Line #8 Main/MetalHead


1	[[quoteright:350:[[Film/LittleNicky https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/metalhead.png]]]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350: Say what, dude?]]
3
4	->''They can't stop us, let 'em try!''\
5	''For HeavyMetal we will die!''
6	-->-- '''Music/{{Manowar}}''', "Die For Metal"
7
8	Also known as headbanger, thrasher, or hesher, the metalhead is a typically male character that started showing up in movies and television shows in the 1980s as HeavyMetal became popular. As the title implies, he is a very passionate fan of hard rock and {{heavy metal}} music and is not shy about expressing it. Unfortunately, some express their opinions too much to the point of coming off as an elitist {{Jerkass}} (and NoTrueScotsman is by no means uncommon).
9
10	The metalhead can usually be identified by any combination of the following: long hair, tattoos, piercings, beard or mustache, a black t-shirt bearing the logo of his favorite band (occasionally a hoodie as well), a black leather motorcycle jacket, tattered denim jeans, camo pants, high-tops, skate shoes (almost always Vans Old Skools), Converse (typically All Stars), combat boots, or a denim vest adorned with pins and patches. They are also known for using the "heavy metal horns" hand gesture as a way of showing their approval for something. Most metalhead characters are male, though female examples exist. Metalhead characters usually live in a PosterGalleryBedroom with walls covered in heavy metal band posters (and sometimes they still live in [[BasementDweller Mom's Basement]]). Female metalheads will generally be presented as either TheLadette or as [[{{Goth}} Gloomy Goths]], and are liable to be either incredibly beautiful and ultra-sexualised (the male metalhead's assumed ideal) or comedy fat girls.
11
12	He usually has a menial job at a garage or factory and dreams of one day being in a successful band. He practices electric guitar, electric bass, drums, or singing and has a basement full of music gear. The band has regular practices, but there's usually more beer drinking and debating on heavy metal history than practicing. The band's name includes a HeavyMetalUmlaut to make it more badass.
13
14	He likes to say "dude" and "awesome" a lot. Although he doesn't have a lot of book smarts, [[{{Geek}} his knowledge of heavy metal history and songs is staggering]] and he can debate for hours what bands should and should not be considered "metal." Other stereotypical things that the metalhead loves are [[CoolCar muscle cars]], [[CoolBike motorcycles]], beer, hard liqour (especially Jack Daniels), HorrorFilms, [[UltraSuperDeathGoreFestChainsawer3000 violent]] VideoGames, and (depending on the portrayal) marijuana or violent anime. This character may be of the opinion that RockIsAuthenticPopIsShallow. S/he may also be portrayed as a [[HollywoodSatanism Hollywood Satanist]] for good measure.
15	----
16	!!Examples:
17
18	[[foldercontrol]]
19
20	[[folder:Advertising]]
21	* According to [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=USHZZ5bwASU this commercial]] football commentator John Clayton is a metalhead who still lives with his mom.
22	* The ad for Aviva Motor Insurance in Ireland has a stereotypical metalhead as the main character.
23	[[/folder]]
24
25	[[folder:Anime and Manga]]
26	* Many minor characters in ''Manga/DetroitMetalCity'', given that the story centers around a metal band. (The main character is often disturbed by just how metalhead his fans are.)
27	* Kuroe Akaishi of ''Manga/KaijuGirlCaramelise''. One of the things she is shown doing when she is friendless and trying to shut out the outside world is listening to loud metal music with headphones on. It's later revealed that she first caught the metal bug from her HonoraryUncle Koutarou Hibino, who brings her metal album [=CD=]s as gifts when he visits and takes her to a metal festival.
28	* Sawako Yamanaka in ''Manga/KOn'' (also animated by Creator/KyotoAnimation, see above) due to her age usually tries to suppress her inner metalhead but lapses into the wild behavior from her highschool days quite frequently.
29	[[/folder]]
30
31	[[folder:Comic Strips]]
32	* The title character of Norwegian comic strip ''ComicStrip/{{Nemi}}'' is a female metalhead of the "beautiful ladette" variety.
33	[[/folder]]
34
35	[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
36	* In ''Film/{{Airheads}}'', a trio of metalheads/struggling musicians end up taking a radio station hostage while trying to get their demo played.
37	* Wayne and Garth from the ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'' skits and [[Film/WaynesWorld Wayne's World]] films are a pair of sardonic, but likable metalheads.
38	* ''Film/TheStonedAge'' follows a pair of stereotypical metalheads who are trying to get laid during a night in the late 1970s.
39	* The drama film ''Film/{{Hesher}}'' is about a metalhead who helps a young boy overcome the death of his mother.
