ISIS’ AARON TURNER VS. REVOLVER MAGAZINE
Tuesday, July 21st, 2009 at 3:00pm by Axl Rosenberg
Oh, how I do love a good flame war.
Our pal Dan Rodriguez over at Metal Insider has cooked up an interesting story. Seems that Isis’ Aaron Turner was none too pleased with the way this spring’s Revolver Golden Gods Awards went down:
I mean it’s great that we’re exposed, perhaps, to more people because of something like that, but at the same time, it’s like, the award itself felt kind of meaningless… Like, for instance, the ‘Hottest Chick in Metal’ award. Like, that has no fucking relevance and, to me, is actually kind of insulting. It has nothing to do with the music… it was kind of demeaning to the woman as well.
Ouch. Well, Revolver editor-in-chief Tom Beaujour has subsequently responded to Turner’s comments:
I’m sorry that Aaron was so disappointed by our awards show. Because of the rapidity with which he and his band accepted our invitation to attend, we fully expected that he would have enjoyed himself more than he did.
Revolver never represented that the winners were selected by a voting process. This may change in the future as we recognize that it has caused some frustration with the readers and fans. No decision has yet been made.
Given the degree of hostility that our detractors in the blogosphere harbor for us, I honestly can’t imagine that changing the winner selection process would do much to satisfy them.
Well, speaking from the hostile blogosphere, I find some fault with Beaujour’s logic.
See, I didn’t hear anyone complain about who won what. Turner isn’t bitching because he thinks there’s some hotter chick in metal who should have won – his beef is with the entire category. Furthermore, most of the griping I’ve heard about the event has dealt with the way it was organized, and with what was apparently sub-par coverage by MTV2 (I didn’t see it myself, so I can’t speak about it first-hand, but saying that something on MTV sucked is like saying fish need water to live, so…). So Beaujour is right and wrong: no, the blogosphere wouldn’t stop moaning and groaning if the voting process was changed. They’d stop moaning and groaning if the event was better.
Still, as Rodriguez points out in his article, Revolver deserves props just for putting together the United States’ first big metal awards show. And there plenty of time to iron on the kinks for next year.
So, in conclusion: Isis will never get coverage in Revolver again.
-AR
“So, in conclusion: Isis will never get coverage in Revolver again.”
And neither will Turner care no doubt; also, isn’t there some question as to whether Isis will continue anyway?
glad someone spoke out against it. an hour long special on metal on mtv not on at 3 am should have been a major stepping stone for metal. instead the awards a how seemed like a huge joke. mtv didnt even give enough time for the awards to be played, only the live bands, which were played an hour later on headbangers ball.
and the blogosphere will never stop hating. we arent one group, we’re haters who like and dislike bands from every aspect off metal. you cant please us all
Agreed. And all I have for further comment is to point out:
“So, in conclusion: Isis will never get coverage in Revolver again.”
As though they needed it.
revolver is the people or US weekly of metal magazines anyhow, so he’s better off not swinging from their nutsacks anyhow. i got the impression he looked less than enthused to be on the cover of the issue…
Indeed.
at least we finally have a fucking awards show for metal
we do NOT have an ‘awards show for metal’. we have an annual commercial for mediocre metalcore.
agreed
That’s why the way the bands get the awards should be changed to a voting poll!!!!!!!!
Then by the popular vote, bands like Disturbed would win every single award in every single category – even those for which they wouldn’t strictly qualify. I’m not interested in bashing anyone’s taste in music (here), but I will contend that a popular vote wouldn’t solve the problem of legitimacy, either.
At any rate, I don’t think metal awards shows are even valid to begin with; indeed, I think most award shows are largely meaningless and the controversy surrounding this one, I feel, only proves my point. Anyone who’s truly interested in rewarding excellence and achievement in the genre would better serve the community as a whole by having something more akin to a night of celebration, rather than a popularity contest, a horse race, or a dog-and-pony show. (If you’re attempting to discern which category I deem the Revolver awards to fall under, I will say only, pick one.) Seriously, I realize most metalheads probably missed out on getting little plastic trophies after baseball and soccer games and feel their childhoods lacked for not having had that experience, but come on! Wouldn’t it be more meaningful for a credible agent/catalyst/whatever (I don’t know what word I’m looking for here) to organize a scenario whereby the musicians can have their night celebrating the community’s achievements as a whole, throw down with their peers, and allow the fans to be a part of it all somehow? The entertainment industry as a whole has a gluttony of different vehicles for everyone getting together and congratulating themselves on how awesome they think they are and handing out a bunch of awards to people, seemingly just because they showed up. The metal community has a few events like this of their own. WE DON’T NEED ANOTHER just because a few people think we Americans should have one so we’re not left out.
