Cheers to Ronnie James Dio for setting the record straight on metal's "horns" hand gesture
One of the most refreshing revelations of the past few years of my life was a few weeks ago on VH-1's outstanding series "The 100 Most Metal Moments". Rock royalty Ronnie James Dio was crowned with the #3 moment by once and for all speculating on the true origin of what's become known as the "Devil Horns", a hand gesture used commonly by so many in rock and their legions of fans. Including me.
Me at work, liberated at last after years of misunderstanding by the moronic moral majority
As a lifelong fan of metal music and as an eclectic musician, it's been nothing short of insulting when people rag on me for making the sign, seeing me as evil incarnate or endorsing bad behavior. We in rock circles know this as a unifying, liberating expression of energy, not an endorsement of people being wicked. RJD gave insight into the fact that the gesture (palm facing out, ring and middle fingers collapsed enclosed by the thumb, index and pinky upright, as above) is rooted in Old World customs, actually being a sign to protect one from the Evil Eye. So in actuality, it's a blessing of sorts. Consider this a positive thing, equivalent to the "Whoop! There it is!" used by the mid-90's hip-hop genre.
It's a direct attack on my intellect that I'd not know the difference between good and bad, and as a Christian, I've had people and holy rollers get on my case for it for years. The assumption is that by issuing the gesture, I'm ignorant, unitelligible and less of a person. And that pisses me off.
Now, I'll concede a bit to my detractors: the gesture has had its true meaning obviously morphed from the purpose for which it apparently was started. In the 80's it was no big secret that people thought the symbol was an endorsement of the Devil, being a physical manifestation of horns. For this same reason, the hand gesture fits perfectly into an upside-down pentagram, another piece of iconography of evil. And there are bands that are into the dark arts that use such, so there's certainly something to be said about the misconception by the moral majority. I never really bought into any of this, as all my heros did it, and they were self-admitted God-fearing, decent human beings. And hey, the guy who started the lasting trend, Dio himself, cited its true origin, so there. NuMetal and rap/rock guys make the symbol all the time, and that's fine - continue the tradition of your rockin' predecessors.
And if you truly believe that people who issue such a sign are bad people, I've got another hand gesture for you. It involves an outward-facing palm, and extends only a single finger. Care to guess which one?
Rock on!
(Interesting factoid: Ronnie James Dio's former band, "Dio" was supposed to come to Guam to play in concert in the mid-80's, but our Archbishop shot down the idea and cancelled it, which was a major bummer for all local headbangers.)