40	* ''Film/RockStar'' (which was originally titled "Metal God") is a film about a 1980s metalhead who suddenly becomes the lead singer of his favorite band after the original vocalist is fired.
41	* The titular characters of ''Film/BillAndTedsExcellentAdventure''.
42	* ''Film/LittleNicky'''s only human friends are metalheads John and Peter (pictured above) and AmbiguouslyGay budding playwright Todd. Nicky himself is a metalhead too, despite all the dorkiness. [[spoiler:John and Peter die at the end of the movie, but inherit Nicky's old room in Hell. "They've never been happier."]]
43	* Pretty much everybody in ''Film/TenaciousDInThePickOfDestiny''.
44	* ''Film/HeavyMetalParkingLot'' is a documentary iinterviewing fans at the paking lots at heavy metal concerts.
45	* In ''30 Minutes or Less'', Dwayne spends most of the movie clad in a Music/{{Metallica}} ''Master of Puppets'' t-shirt. Also, the ringtone for his mobile phone is "Raining Blood" by Music/{{Slayer}}.
46	* The teenage version of Lou from ''Film/HotTubTimeMachine'' has long hair, a leather jacket, and an Music/IronMaiden t-shirt. Making him a pretty typical 1980s metalhead.
47	* Kenny from ''Film/DontTellMomTheBabysittersDead''. In fact, the scary heavy metal posters on his bedroom walls are what causes the babysitter to die from a heart attack.
48	* The Icelandic drama film ''Films/{{Metalhead}}'' is about a girl who witnesses the accidental death of her brother, who was an avid heavy metal fan. To deal with her grief and anger she remakes herself in his image by wearing his clothes and listening to his music at loud volumes. But as time goes on her acts of rebellion no longer satisfy her so she begins lashing out on a larger and more destructive scale.
49	* The New Zealand horror/comedy ''Film/{{Deathgasm}}'' is about a group of high school metalheads who accidentally summon an ancient evil by playing a piece of old sheet music they found in the home of one of their heavy metal idols.
50	* A more streamlined version is Film/IronMan, who wears Music/BlackSabbath shirts (and in the novelization, even listens to it while in his armor), fights a friend listening to Music/{{Queen}}, and uses Music/{{ACDC}} to make [[IncomingHam glorious entrances]].
51	* ''Film/MetalLords'' has Hunter, the best friend of protagonist Kevin, who admits he barely knew anything about metal before following Hunter's dream of forming a band.
52	[[/folder]]
53
54	[[folder:Live-Action Television]]
55	* ''Series/StrangeFrequency'' has many metalheads in it.
56	* ''Series/That70sShow'' has Hyde, your resident '70s-era metalhead. Donna could also count to a lesser extent.
57	-->'''Donna:''' Where are my Music/LedZeppelin posters?!\
58	'''Jackie:''' Oh, those? I removed them. They were ugly anyhow. It's time for a change.\
59	'''Donna:''' ''Captain and Tenille''?\
60	'''Jackie:''' Yeah! Aren't they great?\
61	''Donna gives Jackie a DeathGlare.''
62	* The majority of the freaks in ''Series/FreaksAndGeeks'' could qualify as Metalheads around the end of the '70s beginning of the '80s.
63	* Season 4 of ''Series/StrangerThings'' introduces Eddie Munson (played by Creator/JosephQuinn), an avid RPG player and fan of heavy metal. Naturally, since it's TheEighties, he's quickly thrust into the center of a SatanicPanic-tinged mystery.
64	** Before Eddie, Season 2 introduced [[{{Jerkass}} Billy]] [[BarbaricBully Hargrove]], who fits quite a few of the tropes (Long hair, likes muscle cars and alcohol, always wearing denim or leather) but his music taste and style isn't a important part of his character so much as his [[AxCrazy personality]].
65	* Rich from ''Series/{{Skins}}''.
66	[[/folder]]
67
68	[[folder:Music]]
69	* "Metal Head" by Blotto is an AffectionateParody of metalheads. The song features intentional EndingFatigue to lampshade its use in HeavyMetal, and it includes a guitar solo by [[Music/BlueOysterCult Donald "Buck Dharma" Roeser]], who also appeared in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vyJSetm6U0k the video]].
70	--> ''Strange sensations comin' over me, somethin' I can't explain.\
71	Suddenly there's an endless void where I used to keep my brain.\
72	I gotta see a doctor but I'm too wasted to phone one,\
73	Wanna customize my van, and I don't even own one.''
74	* Music/TeenageBottlerocket has a song called "Headbanger", about a "heavy metal party" full of people like this, and singling out one guy who's headbanging so much it becomes a serious health risk.
