text are more complex than they first appear. There are tensions and contradictions apparent within The Metal Years that complicate simplistic dismissals of the scene as sexist and misogynistic. Thus, this article will argue that the film should be regarded as a revealing piece of historical evidence that sheds light on a hitherto under-researched music scene.

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