Back on June 6 of 2006, something cool happened for metalheads. No, it wasn't that it was 6/6/06, it was that some dudes with too much time on their hands started the annual National Day of Slayer. The event - celebrated every year on June 6 - has grown in popularity so much over the past few years that it is now dubbed the International Day of Slayer. And metalheads around the globe are currently making sure all those Slayer albums are still in good shape, because the day is coming up again very soon.
It sounds like a big joke, but the people behind this pseudo-holiday are actually quite serious about it. For example, check out this message from their website:
On June 6, hessians worldwide come together to do something upon which we can all agree - listening to Slayer! Finally, one of the most dismissed cultural groups in the world has a holiday to call its own. Join us in our cause to stand unified in our celebration of metal music and let us prove to the rest of society that we too have a voice.
It's true - all metalheads can agree on listening to Slayer. No one can deny it: Slayer's awesome. Even their boring albums are awesome. Sometimes they sound a bit haggard live, and vocalist/bassist Tom Araya can't bang his head in concerts anymore due to an injury, but they're still awesome and will always be awesome.
The International Day of Slayer folks think the band are so great that last year they petitioned the White House to make the day an official holiday and to declare metal fans a recognized subculture. Not unsurprisingly, the White House said no.
Dag Hansen, one of the people actively campaigning to get the day recognized as an actual holiday, recently told Blabbermouth that, growing up, "every time a holiday came around, it was culture this or culture that. I wanted one to reflect my culture, because in the land of malls and triplicate forms, I found more cultural value in heavy metal than any of the stuff other people called culture."
So, want to celebrate on June 6? It's pretty easy. Here's what the organizers recommend:
How to Celebrate:
Listen to Slayer at full blast in your car.
Listen to Slayer at full blast in your home.
Listen to Slayer at full blast at your place of employment.
Listen to Slayer at full blast in any public place you prefer.
DO NOT use headphones! The objective of this day is for everyone within earshot to understand that it is the National Day of Slayer. National holidays in America aren't just about celebrating; they're about forcing it upon non-participants.
Taking that participation to a problematic level:
Stage a "Slay-out." Don't go to work. Listen to Slayer.
Have a huge block party that clogs up a street in your neighbourhood. Blast Slayer albums all evening. Get police cruisers and helicopters on the scene. Finish with a full-scale riot.
Spray paint Slayer logos on churches, synagogues, or cemeteries.
Play Slayer covers with your own band (since 99% of your riffs are stolen from Slayer anyway).
Kill the neighbour's dog and blame it on Slayer.
It sounds like a big joke, but the people behind this pseudo-holiday are actually quite serious about it. For example, check out this message from their website:
On June 6, hessians worldwide come together to do something upon which we can all agree - listening to Slayer! Finally, one of the most dismissed cultural groups in the world has a holiday to call its own. Join us in our cause to stand unified in our celebration of metal music and let us prove to the rest of society that we too have a voice.
It's true - all metalheads can agree on listening to Slayer. No one can deny it: Slayer's awesome. Even their boring albums are awesome. Sometimes they sound a bit haggard live, and vocalist/bassist Tom Araya can't bang his head in concerts anymore due to an injury, but they're still awesome and will always be awesome.
The International Day of Slayer folks think the band are so great that last year they petitioned the White House to make the day an official holiday and to declare metal fans a recognized subculture. Not unsurprisingly, the White House said no.
Dag Hansen, one of the people actively campaigning to get the day recognized as an actual holiday, recently told Blabbermouth that, growing up, "every time a holiday came around, it was culture this or culture that. I wanted one to reflect my culture, because in the land of malls and triplicate forms, I found more cultural value in heavy metal than any of the stuff other people called culture."
So, want to celebrate on June 6? It's pretty easy. Here's what the organizers recommend:
How to Celebrate:
Listen to Slayer at full blast in your car.
Listen to Slayer at full blast in your home.
Listen to Slayer at full blast at your place of employment.
Listen to Slayer at full blast in any public place you prefer.
DO NOT use headphones! The objective of this day is for everyone within earshot to understand that it is the National Day of Slayer. National holidays in America aren't just about celebrating; they're about forcing it upon non-participants.
Taking that participation to a problematic level:
Stage a "Slay-out." Don't go to work. Listen to Slayer.
Have a huge block party that clogs up a street in your neighbourhood. Blast Slayer albums all evening. Get police cruisers and helicopters on the scene. Finish with a full-scale riot.
Spray paint Slayer logos on churches, synagogues, or cemeteries.
Play Slayer covers with your own band (since 99% of your riffs are stolen from Slayer anyway).
Kill the neighbour's dog and blame it on Slayer.
