http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/v/ixL1EGqFJqs&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0
Why do metalheads tend to be cat people?
The current issue of Decibel (#62, Converge cover, buy here) has a feature called “The Cutest Kitties in Metal.” Obviously it parodies Revolver’s annual feature on, well, another kind of kitty. It also makes this issue the best magazine issue ever. If you were a fly on the wall in my home recently, (a) I hope you leave soon, and (b) you would have seen me read and re-read that feature with alarming frequency, constantly exclaiming, “Awww,” and “So cuuute.” Dez Fafara’s pretty kitty Sundance! Joe Axler’s giant feline Turtle! Dave Witte’s cat Eddie who chases him around the house! I heart them all.
This got me to thinking. Why do most pet-owning metalheads I know have cats? See, for example, the recurring Metal Pets feature on this site. We have had six cats and one dog so far, and several cats are in the pipeline. I have met metalheads who own dogs, but they are in the minority. (For the record, I am both a dog and a cat person, but much more the latter.)
A sizeable amount of commentary exists on the differences between dog people and cat people. See, for example, this article, which claims that cat owners are more likely to be single, while dog owners are more likely to be married. This blogger claims that dog people are more outdoorsy and extroverted, while cat people tend to be homebodies and have fewer friends. Another blogger says that pet owners tend to be like their pets — eager-to-please/easygoing for dogs and their owners and quiet/finicky for cats and their owners. Then this article says that all that is bunk.
It’s easy to see how all this could apply to metalheads. Most metalheads I know are introverted people. The pursuit of metal tends to be an indoor activity. (Although I wonder if hiking-crazed Fenriz is a dog person.) Most metalheads I know have problems finding like-minded people, so they tend to entertain themselves — just like cats. And, ideally, the pursuit of metal stimulates independent thinking and a rebellious streak — characteristics of cats. So maybe metalheads are naturally wired to like cats.
Or maybe we just find them cute.
cats = nature's Pelican
Amazing video!
Cats are lower maintenance, we're lazy. And ultimately we're sensitive snugglers.
Adrian "The Energizer" Bromley (god, I miss him) was a cat person as well. I hope Yosemite Sam is being well taken of these days.
"I wonder if hiking-crazed Fenriz is a dog person."
He'd better not be, I named my cat after him! I'll submit him for a Metal Pets feature shortly, mkay?
I'm both a cat and a dog owner so I'll offer my own unique experience with having both in my household.
Both my pets are really sweet, they love to eat and they both demand attention. They also play rough a lot, since I'm gone about 8-10 hours per day, it's a good way for them to keep themselves occupied, but for most of that time, they're just sleeping or napping until I get back home. I love coming home and they're both waiting for me at the door. There's a calming quality in that.
Having a dog means I have to take her out 3-4 times a day for walks. I love doing those walks, most especially in the afternoon or at night, because it helps me clear my head. Doesn't matter if it's after a long day at work or after a show where I've been standing for 4 hours on my feet, just going out for a quiet walk helps calm my nerves, and sometimes she gets to play with the other neighbors' dogs as well. Since she's a combination of two herding breeds, the more energy she gets to let out, the better. Going out for late night walks is great too, it helps me chill out faster before I go to bed. Lately, she's been my running partner too, so on the weekends we go for a few miles during the morning hours.
As far as having a cat goes, it's great to have somebody to cuddle with, because the dog can get really frisky whenever she's laying down on my bed. If I just want to lay down, watch a movie on my laptop, the cat just comes up and cuddles with me until I feel that it's time to turn off the lights and go to bed. The best part about having a cat is that he can give the best cat massage ever. I don't need to pay money to get a great cat massage.
Having both gives me a nice balance of being outgoing as well as being reserved. I go out to a lot of shows and meet like minded people there, but at the same time I'm very cautious of who I meet and I don't really go out to "regular people" hangouts.
More metal pets, please!
I was (and still am) a cat person before I was a headbanger, so the progression was natural.
If you put the whole domestication thing aside though, wolves seem to be more popular in metal than wild cats.
I'd expect metal people to be more dog oriented because cats are like sexual partners, you have to read their moods and respect their otherness, whereas dogs are like best buddies for life and reflect the mood of their owner. Seeing how metal and metalheads are generally introverts (and some times lonely people too) I'd expect dogs to be more relaxing for them, so I don't know. Perhaps they like a challenge. Perhaps they are *too* lonely.
I love all the animals, but I have a soft spot for cats too.
To be the voice of dissent here, I hate cats.
Cosmo brings it with the hard-hitting blog articles!
I have two cats and it's their independence that I like about them the most. Most dogs I've been around tend to be attention whores and that gets grating after a while.
My cats definitely like the attention, but are cool without it when I'm not around (or when I am).
I love the cat's facial expression in that video…it's like, "God, not this again." But he's pretty good on the ride.
That's pretty interesting considering I have been thinking of submitting my cat to the Metal Pets column.
Wouldn't the pelican be nature's Pelican?
Cats don't wring their paws over their musical identities or get remixed by Justin Broadrick. Maybe they have shaky drumming, though.
Andrew – you have a point, though I don't see metal bands singing anytime soon about the Great Cats of the North. Catsbane, Cats in the Throne Room, and Feline Ancestry just don't have the same ring.
The peaches say hello.
In an alternate realm, Ulver would probably called Mewlver.
I've had both cats and dogs in my day but now my favorite pet is my python.
Snakes are way more metal than a fuzzy widdel kitty.
Metallion said in interview:
"(…) I just want to sit here in my own world. I don't care about
anything, I just don't give a fuck. The smartest person I spoke to lately is
the neighbor's cat(…)"
(http://www.fmp666.com/moonlight/metalion.html)
jejeje…
What a great interview! Thanks for sharing.
I think it’s kind of funny that there would be so many cat people in metal when the musicians tend to name themselves after dogs or wolves (Fenriz, Varg, Garm) (whoops, all Norwegians, but whatever).