The OCD Diaries

June 16, 2020June 16, 2020

‘Wind of Change’ Is Must Listening

I’ve been enjoying a new rabbit hole of late: the growing pile of free podcasts on Spotify. Like its music collection, the array of podcast topics are vast. There’s history, news analysis, true crime — the sky’s the limit.

My favorite so far is a series called “Wind of Change.” I’m not a big believer in conspiracy theories, but I enjoy learning about them and this is a big one.

The episodes follow New York writer Patrick Radden Keefe as he explores rumors that “Wind of Change,” a huge hit for German rock band The Scorpions, was actually written by the CIA to stir pro-democracy feelings in the Soviet Union.

Mood Music:

As you go through each episode, the question of whether this happened doesn’t seem to matter much. What makes this great are the people he talks to along the way.

There are musical acts touring the Communist Block, not always realizing their gigs had been engineered behind the scenes by the CIA, hoping to spread pro-West propaganda.

There’s the CIA operative who suggests some musicians knowingly conspired with the agency and the GI Joe collector who made a display of The Scorpions for an exhibit about groups and individuals who actively promoted freedom. The guy hadn’t even heard the “Wind of Change” theory when he created it. He just assumed the band was taking up the mantle.

My favorite episodes focus on the Moscow Music Peace Festival, a 1989 event I remember watching on pay-per-view. The festival — featuring The Scorpions, Ozzy, Mötley Crüe, Skid Row and Bon Jovi — was put together by Doc McGee, manager of all the bands at the time, to promote an anti-drug message.

The story goes that Doc McGhee, a prolific drug runner on the side, put on the festival to get out of jail time on drug charges. The catch was that it would be held in Moscow, where it would spread pro-West sentiment, per the wishes of the CIA.

It was during that event, the official story goes, that Scorpions singer Klaus Meine was inspired to write “Wind of Change.”

Keefe interviews McGhee, one of his former drug-smuggling associates, other musicians that played the peace festival and finally Meine himself.

With everything happening in the world right now, it’s a welcome distraction.

Do yourself a favor and check it out.

February 18, 2015

First Heavy Metal Church of Christ: It Exists!

From the no-joke file: There’s a church that uses heavy metal to preach Christ’s teachings. I was skeptical when reading about it on Vice.com, because that site runs a lot of bullshit. But I looked around and sure enough, The First Heavy Metal Church of Christ is for real.

Mood music:

As a devout but rebellious Catholic and heavy metal fan, this was a thrilling find.

The church uses some awesome slogans:

A Church Where Every Saint Has A Past And Every Hellion Has A Future!!!

A Holy Spirit Freak of Nature

That first line resonates with me for many of the reasons my Catholic faith does: I’m a guy who has done bad things in the past but believes Christ offers me unlimited chances to get it right. St. Peter is probably the ultimate example. He made some bad decisions in life, not the least of which was denying his discipleship three times when the going got tough. But he went on to be the rock of the church, the first pope.

The First Heavy Metal Church of Christ presents itself as a nondenominational alternative for those who love Christ but have had bad experiences going to more traditional churches. That it reaches out to the metal crowd isn’t surprising, because metal fans have been accused of devil worship from the beginning.

What does surprise me is how they built an entire church around a metal theme.

Sermons are often built around classic metal song titles like “To Hell With the Devil,” “Slave to the Grind” and “Peace Sells But Who’s Buying?”

From the website:

To put it in a nutshell, we are a non-denomination, Bible-based Church in a comfortable atmosphere with great music! Our congregation consists of people from all walks of life and age groups. We don’t care what you wear because we just want you there! Our Church has no racial, ethnic or gender barriers and we could care less about your past or present life. We only care about your FUTURE life in Christ!

Now, some of you are probably wondering if I’m ready to drop out of the Catholic Church to go embrace this. The answer is no.

Frankly, I love and need the rituals that encompass the Catholic way of life. I believe in the sacraments and believe I need them, especially those of reconciliation, baptism and matrimony. I am also acutely aware of the failures and evils that have become attached to the church in recent decades and I prefer to be part of the fix instead of abandoning it. And despite my love for heavy metal and the fact that I find a spiritual need fulfilled through the music, I like to keep that part of my life out of the same blender my faith spins around in.

But I’m glad this church exists. There are outcasts out there who yearn for Christ. Traditional denominations have alienated them over time. It’s better that they have a place to go. If it keeps just a few people true to Christ, it’s worth it.

Rock on.

Motorcycle rider with halo on head

November 12, 2014

Metal Dad Scenarios

As a metalhead and father of two children, I found this video amusing and, occasionally, a little bit too real.

http://youtu.be/r7ZnOlVD3Ds

black T-shirt: Make Them Supper

July 27, 2013

Heavy Metal Is Good For You

I’ve written at length about how Heavy Metal music is one of my most important coping tools. It has gotten me through just about all of life’s difficulties and is a daily source of strength. A friend sent me an article that really drives home the point.

Mood music:

I just got done reading “Louder Than Hell: The Definitive Oral History of Metal” and co-author Jon Wiederhorn has expanded on his view that the music is medicine in a Wall Street Journal blog post. He writes:

To those on the outside, the metal world is an ugly scene inhabited by misanthropes, misfits and non-conformists that bucks authority at every turn. Yet for all of its hostility and blatant nonconformity, metal is a panacea for its followers, the only way to make sense of a chaotic, callous society in which they don’t fit.

“I get kids come up to me all the time who tell me they were having a hard time in their lives and were on the verge of doing something drastic,” says Five Finger Death Punch singer Ivan Moody. “Then they’ll say they heard one of our songs and it totally spoke to them and convinced them to keep on fighting. To me, that’s more meaningful than gold records or music awards because it means that these people that are hurting relate to my pain and realize they’re not alone.”

Dismiss stray incidents in which deranged people who happened to like metal did something terrible, and you’ll find that as rebellious as some of its practitioners may be, and as negative as some of their music may seem, metal is ultimately a positive force for those who embrace it. Unlike pop, which endorses a herd mentality, metal speaks to those who question authority and strive to find their own path. It’s music for people who don’t want to conform and seek kindred spirits who crave the same visceral experience.

I couldn’t agree more.

Read the full blog post, and check out the book, which is available here.