75	-->''He was a... headbanger! \
76	He whipped his head around so fast, he gave himself a concussion \
77	Dude, you better slow down, before you break your neck \
78	You know that shit can't be good for your brain!''
79	* The titular character in "Teenage Dirtbag" by Music/{{Wheatus}} is a big Music/IronMaiden fan.
80	[[/folder]]
81
82	[[folder:Professional Wrestling]]
83	* The secondary gimmick of Wrestling/BallsMahoney, Wrestling/{{ECW}} was full of metal music anyway so it wasn't especially noticeable compared to, well you know, [[GarbageWrestler chairs and stuff.]] Still, he made sure to let everyone know, even if it was just with the horn gesture.
84	* Wrestling/TripleH - as if having Music/{{Motorhead}} do his theme songs wasn't enough of a clue, according to reports, he personally scouts relatively obscure metal bands to do a lot of WWE and NXT's theme music.
85	* Wrestling/ChrisJericho - He's a vocalist of Music/{{Fozzy}}.
86	* Wrestling/SethRollins - He's favorite band are Music/{{Metallica}}, Music/{{Pantera}} and Music/ParkwayDrive. His theme song has a metal sound.
87	* Wrestling/ErickRowan - He's started wearing a metal band shirt after an alliance with Wrestling/DanielBryan. He also involved with Music/AmonAmarth Music Video Raven's Flight, Crack The Sky, Mjolner, Hammer Of Thor and Get In The Ring.
88	* Wrestling/RheaRipley - Her theme song has a metal sound. She's also a heavy metal fan and her nickname is The Mosh Pit Kid.
89	[[/folder]]
90
91	[[folder:Video Games]]
92	* Most of the good guys in the game ''VideoGame/BrutalLegend'' are metalheads. The main character is the world's greatest roadie, and there are even thick-skulled headbangers who overcome their foes by head-butting them to death.
93	** And their combo attack is the Mosh Pit.
94	* ''VideoGame/DoomEternal'' portrays Doomguy/the Doom Slayer as one, as he has an assortment of electric guitars in the Fortress of Doom and throughout the game collects vinyl records of metal songs from previous ''VideoGame/{{Doom}}'' games (and from ''VideoGame/{{Quake}}'').
95	* The character of Axel Steel from ''VideoGame/GuitarHero'' is a stereotypical metalhead.
96	** The character of Casey Lynch also seems to be an example of a female metalhead, in addition to being a bit of a {{Grunge}} fan.
97	** Lars Umlaut is another metalhead character, albeit one who is mainly interested in Norwegian black metal.
98	* I-no from ''VideoGame/GuiltyGear'' is a [[MusicalAssassin musician]] that plays loud heavy metal as her moveset and Instant Kill.
99	* Averted in ''VideoGame/PowerGigRiseOfTheSixString'' as the most metalhead looking character is actually a poet with a DarkAndTroubledPast.
100	* Among the potential AI empire personalities in ''VideoGame/{{Stellaris}}'', there is an extremely rare chance for a star nation to have the "Metalhead" personality. These species are strong, industrious, and ''[[LeeroyJenkins insanely]]'' [[BloodKnight aggressive]], having Aggressiveness and Bravery ratings of 10 when the likes of [[AbsoluteXenophobe Fanatical Purifiers]] or [[HordeOfAlienLocusts Devouring Swarm]] are ranked at 2 or 3. "Metal."
101	* Ibuki Mioda in ''VisualNovel/Danganronpa2GoodbyeDespair'', the "Ultimate/Super Highschool Level Musician/Light Music club member." She left her old band due to {{creative differences}}, from them wanting to play pop music as opposed to her love for {{death metal}}. In one of the special interactions with her, she challenges your character to a headbanging competition, and he ends up wondering why she doesn't get horrific neck pains from thrashing around.
102	* Once you push them far enough, the first killer in ''VisualNovel/PhoenixWrightAceAttorneySpiritOfJustice'', [[spoiler: [[IronicName Pees'lubn Andistan'dhin]] switches from his NewAgeRetroHippie nature, plugs his dahmalan into some amps, and starts belting out some face-melting testimonies (complete with raspy voice blips). He's affectionately been dubbed "[[LooksLikeJesus Heavy Metal Jesus]]" by the fans.]]
103	[[/folder]]
104
105	[[folder:Web Animation]]
106	* Cheerleader from ''WebAnimation/TeenGirlSquad'' doesn't fit any of the normal stereotypes (being a preppy teenage AlphaBitch), but she's a big fan of Briankrieg, a death metal garage band that goes to her school. She's even seen headbanging during one of their concerts, much to the shock of What's Her Face and the Gregs.
