hello folks. i am sort of wondering about your ( of the both of you) views on environmental and social issues ( like concious citizenship, compassion for others, preserving the Earth), animal rights.I know a lot of metalheads don't give a shit about society and nothing else really except for their own asses, so this is not really a public question and it will not make me feel better if I get to read several fxxk offs under this. I realize it might take some time to evaluate this and also that it might me personal or that you just don't have time to spare for this, but as you can see, I have asked anyway. oh, and am i delirious or do any of Dev's lyrics\concepts slightly touch the forementioned subjects in their own abstract way. Thank you so much for takin' the time, best wishes to all of you.

I know a lot of metalheads don't give a shit about society and nothing else really except for their own asses.........

I know a lot of metalheads that would take offence to this........

whoops then. i am deeply sorry dude, i am sure you know what I meant. I also have a lot of metalhead friends, who would love to see my ass kicked for sayin' sth like that. Cheers

[Tracy]

This one took a little time to try and get an answer for but in the end, I didn't really get one.

"How do you feel about environmental and social issues?" I ask.

"I dig 'em" He replies.

"I think you need a better answer than that. The guy asks a 10-12 line question he needs a better answer than 'I dig em'."

"Okay... How I feel about environmental and social issues... I really dig 'em"

Best I can do, sorry.

Myself, I'm a strict vegetarian and recycle everything I can - drives Dev nuts on recycle night. Everyone on the block has their blue box out on the curb and we usually have 3 boxes plus bags plus cardboard... We drive low gas consumption vehicles (would drive hybrids if they were a little more affordable). I would love to be an activist for animal rights but am far too sensitive to the cause to do it. The tamest animal cruelty story on the news can ruin me for days so there is no way I could expose myself to the reality day after day. Not and still function. So, I donate food to the shelters and adopt "special needs" pets. I can't even go into a shelter, I'll cry. I am not active in any way with the community (we try to stay annonymous) and my work doesn't leave me with a second to myself as it is.

So, on the big scheme of things, we suck at changing the world. But, I tell you, when you look out at an audience when the band is playing and they are all happy and cheering, it really does make you think that maybe you are changing things in a small way. When you can make a few hundred or thousand people forget their troubles for even a few minutes, that's pretty cool. That's my biggest reward.

[Blazingmonga]

So, on the big scheme of things, we suck at changing the world. But, I tell you, when you look out at an audience when the band is playing and they are all happy and cheering, it really does make you think that maybe you are changing things in a small way. When you can make a few hundred or thousand people forget their troubles for even a few minutes, that's pretty cool. That's my biggest reward.

That's a really wonderful thing to hear, makes me go a bit squishy....!

So, on the big scheme of things, we suck at changing the world. But, I tell you, when you look out at an audience when the band is playing and they are all happy and cheering, it really does make you think that maybe you are changing things in a small way. When you can make a few hundred or thousand people forget their troubles for even a few minutes, that's pretty cool. That's my biggest reward.

Trust in that!! There is nothing more powerful than hundreds or thousands of people singing along to the same song!!

Everyone on the block has their blue box out on the curb and we usually have 3 boxes plus bags plus cardboard... We drive low gas consumption vehicles (would drive hybrids if they were a little more affordable).

so my family arent weirdos for having that much recycling?

This one took a little time to try and get an answer for but in the end, I didn't really get one.

"How do you feel about environmental and social issues?" I ask.

"I dig 'em" He replies.

"I think you need a better answer than that. The guy asks a 10-12 line question he needs a better answer than 'I dig em'."

"Okay... How I feel about environmental and social issues... I really dig 'em"

Best I can do, sorry.

Myself, I'm a strict vegetarian and recycle everything I can - drives Dev nuts on recycle night. Everyone on the block has their blue box out on the curb and we usually have 3 boxes plus bags plus cardboard... We drive low gas consumption vehicles (would drive hybrids if they were a little more affordable). I would love to be an activist for animal rights but am far too sensitive to the cause to do it. The tamest animal cruelty story on the news can ruin me for days so there is no way I could expose myself to the reality day after day. Not and still function. So, I donate food to the shelters and adopt "special needs" pets. I can't even go into a shelter, I'll cry. I am not active in any way with the community (we try to stay annonymous) and my work doesn't leave me with a second to myself as it is.

So, on the big scheme of things, we suck at changing the world. But, I tell you, when you look out at an audience when the band is playing and they are all happy and cheering, it really does make you think that maybe you are changing things in a small way. When you can make a few hundred or thousand people forget their troubles for even a few minutes, that's pretty cool. That's my biggest reward.

Well said Tracy. Sorry because of my short reply, but all I can say is "well said". Your whole answer left me in thousand smilies.

