Blabbermouth pointed out a precious little story from Princeton University’s newspaper The Daily Princetonian. It seems that there are actually 20 students out of the 7,400 enrolled at the school that, get this – like heavy metal! Four students have started “Headbangers Inc.,” the first student group at any of the eight Ivy League schools dedicated to metal. While plenty of smart metalheads exist, it’s gotta be tough to proudly stand up for your metal beliefs in a sea of discriminating, over-privileged elitist douchebags.
On the sunday of Lawnparties this fall, Michele Tyler ’12 and Lola Aceves ’11 passed on the usual Princeton garb of sundresses and sandals, instead donning very different outfits: knee-high black boots with studs, heavy black eye makeup, short black skirts and Misfits T-shirts. As the two heavy metal fans entered Cap & Gown Club, a bouncer inspected their proxes, let them in and then respectfully asked them about the reception they were getting on campus. Further down the Street, Tyler and Aceves heard some students considering asking the bouncers to kick them out of Cloister Inn. And later, two female students outside Campus Club asked them with skepticism, “Do you guys go to this school? Where do you guys hang out?”
And it’s not just the reception the group gets from other students. Even the article feels the need to explain what headbanging is, describing “There are different personal styles of headbanging, including spinning one’s head around in a circle as opposed to moving one’s head up and down.” Really Princeton? Really? The article makes it sound like metal is a curiosity, a primitive culture to be disapprovingly puzzled about on the way to polo matches. There are also comments on the story from other Princeton students condemning Headbangers Inc. members for dressing the way they do and calling metal generic.
It seems like the Headbangers Inc. kids have a decent understanding of metal, as well as a sense of humor about it. Which is way more than can be said for the remainder of Princeton students. In addition to having a forum for like-minded metalheads to hang out, the group is also booking concerts, and is hoping to get Sharon and/or Ozzy Osbourne to speak at the University.
