In A HISTORY OF HEAVY METAL, acclaimed comedian and life-long metalhead Andrew O'Neill tells the fascinating story of the larger-than-life characters who have influenced this most perennial of music genres; from the household names of Ozzy Osbourne and Lemmy to the brutal notoriety of the underground Norwegian black metal scene; from Satanists and murderers to stadium-touring billionaires and toilet-circuit journeymen.
Along the way you will learn that:
*Any Old Iron by Harry Champion was the first heavy metal record
*When Judas Priest singer Rob Halford, writer of the song 'Hell Bent For Leather', came out as gay in the mid-90s the metal community was shocked. They later expressed surprise at the defecatory habits of woodland bears and the religious inclination of the Pope
*Satan has all the best tunes (though their second album is patchy)
WARNING: This book will contain references to the musical genre known as heavy metal, not a loosely scientific defined subset of elements that exhibit metallic properties.
Author Biography
Andrew O'Neill is an award-winning comedian and heavy metal guitarist.
His comedy show Andrew O'Neill's History Of Heavy Metal has received universally glowing reviews in the heavy metal press, as well as rave comedy reviews.
He has appeared on television in Saxondale, Never Mind The Buzzcocks, and 50 Years Of Rock Excess and his own award-winning BBC Radio 4 stand-up show Pharmacist Baffler. He has written for The New Statesman, Terrorizer and Time Out.
His neck is so thick from headbanging that standard shirt sizes do not fit him.
