Can death metal bring you joy? Find out in 6 Minute English - YouTube
Neil: Hello, and welcome to 6 Minute
English. I'm Neil.
Rob: And I'm Rob.
Neil: Rob, do you like metal?
Rob: Er, that's an odd question. I've never
really thought about it. I mean, I use metal
things every day - my toaster, my bike,
the underground...
Neil: No, no - not that kind of metal,
this kind of metal.
[Death metal music]
Rob: Oh, that kind of metal.
The musical genre, the type of music...
Neil: Yes, and in particular, death metal.
Rob: That fast, loud, aggressive sounding,
guitar-based music style?
Neil: Yep, that's the one.
Rob: Nope. Not my cup of tea at all.
What kind of person do you think I am?
Neil: Well, that's the point. The type of
person who likes death metal may not be
the kind of person you think they are.
More on that shortly, but first,
a quiz. The electric
guitar is an essential element
to death metal music. In which decade
were the first electric
guitars produced? Was it: a) the 1920s,
b) the 1930s, or c) the 1940s?
Rob: I think quite early, so
I'm going to say the 1920s.
Neil: Well, we'll see if you're right later
in the programme. Does violent music
give people violent thoughts?
Recent research claims to have found
the answer. This is how the
topic was introduced on BBC News.
What was the conclusion?
BBC News Presenter: A psychological
study of fans of death metal
suggests that they are not
desensitised to violence despite
the genre's association with
growling, often graphically
violent lyrics including depictions
of cannibalism. Researchers found
that the main response of fans
to the music they love was joy,
not violence. Adding that most
are very nice people who
wouldn't dream of hurting anyone,
let alone eating them.
Neil: So what conclusion did
the researchers come to?
Rob: Well, they found that the response
to the music was joy,
not anger or violence.
It made people happy.
Neil: There was a fear that listening
to music with violent lyrics,
which means violent words,
would make people
desensitised to violence.
Rob: If you are desensitised to something,
you don't see it as unusual
or unacceptable,
it doesn't bother you.
Neil: The newsreader also said that
the lyrics of death metal include
topics such as cannibalism,
which is the practice of eating
human flesh. Listening to someone
singing about eating
people apparently didn't make them feel
like snacking on their neighbours.
Let's hear the introduction again.
BBC News Presenter: A psychological
study of fans of death metal
suggests that they are not
desensitised to violence despite
the genre's association
with growling, often graphically
violent lyrics including depictions
of cannibalism. Researchers found
that the main response of fans to
the music they love was joy, not violence.
Adding that most are
very nice people who
wouldn't dream of hurting anyone,
let alone eating them.
Neil: Professor Bill Thompson from
Macquarie University in Sydney
conducted this research.
What does he say people don't feel
when listening to this kind of music?
Professor Bill Thompson: Most fans
are not angry. Most are actually
musically trained people
who really get a lot of empowerment
and aesthetic interest out of
the music. They feel joyful.
They feel transcendent they
feel empowered. But what they
don't feel is angry.
Neil: What don't people feel?
Rob: They don't feel angry!
What they do feel is joyful,
the adjective from joy. They feel
happy. Something else they feel
is empowered. This is a feeling of
being in control of your life,
that you can make and follow
your own decisions.
Neil: Music is certainly a powerful
art form. Professor Thompson
also said that fans have
an aesthetic interest in it. This means
that they appreciate it as an art form.
Let's hear Professor Thompson again.
Professor Bill Thompson: Most fans
are not angry. Most are actually
musically trained people
who really get a lot of empowerment
and aesthetic interest out
of the music. They feel joyful,
they feel transcendent, they feel
empowered. But what they
don't feel is angry.
Neil: Time to review our vocabulary,
but first, let's have the answer
to the quiz question.
In which decade were the first
electric guitars produced? Was it:
a) the 1920s; b) the 1930s; c) the 1940s.
What did you think, Rob?
Rob: I took a guess at the 1920s.
Neil: Well electric guitars were early, but
not quite that early, I'm afraid. The first
ones were produced in the 1930s.
So well done if, unlike Rob,
you got that correct.
Now, onto the vocabulary.
Rob: Yes, we had a few words
connected with music. We had genre
for a style of music and
also lyrics for the words of a song.
Neil: Some of the lyrics of
death metal songs are about eating
people, which is called cannibalism.
Rob: Cannibalism is a form of
extreme violence and there was some
concern that people exposed
to such violent lyrics in songs
might become desensitised
to actual violence.
Neil: This means that they would accept
violence as normal and not be
worried by it. However, the research
showed that this doesn't happen
and fans actually feel joy, which is
another way of saying happiness.
Rob: The research also suggested
that fans have an artistic appreciation
of death metal,
described as an aesthetic interest.
Neil: The final word was for a feeling
that fans might get after listening
to the music, empowered.
Rob: Someone who is empowered
is in control of their
own life and decisions.
Neil: And I feel empowered to bring
this edition of 6 Minute English
to a close. We look forward
to your company next time. Until then,
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Bye for now.
Rob: Goodbye!
