From: njhand@vax1.tcd.ie
Subject: Not new fan, new Sandman theory.
Organization: Trinity College Dublin
Date: Wed, 30 Sep 1992 21:51:58 GMT

Jeez, I haven't read this newsgroup in 3 months and the newbie/poser
debate is still raging on !!?! *** OBopinion follows *** Well to 
throw in my [small denomination of local currency] worth: I'm not
exactly a new fan (5 years) but don't feel part of the old guard 
either (missed out on the heady Cliff days), my favourite album 
is RTL and least favourite is MOP (the only track I like on MOP is
Sanitarium). Yes, that means I like AJFA and the new album (please 
don't call it the "Black Album" - that's a Prince bootleg
firfuxake). It seems to me that every album since RTL (MoP onwards) 
has been referred to as a "sell-out" by somebody or other; MOP for
being too mellow (Orion etc.), and not heavy enough, AJFA for the use
of a drum machine (who Lars was mainstream ? give that man a cigar!),
and "MetallicA" OR "The Eponymous Album" (look it up dimwit) for 
being too commercial or mainstream. Its not really fair to expect 
any band not to change stylistically as they get older and go through
changes in lineup (you want an extreme example ? check out the change
in FNM from "Introduce Yourself" through "Live at the Brixton Academy"
to the new CD "Angel Dust"). 

   IMHO the definitive Metallica album is KEA (despite RTL being my 
favourite), and I don't see how anyone can claim to know Metallica 
unless they're familiar with classics like "Hit the Lights", "Four 
Horsemen", "Pulling Teeth", "Whiplash" (of course), and especially 
"Seek and Destroy" (preferably live). Also much neglected is the "Garage 
Days Re-revisited $5.98 EP"; some fast/thrashy tracks "Green Hell", some 
slow and heavy ones too.
 
   On the subject of "Who is Sandman?", yeah, I'm with mythical entity
guy (did you think I was going to check your name again just to give 
you an ego massage ? gimme a break). The sandman/Mr. Sandman, also
known as the dream man, (different song "The dream man is coming in his
train of cars...") is the guy sprinkles sand in the corner of kids eyes
to make them go to sleep (I'm more of a chloral hydrate kind of guy
myself, but I guess its a matter of personal preference). The sand part
of the myth refers to the gritty "sleep" in the corners of your eyes 
when you wake up. The wish-granting part is news to me, though.

   What does "Enter Sandman" mean? Hypothetical cot-death version? Hmm,
well, Jaymz described Metallica as being "into the family thing" in the 
MTV rockumentary, so I guess its not absolutely beyond the bounds of
possibility that this sort of thing is on their minds, personally I
ain't convinced though. The best theory I've heard is from a genuine
dyed-in-the-wool newbie (how embarassing!!), who is coincidentally
my bestest budette and soon (I hope)-to-be SO, hi Ang, love you and 
miss you. Arrrrrghhhh, bad connection alt.romance breaking through. 
Thud. Thats better.

THE THEORY; "Enter Sandman" is about the way that parents pass on
myths/fairytales/whatever which scare the living shit out of their 
kids, and which (they forget) used to scare the shit out of them when 
they were kids themselves (guess its going to be sort of an endless
cycle in which every generation gets traumatised by the preceding 
one - I'm all for it myself). So the song is from the perspective 
of a terrified kid about to be left alone (apart from the bogeyman 
and the monster-under-the-bed) to go to sleep. Notice the way the 
traditional kiddies' bedtime prayer takes on a more sinister 
slant. Kids aren't stupid, they (usually) realise that this stuff
isn't real, but the point is that it STILL scares the shit out them
(I guess reality/fantasy boundaries aren't as clear when you still 
believe in Santa Claus) and maybe we should (try to) remember that.
But then we could a lot of fun with the "Floating Head of Death",
hmmmm... read up Gary Larson if you don't know what I'm talking about.
As Steven King put it "I knew the monster under my bed wasn't real,
but I also knew that if I didn't dangle my ankle over the edge of
the bed it wouldn't be able to bite it".
Anyway she said it far more convincingly and eloquently than I did
(but of course I would never admit that, especially not to a newbie).

 Sleep well kidz,

	Nick.

Silly joke;(shamelessly ripped off from the BBC's "Joker in the Pack") 

Patient: Doctor, doctor, I feel like a pig.

Doctor: How long have you been feeling this way?

Patient: Oh, about a weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeek. (pig-type squealing noise)
Newsgroups: alt.rock-n-roll.metal.metallica