When Judas Priest was summoned to Reno in 1990 to stand trial in a high-profile teen suicide lawsuit, metal had already come under much media scrutiny. But, while previous lawsuits sought damages for violent lyrics, Judas Priest was charged with inciting suicide through subliminal messages.
Deadly Intent
On December 23, 1985, two Reno youth, James Vance and Ray Belknap, spent an afternoon listening to music by Judas Priest, drinking beer, and smoking marijuana. Then, they headed to a local church playground where Belknap shot himself in the head with a 12-gauge shotgun dying instantly. Vance's attempt was less successful, and he survived despite severe facial trauma. Requiring 140 surgeries and living in extreme pain, Vance died several years later from drug complications.
Fear of the Unheard
The plaintiffs' case focused on one particular song from the band's "Stained Class" album entitled "Better by You, Better than Me." According to attorneys for the plaintiff, the subliminal command "do it," which they claimed was embedded throughout the song, had pushed the two teenagers over the edge. James Vance would later tell a Reno Gazette Journal reporter that, after listening to the album, he felt programmed as if a "self-destruct button" had been pressed.
Tricky Ground
But, in order to make this allegation, the plaintiffs had to concede that the two teenagers were already suicidal and that the music was the final trigger. They also had to prove that the messages were actually there. The plaintiff's expert witness reverse-engineered Judas Priests's music and declared that subliminal messages were laced throughout the lyrics. But, questions about the teenagers' home lives and already troubled states remained.
Subliminal Message Rights?
The defendants argued that the First Amendment protected their freedom of speech in all cases and circumstances. But, Judge Whitehead ruled that subliminal messages were not covered under freedom of speech because they violated privacy laws due to their unavoidable nature. So, the defendents brought in expert witness, Anthony Pellicano, analyzer of the infamous Watergate tapes, who testified that the alleged instances of subliminal material on Judas Priests's album were at best unintentional and most likely nonexistent.
The Verdict
Despite creating a national hysteria that drove many parents to fastidiously monitor their teenagers' listening material, proving that Judas Priest's music had pushed two teenagers to commit suicide was more difficult to demonstrate than prosecutors originally foresaw. In fact, the plaintiffs were never able to clearly prove that subliminal messages were actually embedded in the album, and Judas Priest was acquitted on all charges.
Reverberations
This verdict was hugely important to creative freedom in Metal. After a minister's son killed himself listening to Ozzie Osbourne's "Suicide Solution," his parents also claimed that subliminal messages were to blame. But, the judge cited the Judas Priest trial concluding that the existence of subliminal messages could not be proven. Today, albums labeled with explicit and violent lyric warnings attest that the debate about action-inducing lyrics remains. But, the emphasis on subliminal messages has gone silent.
Engrid Whisenant - As a Classical Musician, college lecturer in comparative literature, and Ph.D. Candidate in Geography, I explore a variety of interests in ...
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