It is very well said, and I have to say that you should feel good about the happiness the shows bring to people...I've never felt that kind of connection before seeing Devin, I really felt like we were given something...if that makes sense...I'll stop rambling

Well, first of all, thanks Tracy for trying to squeeze some answers out of your husband, I appreciate. ON some level, I could have expected that kind of answer for him, and I actually made me laugh, but didn't make it much clearer for me, perhaps he does not want me to know, well, tell him he's a funny guy, that's for sure. It's either that it's too serious to be answered just like that, off the top of one's hat, or he's an enlightened zen buddhist, who'd probably give that kind of answer ( i bet), or he is just a funny dude. But it's nice to know someone cares.

The cruelty of contemporary society requires of the most sensitive individuals to be the bravest and active in the matter of helpin others, so I am content, you know, that you show interest in the field, but, as I said, and that's something you know, immediate action must be taken by those who, shall we say, can see the state of affairs. for instnce, if you know there is an animal shelter and you feel for everyone in it, then not visiting, donating, helping in any way ( not talking about you in specific) is simply fooling yourself and preserving the suffering ( what the buddhist would call living in the Maya, the great illusion).

Yes, I am a strong believer you can make the world better with art. But take into consideration that art, being abstract and free-floating, does not grant any concrete, say, tips, for any sort of action, maybe it just encourages some undirectional reflection or contemplation. And remember, we men are virtuosos at cheating ourselves and what I would call the art of separation. What I mean is that we tend to separate varius spheres of our lives form each other and to look at ourselves and others only through the prism of a sphere chosen because of its suitability in a particular moment. The spheres and sectors are interconnected and we often fail to notice it. Thus, when people attend a show by DTB, and I have attended one myself, so i might know just what it feels like ( wonderful), you do see lots of cheering faces, but those faces later go home, and as they do, they often may take this sphere of joy as separate from other spheres, whereas ot rather should be associated with things like being helpful and sheer nice to others, and I do mean others ( eeeeverybody), anger management in situations having seemingly no association with the show. so basically developing love and patience.


wow, that's it for now, will that do for 500 posts? just kiddin'
anyway, best regards and hang in there, let the compassion arise and so on and so on and so on

Wow, Krhystophe, you've actually given me more hope for the metal community
I am a strict vegetarian too, don't wear leather (which is easy for me, because I don't listen to power metal ), fur or even wool. I recycle like crazy, leave my car home most of the time, which is pretty easy because public transport is free for students here in Holland. The fact that I listen to both metal and punk, also gives me friends in the punk community. And I was convinced that actually only the punkers (and I mean the real conscience straight-edgers, not the "Hey, let's kick everyone's ass at a punk gig" punkers) were into making the world a better place. So I can imagine you saying that metalheads don't give a shit about society, but they are around, you just have to look very closely What about bands like System of a Down and Dying Fetus, they have really awesome lyrics about society.
Oh and Tracy, you have my respect; my eyes lit up like stars when I read your post
I hope we'll meet someday on tour, so we can talk about animal rights and the environment in my own country.

it's cool to hear what you're sayin', well, I am jest a man who fuckin' cares and can't really comprehend folks that don't give a shit, I mean I do know all sorts of arguments for not givin' a damn, but overall i think it's two categories of naysayers we got here: ignorants, who just prefer not to know, because knowlegde can create serioud dissonance and make you change stuff in you and around you. They like to keep comfortable with a meer illusion of safety and justification for their actions. There's also people with significantly destructive personalities and habits, who serioulsy don't give a fuck. Even if informed about anything, they just show the finger and, in fact, they like to live at the cost others will have to pay as thwy ( we) do.

SOAD? Fuck yes, love'em.

some confession: i am a, well, a strict vegetarian you could say. on the way to becoming a vegan, but still dependent on my family to some extent. even so, I limit dairy products and whenever possible, not use'em at all, although substitutes are still damn exensive down here, which hopefully will change.

and yes, I sometimes am impolite, get fuckin angry and frustrated, but I am constantly trying tu turn it upside down and be patient, calm and pealceful. my mood micht change often and therefore my close ones sometimes get it from me, but hey, i am trying to improve.

I am sayin' this, cause , ya know, someone might think I give you shit about me being perfect. I am not. Cheers

[EphelDuath666]

I'm a strict vegetarian too. Not a radical one though so I'm not trying to pressure my thoughts on others because that would make living with my family and the majority of my friends way too difficult. I'm also quite tolerant for the same reason as why I'm not radical, but if someone makes fun about killing cats or dogs, for example, in my presence then I might break his nose. I have never ever done so and probably never will but my sense of humor is very limited in that regard. I'd love to become vegan because, no matter what others think, I think it would be right. But the stuff that I can eat is already pretty limited due to health issues so a vegan way of life would reduce my food to almost nothing...lol.
I'm also very interested in social issues and I think I have proven that quite often on this message board I also sometimes tend to believe that there are not enough people in the metalscene that really think about social issues and as stated on another forum, I think the metalscene is less tolerant than it pretends to be.

I'm also very interested in social issues and I think I have proven that quite often on this message board

Peeing on other people's faces and stuff are social issues?

Alright already! There's a lady present.