Glam Metal

S1, E5: There is no descendant of Metal that is as universally lampooned as “glam.” But why? In Episode 5 of Metal Evolution, the white lace curtain is drawn back on glam metal. We’ll explore glam’s androgynous roots, looking back to early Greek myth right up to David Bowie and T.Rex, and we’ll discover the reasons behind the present-day perception that glam was, despite its massive popularity in the 1980s, a false and hollow music form that represented a betrayal of the very spirit and ethos of Metal. Purveyors of glam such as Jon Bon Jovi, Cinderella’s Tom Keifer and Rudy Sarzo of Quiet Riot, will divulge their side of the story, revealing the attitudes, influences and decisions which guided them during those heady days of rampant excess on L.A.’s storied Sunset Strip. Contemporary musicians like Dave Mustaine from Megadeth and Slayer’s Tom Araya will discuss the reasons behind the vilification of glam—the notion that glam reduced Metal to caricature, drawing on a shallow combination of pop cliché and sophomoric sexual pandering for its inspiration. We’ll also explore the symbiotic relationship between MTV and glam metal, as well as the enormous pressure artists faced from the music industry to adapt or be jettisoned, speaking candidly to the ones who succeeded, and also to the ones that failed. Finally, we’ll track the truth and the myths behind the idea that glam’s ignominious decline paved the way for Metal’s next big stepchild, grunge.