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Heavy Metal Parking Lot

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Heavy Metal Parking Lot
Directed byJohn Heyn and Jeff Krulik
Release date
1986
Running time
17 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Heavy Metal Parking Lot is a documentary short produced by Jeff Krulik and John Heyn in 1986. It documents heavy metal music fans tailgating in the parking lot outside the Capital Centre (which was demolished in December 2002) in Landover, Maryland, on May 31, 1986, before a Judas Priest concert during their Fuel for Life tour (with opening act Dokken).

Reputation

By the early 1990s, Heavy Metal Parking Lot had become an underground cult-classic, usually traded on bootleg VHS videotapes. It was reportedly a favorite on the Nirvana tour bus, among many other bands. Due to growing popular demand for the film, music-rights issues were finally sorted out with Judas Priest.

Sequels

Krulik and Heyn attempted to follow up Heavy Metal Parking Lot with Monster Truck Parking Lot in 1988, which showed fans of a monster truck rally, but the film was unfinished and unreleased. They then created Neil Diamond Parking Lot (1996) which showed fans before a Neil Diamond concert at the same Capital Centre parking lot, ten years after the original.[1] In 1999, they created Harry Potter Parking Lot.[2]

Krulik and Heyn created and co-produced the 2004 TV series Parking Lot in association with Radical Media, which was broadcast on Trio. The series showed enthusiasts of various bands (like Phish) and activities (like surfing). Eight episodes were produced.

2006 DVD release

In May 2006, the documentary was finally released on DVD, to coincide with the 20th anniversary of its filming. The DVD version contains the original 17-minute film, as well as 2 hours of bonus features that were left out of the original version and finally an interview with the infamous "Zebra-man" (a 22-year-old at the time), whom Krulik and Heyn tracked down and interviewed in the summer of 1999, 13 years after the original filming.[2]

Cultural references

  • The music video for the 2000 song "Flavor of the Weak" by American Hi-Fi is a conscious homage to Heavy Metal Parking Lot, featuring the band members and others dressed as specific people from the documentary, and spouting variations on some of the same dialogue.[2]
  • The music video for the 2005 song "Just Want You to Know" by the Backstreet Boys also references Heavy Metal Parking Lot.[3]

References

  1. ^ Little, Ryan (June 17, 2011). "The Top Three Moments Inspired by Heavy Metal Parking Lot". Arts Desk. Washington City Paper.
  2. ^ a b c Kelly O (May 18, 2011). "Heavy Metal Rules, All That Punk Shit Sucks". The Stranger.
  3. ^ "The Must List: October 7, 2005". Entertainment Weekly.
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