107	[[/folder]]
108
109	[[folder:Webcomics]]
110	* Daniel of ''Webcomic/AquaRegia''; Let's see, [[BarbarianLongHair long hair]], fan of Music/JudasPriest, and usually dresses in [[HellBentForLeather leather]], bonus points for being an [[AntiHero outlaw]] in the society he lives in. Funnily enough, modern {{Cyberpunk}} fiction rarely mentions punk and heavy metal, which the story has a lot of it to drive the point further.
111	* Amy of ''Webcomic/WooHoo'' dresses in goth/punk style and is devoted to fictional death-metal band Bloodgoat. She's seemingly quite educated and intelligent.
112	[[/folder]]
113
114	[[folder:Web Original]]
115	* The metalhead stereotype is lampooned in [[http://www.theonion.com/articles/goth-metalhead-overcome-subcultural-differences-to,1767/ this article]] from Website/TheOnion.
116	* In the ''WebVideo/{{CorridorDigital}}'' short [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hDlif8Km4S4 "Dubstep Guns,"]] a pair of metalhead twins are a couple of the [[DiscoTech music-based opponents]] the protagonists face.
117	* Similarly, Website/{{Cracked}} pokes fun at it when referring to Music/DefLeppard fans in the eighties:
118	-->''In the band's heyday, fans of Def Leppard spanned all colors, genders, and hairstyles (or at least hairstyles typical of the late eighties). The vast majority of HeavyMetal fans, meanwhile, are widely known to be white males, either rail-thin or over 250 pounds, with so much hair they could supply a Locks of Love chapter in perpetuity.''
119	* Website/YouTube personality WebVideo/AlphaOmegaSin describes himself as one.
120	* The main characters of the Website/YouTube series [[https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjVAiPvtQHKdWjnIlZcVG9Q Heavy Metal Maniacs]] all fit the stereotype, but since the series was made by Metal fans, the characters represent different types of metalheads instead of the typical cliches.
121	[[/folder]]
122
123	[[folder:Western Animation]]
124	* ''[[WesternAnimation/BeavisAndButtHead Beavis and Butt-Head]]'' is about a pair of extremely stupid and socially inept teenage metalheads.
125	* The character of Otto Mann from ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons''. In one episode he was forced to choose between his bride-to-be and metal. Guess what he chose?
126	* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Metalocalypse}}'', Dethklok fans are portrayed as being stereotypical metalheads.
127	* ''WesternAnimation/HomeMovies'' has the inarticulate teenage metalhead Duane and his band [[HeavyMetalUmlaut Scäb]]. In spite of his lack of ability to express himself verbally, he is a highly talented guitarist and has written a rock opera based on Franz Kafka.
128	* Muscle Man from ''WesternAnimation/RegularShow'' is implied to be a metalhead, judging by the song he refers to as his "jam" in the episode "My Mom", the music he brings for he, Mordecai, and Rigby to listen to while the three of them hang out in "The Night Owl", and the "ROCK ON!" poster seen in his trailer. He's also shown headbanging at least once. He fits some stereotypes associated with the trope; he's a BigFun guy with [[NoIndoorVoice an extremely loud voice]], [[ThePigPen bad hygiene]], and a menial job as a groundskeeper at a park. His eyes also have a pinkish tint, suggesting pot use (this is unconfirmed, but it may be intentional).
129	* ''WesternAnimation/DCSuperHeroGirls2019'' has its version of Kara Danvers, who jams on her electric guitar and is a huge fan of heavy metal, as well as TheLadette of the team. This results in her looking down on other genres of music, as shown in the short "[=#TheSlowAndTheFurious=]," where she got into an argument with Zee and Diana over what music station they should listen to, jazz, classical, or metal, and in "[=#LeagueOfShadows=]", where she scoffs at Karen's preference for the boy band Up Past 8 and drags her to a metal concert instead. She also, naturally, has the civilian outfit to match: leather jacket, ripped jeans, and dark red combat boots.
130	[[/folder]]
131
132	[[folder:Real Life]]
133	* The "menial jobs and not book smart" description is averted in real life: a French sociologist studied the metal crowd, taking for basis the fans who attended the Hellfest Summer Open Air festival of 2011. His conclusion: higher diplomas and less unemployment among metalheads than other youth groups. Having a good job is often TruthInTelevision: shows and physical media [[CrackIsCheaper add up real fast]], and the "white collar metalhead" who wears band shirts beneath their work clothes as undershirts, ties longer hair in a man bun (if male) or has a shorter haircut, and maybe slips in darker-colored work clothing, wears Vans, Converse, or high-tops on casual Fridays, and listens to their music with the volume down in their office when no one is nearby is the rough metal equivalent of the "corporate goth".
134	[[/folder]]

Context Main / MetalHead