The Heavy Metal Scene in Tehran

Following are excerpts from a TV report on the heavy metal scene in Tehran, which aired on Channel 2 of Iranian TV on August 12, 2007.

Iranian youth: This is the symbol of the devil worshippers.

Iranian youth: I don't know foreign languages.

Iranian youth: You should hang out here and see how trendy it is here.

Reporter: How did you do that?

Iranian youth: With a razor blade.

Reporter: A razor blade?

Iranian youth: Yes.

Reporter: What did you write there?

Iranian youth: 2Pac.

Reporter: What does 2Pac mean?

Iranian youth: It's the name of an American singer.

Hairstylist: Some people dye [their hair]. Some are heavy metal fans, and others are devil worshippers.

Reporter: Devil worship originated in England in the 19th century. It is supported by Jewish and America capitalists. Drug use and depraved sexual rituals are part of the daily life of devil worshippers.

Reporter: What is your hairstyle called?

Iranian youth: The "fashion new" model.

Reporter: "Fashion new"? That's not on my list. I am preparing a report on types of hairstyles.

[...]

Iranian youth: My hairstyle is called "fascist."

Iranian youth: Does there have to be a reason? Why do you need to understand?

Iranian youth: I don't even know why myself.

[...]

Reporter: I found some [hairstyles] on the Internet: "Tintin," "microbe," "typhus," "rooster crest," "pineapple," and "duck tail."

[...]

Reporter: Where did you first see the hairstyle you want to have?

Iranian youth: The first time I saw it in a magazine.

Iranian youth: I saw it on satellite TV.

Iranian youth: It's the symbol of a rap metal artist.

Reporter: Do you know what its history is?

Iranian youth: No idea.

[...]

Reporter: Rap and heavy metal are among the main music styles in which the most indecent expressions are used, encouraging the listeners to violence, fear, lack of discipline, death, pain, recklessness, and paranoia.

[...]

Iranian youth: The guys act like women, and the women like men.

Iranian youth: Look how cool he is. He's so good-looking.

Reporter: Another type of hairstyle and clothing is that of the homosexuals. Some of the youth unknowingly make themselves look like homosexuals.

[...]

Reporter: What is your hairstyle called?

Iranian youth: It's called "fashion," "rooster," or "skewer in a socket."

Reporter: What's a "skewer in a socket"?

Iranian youth: You stick your fingers into an electrical socket, and your hair stands up on end.

[...]

Iranian youth: I've been sitting here for an hour or an hour and a half for my haircut.

Reporter: Are there people who come here every day?

Hairstylist: Yes.

Reporter: How much do they pay every day?

Hairstylist: They pay 5,000 or 6,000 just to style their hair.

Iranian youth: I pay 10,000 or 12,000 tomans.

[...]

Iranian youth: I don't have an opinion.

Iranian youth: Whatever's in fashion – we wear it.

Iranian youth: I don't know.

Iranian youth: Everybody copies other people.

Iranian youth: The first time I cut my hair this way and went to my friends, they laughed at me.