Talkin' Slayer, Episode 59: Slayer & Branding... or, Slayer Gets Cooler

Today’s topic is Slayer and branding. Ferris talks about what Slayer means, and what it’s worth — to the band, to brands, and to us fans. This is some Thrash 101 talk, but you get advanced metrics & rock theory, too.

Do you wear the mark? Who sells more T-shirts... Slayer, the [Rolling] Stones, the Foo Fighters, or Metallica? Do the Foo Fighters rock or suck? How is Reign in Blood selling these days? Has the thrashiest Big Four Thrash B[r]and sold out? We look at some numbers and render judgment.

Right before Slayer return for their hotly anticipated reunion shows and sell a barge load of T-shirts, the most high-profile Slayer product is… a series of cooler and refrigeration products with Slayer’s name, logo, and artwork on them. Does this partnership enterprise make sense?

Business & branding writer Cheryl Wischover interviewed Ferris for her article “Slayer Sells Out?", for the Whatever Nevermind Substack. Click here to read it.

Longtime listeners may recognize some of tonight's points. For newcomers, the show covers some basic Slayer & heavy metal 101. But this week also features new original research, thoughts, and commentary on our metal heroes — and what it takes to make a dollar and a cent in the music game in 2024.

This is another unusual episode. Talkin’ Slayer is generally a weekly podcast. And it is mostly about the history of the band, based on original interviews and extensive archival research. Ferris usually reads a chapter or two or three from his book Slayer 66 2/3: A Metal Band Biography, which has a ton of sick photos and graphics, and is cheap online. So is the other book he wrote about the band, which is an entire freakin’ book about Reign in Blood. It’s not expensive. People like it.

Talkin' Slayer will return next week, with a report from Slayer's first reunion show at Chicago's RiotFest.

DEEZ NOTEZ… as referenced in the show:

IF YOU'RE NEW, PROBABLY SKIP THIS EPISODE AND LISTEN TO THESE ONES INSTEAD

Talkin’ Slayer Episode 6, "And the Saga Begins." The episodic chronological story of Slayer starts here

Talkin’ Slayer episode 57: I review a Kerry King / Mastodon concert

Talkin’ Slayer episode 55: I discuss the Kerry King album

Please take the Slaytanic Surveys. AND tell your friends about the survey. Post it. Pass it around. The more the better. They're easy and fast.

1) The Slaytanic Survey (Round 2): Please tell us about your favorite songs and albums. ⁠⁠

2) The OTHER Slayantic Survey (Round 1): Who is Slayer's MVP? What was their best tour? Do you see the reunion coming? What's your LEAST favorite record? And...? Tell us here.

Images and video of CARVE SLAYER

The story of the man who carved Slayer into his forearm for Divine Intervention.

...and video of it.

The best Carve Slayer stickers, in many styles and languages.

The second-most infamous image of Slayer carved into human flesh, by Claire & Jeremy Weiss.

There's a photo of SLAYER carved into the back of a bald head, but it's clearly fake.

Talkin' Slayer is deeply researched, written, rehearsed, lightly edited, and member-supported, with some production value.

Click here to check out Ferris' Slayer books here.

Click here to see Ferris' other books at ⁠Amazon. ⁠

Talkin' Slayer is deeply researched, written, rehearsed, lightly edited, and member-supported, with some production value.

#Slayer #FooFighters #Metallica #RollingStones #Igloo #RiotFest #DaveGrohl