Chris Jericho explains how heavy metal is still a way of life in parts of Europe, and it’s no gimmick.
Jericho recently spoke with WrestleZone Managing Editor Bill Pritchard about the new rock documentary he produced called I’m Too Old For This Sh*t: A Heavy Metal Fairy Tale. The documentary is available now via Gravitas Ventures on iTunes, Amazon and various streaming platforms, and it tells the story of “the unpredictable highs and lows of ‘80s underground, fan-favorite heavy metal band Siren as they reunite more than 30 years after their breakup for a special performance in Germany at the Keep It True Festival.”
At one point in the film, Jericho describes how heavy metal is a huge part of the culture in Europe, noting that many of the newer band still have a bit of an ‘80s sound because it’s always been the ‘in’ thing.
“In Germany, it’s still leather pants, leather jacket with the cutoff jean jacket over the top. Long hair, studs—heavy metal,” Jericho explained in the film. “Heavy metal is fuckin’ life!”
Speaking to WrestleZone, he went into more detail about how deep fandom goes overseas and said it’s not a gimmick to these people and they take this way of life to heart.
“That is the real attitude and it’s just the way that it is in a lot of places in Europe. And that’s why, another thing that I wanted to explain just how important heavy metal is to these people. When you get some of the guys saying, ‘Siren is forever, I live my life for Siren’ and ‘Siren is better than Iron Maiden, if I had the chance to hear Bruce Dickinson or Doug from Siren, I would take Doug from Siren.’ These guys saying it, that’s no throwaway quote.”
“These guys live, eat, breathe heavy metal, so for them to accept Siren the way they do, and the festival they played is a very—you gotta be a real heavy metal fan to go, there’s no Alice Cooper at this festival, there’s no Metallica at this festival, this is f*ckin’ metal church, and Flotsam and Jetsam and Raven, and here’s Siren right in the middle of it. And like I said, the fact that they had this fanbase that knew all of their words and were there to see their show, explaining what it’s like in those countries, that’s a big deal.”
“So to me, even that was like, ‘Oh my gosh, they went over there and they kicked ass.’ They went over huge. They got over big time in this area where if you’re not keeping it true, they’re gonna sniff you out and boo you off the stage. So all of those things I wanted to explain, this is not just some show. This is the most hardcore of heavy metal fans, the most hardcore of heavy metal festivals, with the most hardcore of heavy metal bands, and Siren came right in there and fit in perfectly.”
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