I was disappointed when management for the heavy metal band Korn announced Feb. 22 that original guitarist Brian “Head” Welch was leaving the band to rededicate his life to Christianity. I wasn’t disappointed with what he did, but rather that his decision didn’t get more press.
Granted, Korn has been out of the spotlight, but the courage that Welch displayed in making his decision, coupled with his celebrity status, should have been enough to get the public interested. We get enough negative celebrity news. We could all use some positive energy.
We all engage in a daily struggle to do as much good, or as little bad, as possible. Whether we base our behavior on religious principles or personal morality, the temptation to do wrong and the will to do right are at constant odds. So imagine all of your daily temptations being amplified by millions of dollars and worldwide fame. Would you be able to resist indulging yourself in excess, or turn away?
I used to be a big Korn fan. Back in high school early college, Korn was one of the many heavy metal bands I listened to in order to relieve my angst-ridden tension. While their music lost most of its appeal to me, I still occasionally listen to them.
For those who are unfamiliar with Korn, their music is rather dark and morose. In the mid-’90s they helped pioneer a new wave of heavy metal, grimmer than ’80s hair metal and more intense than grunge rock.
Frankly, I’m not surprised that someone from a band like Korn would secretly harbor a desire to break away from that kind of music. You can only stay mad at the world for that long.
From what I’ve gathered from reading recent interviews with Welch, he intends to continue playing heavy metal music, only with a Christian edge. And while some purists may believe that no “real” Christians listen to or play heavy metal, I think the two worlds can coexist peacefully.
People need to understand that music is entertainment just like any other form of media. I feel like Christians can listen to and enjoy secular music just like they watch and enjoy secular movies or read secular books. As long as the content of the media is kept in proper perspective, it shouldn’t affect the attitudes or beliefs of the individual.
A reasonably intelligent person would be able to listen to any kind of music without losing his or her identity. I refuse to allow music to dictate my attitude.
Welch’s story reminds me of another secular musician who gave up fame and money to follow the Lord. Mason Betha, better known as Ma$e, walked away from rap in 1999 after selling more than 4 million records. For five years Betha concentrated on his own ministry before returning to rap music in 2004. In his book, Betha condemns rap music altogether and suggests that anyone who is trying to listen to God should remove rap completely from his or her life.
I disagreed with some of the statements Betha made in his book, but I had a deep respect for what he had done with his life. Therefore, when his new album came out I was very anxious to hear what he had to say after five years of preaching.
Unfortunately the new Ma$e album sounded a lot like the old Ma$e albums, minus the cursing, sex, violence and drug use. With the exception of one or two songs, the album is all about how much money Betha has. Nine out of every 10 bars he raps mention cash, clothes, diamonds, cars or some other measure of material wealth.
I have no problem with preachers being wealthy, but I never expected to hear a minister bragging about what color his diamonds are. Money has always been Ma$e’s lyrical bread and butter, and it’s a big part of hip-hop culture. I expected something more meaningful coming from a pastor.
I doubt Welch will do any bragging about money in his music, but hopefully he’ll view Ma$e’s album as an example of how difficult it can be for artists to move in a different direction while trying not to alienate their original fan base.
Hopefully Welch’s new music will do better than Ma$e’s. He’s already pledged to donate whatever money he makes off of his new recordings to building youth skate parks. I hope that he can keep that sort of benevolent attitude throughout the rest of his career and, ultimately, the rest of his life.
Jason Browne is a senior communication major. He can be reached at [email protected].