21 The Satanic Panic and how Heavy Metal was blamed for it

In the 80's and 90's, the media, politicians, and religion worked the US public into a hysteria, convincing people that the country was full of satanic cults who sacrificed children to the devil. It was all predicated by the book, 'Michelle Remembers' which was a load of shit concocted by its author, a psychologist, and his wife, a former patient of his. Everyone was being accused of being in a satanic cult. Lives were ruined. Families were destroyed.

Something or someone was to blame obviously, right? And the scapegoat? Heavy metal music. The bands were actually hauled into court, being accused of putting messages into their songs, which would make people commit murder, or kill themselves.

In this episode, we go over the stories of the bands who were the subject of the witch hunt, and we talk about the ring leaders who led the charge. Its a compelling story whether you like heavy metal or not. So, join us!

Correction: In this episode, Bill says that there is audio of Al Gore in court supposedly channeling the ghost of a murder victim. It wasn't Al Gore. It was his Vice Presidential running mate, John Edwards. ALSO, Bill said that Peter Jackson had Damien Echols as an extra in a Lord of the Rings movie. It wasn't LOTR. It was one of The Hobbit movies.

Our website, where you can find Bill's (Heavy metal) music, Todd's band, and links to all the platforms for our podcast