Yes! It’s true — what we’ve all been longing for has finally happened.
Metallica wrote a children’s book!
I know what you’re thinking.
You thought it was enough singing little Timmy to sleep with the soft, melodic tones of “Creeping Death” and “Seek & Destroy.” Must you read to him as well?
But hear me out: this way Timmy can learn heavy metal and his ABC’s. At the same time!
No more will he ask why mommy wears so much leather, or wonder at the meaning of daddy’s tattoo — the one with the bloody hammer and the words, “KILL ‘EM ALL.”
Preorder your copy now and receive it in time for Christmas!
Full Disclosure: I’m 99.9% sure the target audience for this book are fans and collectors. Not children. Also, a portion of the sales goes to charity.
So there’s that.
And before any metalheads accuse me of casting aspersions on their band, let me set you straight: I recognize Metallica’s talent and influence. They are legend.
They’re not my cup of tea, but I recognize their talent.
When I was in high school my taste ran more toward oldies (Simon & Garfunkel and Cat Stevens). Though I was also fond of Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd. (I believe I was about Timmy’s age when “Dark Side of the Moon” came into being.)
Oh, and sometimes in the early evening when the cloud cover was just right (for some reason it worked best with clouds), I could get a jazz station on my little radio that looked something like this:
I’ve no idea if it was real jazz or not, but it seemed so to my teenage ears and I felt quite sophisticated listening to it. Later I came to appreciate classical music as well, my taste heavily influenced by Bugs Bunny.
The point is, I like a wide variety of music. Especially when it’s done well, and I can agree Metallica does their thing well.
But in case you’re one of those holdouts who think heavy metal isn’t all that heavy, just hear what a couple of classically trained musicians do with Metallica.
The video is a bit old – 2015! – but worth a listen just the same:
Rock on, baby. Rock on. 🎸
Feeding on Folly 
I’ve never listened to Metallica. I’ve punched holes in metal and even bent a few pieces of, but I’ve never listened to it.
Like you say, not my cup of tea. I wonder, does Metallica drink tea?
I think we might be surprised what the heavy metal community does. I saw some metalhead knitting groups — the spike collars were kind of cool looking. 😀
Oh boy, I know someone that’s probably on that waiting list. And her autistic metal rock loving son is going to dig it.
Thanks for the piano and cello share. If I didn’t play French Horn, I’d be a cellist.
They’re a great duo, aren’t they? And they’re having so much fun!
Cellos are gorgeous, but I’d say you made a good choice with the horn. 🙂
Oh my. I had a radio that looked an awful lot like that as well. I wasn’t much into metal, but I liked ACDC. I don’t know that I had (or have) a favourite type, I liked many genre. I am always amazed at how “popular” music stands up to various interpretations, even though I used to argue that point with my parents.
An enjoyable post. 🙂
I always get a kick hearing classical or jazz musicians cover rock songs. One composer – Philip Glass – wrote several symphonies around Bowie’s music. They’re quite beautiful.
Thanks for reading!
My husband (age 70) is still a metalhead. Actually listens to it first thing in the morning when he does his stretches. I can hardly contemplate it! I told him this video playing was a Metallica song and he picked up on it right away. This version was fine with me!
I’m getting a lovely image of your husband stretching out with Black Sabbath. 😉
Okay, now I have to share another video with you because I forgot about this one — have you seen the youth percussion/xylophone group doing Zeppelin? It’s a blast, especially around the 4 minute mark when they get to ‘Immigrant’: https://youtu.be/JYuOZnAqQCY
Hopefully your image left out the naked part.😜. Led Zeppelin will never be the same.
Have you seen their rendition of Bohemian Rhapsody? These music teachers deserve recognition. https://youtu.be/0gPqkj5RBmM
Ah, that was great! I’m in agreement — those are some great teachers!
Hey CJ, I’m new to your blog and I loved Brooklyn Duo’s rendition of “Nothing Else Matters.” I love music and I refuse to be pigeonholed into liking or disliking any genre of music. I like most classical and I like some jazz and some country and some folk. I like some R&B and soul and classic rock and southern rock, etc. I like some pop and I like some heavy metal. Led Zeppelin any time of the day, any day of the week. I like Cat Stevens and Journey and Dusty Springfield and Nirvana and Nine Inch Nails and Puddle of Mudd and Johnny Cash and Evanescence and on and on and on. Also, I like the distinctive style of Metallica. Little ones, though, should not listen to “Enter Sandman,” especially right before bedtime. Anyway, if the music resonates with me, I like it and…nothing else matters! Great post! I look forward to reading more. 🙂 Mona
Thanks, Mona! So glad to have you join us!
I’m with you — I like a wide variety of music. A while back when we still lived in Phoenix, a new radio station popped up that didn’t have any definable genre. They played EVERYTHING. You might hear swing, rock, Broadway musicals – I think the only thing I didn’t hear was country, but they might have done that too. Anyway, I loved that station so much, but apparently no one else did. They barely made it a year before they closed shop. Sad, really.
Thanks for the comment!
Sounds like a station we used to listen to in the Chicago area. It played rock, jazz, blues (of course) and classical. We really missed it when we moved to western Colorado where most every station played cheesy country.
It sounds like we were listening to the exact same songs at the exact same time, as well as avoiding the exact same songs, sharing harmonies across the ether…
I have no doubt of it, Brian. No doubt at all.
In fact, you know what we should do? We should dance. You could put on your red shoes and dance the blues.
Let’s dance to the song they’re playin’ on the radio. 😉
I remember as a kid going to my sister’s house and listening to ‘What is and What Should Never Be’ for the first time. It blew me away and still does. With so many avenues to listen to it, music has become aware of itself and its power.
I loved how creative and experimental Zeppelin could be. You don’t often see that in rock bands.
You’re very right, music is powerful indeed.
You find so many interesting things to enlighten us about 🙂 Thanks for my weekly smile.
Ah, well thank you Claudette. I love hearing I created a smile 🙂
Sounds like we have similar tastes in music (although some forms of jazz have me looking for the exit.) Zeppelin is about as hardcore as I got, and I’d have to be in the mood for it. Metallica? Didn’t really go there. Pink Floyd was much more my cup of tea.
I used to think I liked all forms of jazz, then heard some experimental stuff that left me scratching my head, wondering if they accidentally recorded their tuning up process and then killed their cat.
I’ve been busy and missed both T-shirt comments but I couldn’t pass up Metallica. I’m pretty sure Little Timmy will have to Google the name. One of my friend’s kids asked me if Ozzy Osbourne was somebody famous before he was on TV. But I play their “Whiskey in the Jar” video every St Patrick’s day. https://youtu.be/wsrvmNtWU4E
We had a neighbor in Phoenix who REALLY liked Metallica – we heard them every weekend. I made sure my kids knew who they were.
One of the comments on that video was epic: “Legend says people are still arriving to that party”