As far as people listening to lyrics and doing what they hear, that honestly can not be blamed on the lyrics.
If a person is that influential or malice enough to listen to some of these gross lyrics and act on what is stated they obviously have deeper issues beyond listening to music.
Music may say suggestive things in their lyrics but does that mean we all are going to rush to do what it says? I highly doubt it.
People allowing the music to take control of their lives like drones.
I highly disagree! Sure some people take the scene to an extreme, but I'm a fan of rock/metal music as well as other genres.
I have been exposed to this music since I was 5 or 6. My mother listened to shock rock, hair metal, death Metal, Metal, and even classic rock.
It never took any affect on me, because I wasn't weak willed. I understood that music was a form of expression and also a form of attention seeking.
My mind hasn't been altered and my perspective haven't been tainted.
I don't sit at home listening to this music in a drug induced state, thinking okay I want to go harm someone or myself because the song has been etched in my memory and I must do it.
When I look at myself every day I'm not seeing this gross unhealthy looking mess that most people think rock music fans appear to be.
I see a 23 year old with fairly white teeth, a decent weight, very kept hair and cute clothes.
hmm I wonder if the affects of listening to those dreaded rock lyrics will set in at my 30's? haha
I can agree that rock music can alter ones feelings, but it applies to every kind of music.
Tell me that listening to some songs by Keith Urban, Garth brooks, and other country singers doesn't make you feel sad, happy, upset, and other mixed emotions.
Most country music is depressing and some makes you want to dance.
What about rap, pop, oldies, even classical?
How classical composures utilized their feelings into music so that the listeners can feel what they felt.
It needs no lyrics to comprehend the pain, the anger, the joy and all these mixed emotions without even speaking a word.
Operas even use dead languages or feign languages in their music and we listen to it and feel the pain in the tone of their voice or follow a story without complete understanding of the lyrics or lines.
Every type of music has some influence in our emotions, but at the end of the day we decide what we want to do with out lives and how to live.
As far as how some musicians tend to be, unkept hair and looking like their 60 when they are 30.
Sure some of these people look horrible, but honestly you want to blame it on their lyrics? It's not the music that created their lifestyle.
They all chose to be who they are. I mean look at Britney spears her music wasn't rock, look how wasted and used she looks sometimes.
Look at Whitney Houston she use to be sweet and glammed up.
Their are plenty of non rock musicians and celebrities that look terrible and live life in excess drug abuse and look like the local hobo when they are in the own confinements ( but beautiful on the red carpet)
Even stating that rock music or lyrics harms anyone's health is a far fetched statement.
Sorry, if I offend anyone with this next statement, but you did give me great idea I'm going to sue black sabbath now because of prolong listening to their music, I must have obtained bone cancer from listening to their music for years. haha ( before anyone goes on ranting mode it's a joke, not me having cancer but suing anyone)
If anyone is weak willed enough to allow lyrics to consume them then they need to seek help fast.
I can sit here and rant my behind off about this subject because I'm very well informed about vast amounts of music and a lover of lyrics.