Episode 105 - Pop Culture and Music in the Shadow of the Satanic Panic

The Satanic Panic is a veritable cornucopia of skeptical angles, and for this episode we limit ourselves to a look back at the cultural feel of the 80s and early 90s and some seminal court cases that brought metal musicians to court to defend their craft and educate jurors on audio pareidolia. Along the way we reminisce about Dungeons & Dragons, Geraldo Rivera, and how technology affected the development of the panic. The parental hand-wringing and ensuing litigation also paved the way for an invigorated Satanic thrust in metal as theatrical bands embraced demonic imagery even further, sometimes quite seriously. And the journey ends with today, when Satanic metal is almost a quaint cliché and real-life Satanists resemble Shriners more than they do boogeymen.