We fans debate ad naseum the various merits of our favorite and loathsome bands, here and in other mediums, so we’re already taken care of on that end. [And I still like this: http://headbangersblog.mtv.com/2009/03/30/guest-blog-cannibal-corpse-bassist-alex-webster-plays-favorites/ Bands compete every night to try to blow each other off stage for the best fan reactions and the give-and-take that comes from connecting with a crowd, and then they go throw down backstage – usually with the same people they were trying to upstage earlier in the night. Why not celebrate the music from THAT angle, rather than “my band/riff/cred is better than yours”? (Or, my keyboard player has bigger tits. Nothing against Maria or her band, because I really don’t care about them. I just resent the Hell out of those stupid categories, but THAT one most of all.)
Suicide Silence opening for Megadeth a second time this year? How many more great shows does this band have ruin?
Megadeth or Suicide Silence?
muwhahahahahahaha
Tom seems to have missed the point.
But hasn’t Aaron as well?
At no point has Revolver Magazine advertised itself as a bastion of forward-thinking liberalism. Revolver is the Motorhead of the metal press world–it’s all girls, flames, spikes, muscles, metal. If Isis didn’t want to be aligned with that kind of aesthetic, they shouldn’t have agreed to be on the show.
Aaron can bitch all he likes, but he went for the exposure first, and THEN chose to decry the institution that gave it to him. Next time, maybe he should do his homework before trundling out onstage and accepting an award from an institution he finds so offensive.
oh ok, I see. Thank you for clarifying that for me.
oh, and good job on putting words in his mouth, fuckwad.
Agreed
*With Chris Krovatin, not teaches of peaches
Revolver=Motorhead of metal mags??? FAIL.
Revolver= AX7 of music mags…ie lame and uninteresting to anyone over 15 years old.
While I’m sure Aaron Turner is genuinely put off by things like the Hottest Girl In Metal award, is it not also possible that his protestations are at least partially an attempt to mollify the portion of ISIS’ fanbase (and that of their associates) which would be annoyed by the band’s participation in a Big Corporate Media Metal Event?
By the way I totally liked ISIS better before they sold out.
Wasn’t aware they sold out? Continuing to write heavy songs that are around 7 minutes long is selling out? Consider me quite confused. I think you mean you totally liked ISIS before they got more exposure and people started to take notice?
I’m with Nick here. While their latest album didn’t do much for me, I don’t hear any ‘radio hit wannabes’ on it. They opened for Tool last year, which exposed them to a wider audience, but if you can’t see the connection to them, either musically or professionally, then something is wrong with you.
I think Aaron has a good point about some of the categories…
BUT….not only was it an award show for the music itself, but I feel it was an award show for the CULTURE.
The culture of having a chick with dyed hair and tattoos covering her tits being able to win a beauty contest.
Metal is such a portal for the un-normal. Isn’t it awesome? lol
honestly, fuck metal “culture”.
I’m all for denim vests with patches and hi-top Reeboks, just for the laughs. But really, who the fuck needs moms with beer bellies, bald and shirtless bros in pits, and kids with greasy dirty long hair, crustaches, and Opeth shirts?
That was an awesome comment.
“iron on the kinks”
you mean iron out the kinks
Nope. Fuck the kinks.
Revolver sucks anyways. Any magazine that sheds light on shit groups like Hollywood Undead is absolute crap…they started sucking once disturbed was on their cover every other month
Go Aaron Turner! Crush those Revolver bastards!
“Aaron can bitch all he likes, but he went for the exposure first, and THEN chose to decry the institution that gave it to him.”
and what exposure was that? red carpet photos and interviews? as far as i can tell they didnt take any part in that. their acceptance speech wasnt even aired on tv. if i remember correctly, their drummer said the only reason they did it was because maynard was going to present it to him. how many of you would turn that down?
“I mean it’s great that we’re exposed, perhaps, to more people because of something like that,…”
Clearly, he thought exposure was one of the benefits.
I think he was hoping that there would be some sort of validity in getting an award for the music he spent alot of blood sweat and tears into making the best it possibly could be. and then the have an award go to somebody just cause they lucked out and weren’t born ugly may defeat that just a bit.
besides decible is the better of the US metal mags.
Fuck Isis. Learn to have some fuckin’ fun and stop bitching about it.
Aaron seems like he’s talking sense really, it is a really meaninges event with the fucked voting and crappy awards like hottest chick in metal. Im all for hot chicks in metal i just dont think an award is necessary
Yeah but Aaron Turner’s gay so of course he would find that category of “Hot Metal Chick” degrading. Not that there is anything wrong with being gay & Isis as a band kick fuckin’ ass but he should’ve known what to expect from a commercial magazine that uses glossy print & has hot chick in the mag all the time.
I like Revolver, they have a hell of an airbrush artist.
not good enough.
someone i don’t read vs something i don’t listen to
There’s nothing wrong with accepting a helping hand when you’re a band that has to work 100x harder than almost anyone REVOLVER covers, especially if you’re a band like Isis and play less than radio-playable metal music. And kudos to Turner for standing up for his beliefs, especially if speaking your mind could mean alienating a lot of your fanbase and biting the hand that fed you. If he had just put up and shut up, took the money and ran, that would be more like selling out. “The Hottest Chick In Metal” is offensive, never mind being stupid and meaningless, and the fact that Turner said anything when he could be milking the REVOLVER award for all it’s worth says he’s got a lot of balls.