1. Both are subcultures that sit outside of the mainstream
Most people can't understand the appeal of loud, distorted guitars, blast beats and guttural vocals. Liking this sort of audio torture is not generally considered "normal".
Most people wouldn't consider swinging around a pole in your underwear in eight-inch stiletto heels normal either.
2. Both are extremely passionate about their hobby
Metalheads will tell you at length about the particular metal sub-genres they like, as well as the many that they do not. They can name numerous bands within all of these sub-genres. God forbid you get a group metalheads playing and sharing music with each other; they feed off each other and can continue to queue up songs into the early hours of the morning - well after everyone else has passed out.
Pole dancers are very similar; they can talk pole for hours, discussing routines and manoeuvres, professional pole dancers and workshops. They also put their money where their mouth is, sometimes spending vast sums of money on pole clothing, costumes, shoes and other paraphernalia.
3. Performing requires a very high level of skill and a dedication to the craft
Metal is one of the more technically complex genres of music. It requires a hell of a lot of practice to build up the speed, coordination and stamina to perform a full set of metal songs.
Likewise, pole dancers require a great deal of physical strength, flexibility and endurance to gracefully execute some of the moves they pull off.
Most people can't understand the appeal of loud, distorted guitars, blast beats and guttural vocals. Liking this sort of audio torture is not generally considered "normal".
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| Image credit: By Alex pole dance lyon (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons |
2. Both are extremely passionate about their hobby
Metalheads will tell you at length about the particular metal sub-genres they like, as well as the many that they do not. They can name numerous bands within all of these sub-genres. God forbid you get a group metalheads playing and sharing music with each other; they feed off each other and can continue to queue up songs into the early hours of the morning - well after everyone else has passed out.
Pole dancers are very similar; they can talk pole for hours, discussing routines and manoeuvres, professional pole dancers and workshops. They also put their money where their mouth is, sometimes spending vast sums of money on pole clothing, costumes, shoes and other paraphernalia.
3. Performing requires a very high level of skill and a dedication to the craft
Metal is one of the more technically complex genres of music. It requires a hell of a lot of practice to build up the speed, coordination and stamina to perform a full set of metal songs.
Likewise, pole dancers require a great deal of physical strength, flexibility and endurance to gracefully execute some of the moves they pull off.
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| Image: Demonstrating a knee hold (Source, licence and credit) |
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| Image: Slayer at the Fields of Rock Festival, 2007 (Source, licence and credit) |
As do pole-dancers, but it's usually not very much: crop tops and Blackmilk tights or pole shorts. But they do wear them anywhere.
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Short post today. If you can think of any other parallels, let me know in the comments.
