Reuters, Maddow Tout Tampa as 'Death Metal' Capital

August 28th, 2012 7:51 PM

On Monday night, MSNBC host Rachel Maddow played around with a story from Reuters intended to embarrass the GOP. Tampa is apparently the “death metal” capital of America. Reporter Andy Sullivan insisted “Some say it's ironic that a party that includes large numbers of religious conservatives would hold its convention in the city that fostered a musical genre known for album titles like ‘To Hell With God’ and ‘Butchered At Birth.’”

"It's kind of like having a group called Abstinence for the Sexually Anxious holding its convention in San Francisco," Steve Huey, a critic at AllMusic.com, told Reuters. "Or a group called Society for the Hatred of Corn deciding to meet up in Iowa."

Sullivan also brought up Mother Jones:

The U.S. military has found the music handy at times. According to Mother Jones magazine, a song from Deicide's album "Scars of the Crucifix" was played during interrogation of detainees in Iraq. The band said it was proud to do its part for the war effort.

Maddow helpfully explained that while it's not true that Tampa is the country's strip-club capital (it's behind Las Vegas and Cincinnati per capita), "Tampa is considered the birth place of death metal. It`s home to such famous death metal bands as Deicide, that was their music video we played a clip of a moment ago. Also, the well- known band Obituary. Also, Hate Eternal and Morbid Angel and the band Cannibal Corpse, which Bob Dole tried to make very famous in the `90s when he criticized them publicly the year before he ran for president."

Maddow joked, "Death metal is the honest to goodness traditional Tampa experience. If you`re in Tampa for the Republican convention, don`t go to a strip club. Wait in until you go to Cincinnati. Death metal you should check out."

The MSNBC host also cracked wise about this on her show July 9,  when she claimed Tampa was the strip-club capital of America:

Republicans this year are holding their convention in Tampa, Florida, which is a drag for a lot of Republicans because it`s the strip club capital of America and Republicans and trip -- well, you know, actually, I don`t know. Maybe that`s a plus for them.

Tampa, I should note, is also the death metal capital of America. Tampa gave the world bands like Morbid Angel and Deicide and Obituary. That`s got to be a plus for some Republicans going to the convention, but probably not all of them.

But at least back then, she also hit the Democrats from the left: "This year, the Democrats are holding their convention in Charlotte, North Carolina, which is a drag for a lot of Democrats since Democrats tend to support union rights and there`s not a single union hotel in all of Charlotte. Who thought that one up?"