I thought i was done reasoning with the nameless nay-sayers of Adult Swim, having pointed out the absurdism inherent, and some social commentary on top of that. However, my friend got me thinking when I showed them Metalocalypse for the first time. He said, "I liked it, and i thought it was really funny. I just kept wondering the whole time how a show like this exists." That seemed like a very good question, and I will try to answer it in 2 parts.
For those of you that don't know, Metalocalypse is a half hour show (it used to be 12 min or so, but was expanded due to popularity) that follows an alternate reality where earth is unofficially run by a metal band called Dethklok. The band members, like many other protagonists on Adult Swim's (AS) line-up, are very stupid, but despite this, their popularity is enormous. Their fanbase is global and rabid, willing to follow Dethklok to the death if need be, which usually ends up being the case. Hundreds, if not thousands die every episode, and in the most brutal ways possible. During all of this, Dethklok travels the country or sits around in some sort of ridiculous vehicle that encompasses the heavy metal vibe.
Now, as to why it exists:
1) For the fans. Adult Swim started in 2001 with an episode of Home Movies as a late night section of its parent network, Cartoon Network. The name came from the practice in public pools of kicking kids out for a time so that adults could use the pool by themselves. AS carried the same idea in that a late night section, once a week, was added so there were some cartoons not just for kids. Since then, it has expanded to 7 nights a week, with one set aside for anime. The time slot is now 10pm - 2 am, so the demographic they reach is quite unique and dedicated. Not too many people stumble on to a vulgar cartoon after midnight and keep watching. With that in place, the shows' fans, who are about my age, with interests in cartoons, video games, and music, were "spoken" to directly, and their interests are the same as the creators of the shows. With such a specific audience, it was only a matter of time before a show came out that spoke to the heavy metal subculture, one littered with weapons, blood and violence.
2) For everyone else. Despite being so violent and specific, Metalocalypse is a smart and legitimate in its own right. A good portion of American society is enamored with celebrities and the media of course follows that trend, so it's really a destructive cycle. This show is a commentary on that, and how fans will blindly follow famous people they don't even know, just because that celebrity managed to reach out to them in a song or a movie that was just doing its job, entertaining. Dethklok fans do the same things, but to the extreme, often ending bloodied or faceless, or, in one case, boiled alive by millions of gallons of boiling hot coffee. A show like this needs to exist in a world where Vh1 and MTV latch onto whatever celebrity reality show they possibly can.
I commented on Scott McCarthy's and Bradley Schoolfield's blogs.
With all the brutal violence this show has, it is a very smart show. Like South Park, it pokes fun of issues in this case, crazed fans. There are actual fans out there who follow bands at world's end but not as over the top. Then again, these Jonas Brothers fans are a bit ridiculous. Adult Swim has come along way and for the better. The demographics were to nerdcore video game loving people ages teens to the twenty somethings. But, the demographics has broaden its range. I hear people really liking The Boondocks or Aqua Teen Hunger Force or at least heard of it. Metalocalypse definitely brought the heavy metal fans to Adult Swim, but it is just a smart over the top show that anyone can enjoy.
Posted by: Chuck Soo-Hoo | 04/05/2010 at 04:22 PM