Popular Culture Review 30.2
lash , album burnings , or vast decreases in record and other sales as that experienced by Metallica in the decades to come . This is , in part , because neither band ever apologized for their success , nor did they tout themselves to be the altruistic and sappy songsters , hipsters , and grunge-sters that Metallica were shaping themselves up to be . Had the members of Metallica stood on their high capitalistic ground ( and in their high boots ) as Gene Simmons and Robert Plant did in the late 1970s , touting the “ demon child ” and “ golden God ” hero-figures that they had come to symbolize , I submit that they would still be receiving the kind of respect and hero-worship that KISS and Led Zeppelin do to this very day , despite of�and perhaps , because of�the massive success and market fortunes they amassed . Instead , because Metallica set upon this ridiculous campaign to convince fans of their self-righteous , anti-corporate , and un-materialistic posture�which eventually became increasingly unrealistic given their wide success�they backed themselves into a corner from which they could not escape . As Marshall rightly summarizes :
The problem facing Metallica was that they could not stress the financial implications of the [ Napster ] suit because , if they gave the message that they had even thought about commercial matters , they would undermine their artistic credibility . Ironically , this would also seriously affect their sales , as their commercial success to a great extent depends upon their artistic credibility . ( 8 )
What an impossible and , unfortunate , place for such a successful enterprise as Metallica to find themselves in !
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