''Heavy Metal Parking Lot'' is a 1986 documentary short produced by

Jeff Krulik Jeff Krulik is a director of independent films and a former Discovery Channel producer. Krulik's work frequently explores the fringes of popular culture from an enthusiastic and appreciative point of view. He is best known for his 1986 documen ...

and John Heyn. The film features interviews with several small groups of young heavy metal fans gathered for a

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in the parking lot outside the Capital Centre in

Landover, Maryland Landover is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. As of the 2020 census it had a population of 25,998. Landover is contained between Sheriff Road and Central Avenue to the so ...

on May 31, 1986, as they prepare for a Judas Priest/ Dokken concert being held there later that evening.

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 popularity of the film, music copyright issues arose between the producers and Judas Priest, though they were eventually resolved. The film has been referred to as the " Citizen Kane" of Wasted Teenage Metal.

Sequels

Krulik and Heyn attempted to follow up ''Heavy Metal Parking Lot'' with ''Monster Truck Parking Lot'' in 1988, which showed fans of a

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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. In 1999, they created '' Harry Potter Parking Lot''. Krulik and Heyn created and co-produced the 2004 TV series ''Parking Lot'' in association with

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, which was broadcast on Trio. The series showed enthusiasts of various bands (like Phish) and activities (like surfing). Eight episodes were produced. In 2006, a sequel of sorts was released by SnagFilms, entitled ''Heavy Metal Parking Lot Alumni: Where Are They Now''. The 19-minute film looks at the adult lives of several of the young people featured in the original 1986 film.

Home media

In May 2006, the documentary was released on

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kind ...

, to coincide with the 20th anniversary of its filming. The DVD version contains the original 17-minute film, as well as over 2 hours of exclusive content, including 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.

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. * The music video for the 2005 song " Just Want You to Know" by the

Backstreet Boys Backstreet Boys (often abbreviated as BSB) are an American vocal group consisting of Nick Carter, Howie Dorough, AJ McLean, and cousins Brian Littrell and Kevin Richardson. Lou Pearlman formed the group in 1993 in Orlando, Florida. The ...

also references ''Heavy Metal Parking Lot''. * The season two episode of the television show '' Friday Night Lights'' titled "Humble Pie", Jean gives a mixtape to Landry that she labeled ''Heavy Metal Parking Lot''; Jean is previously described as a fan of cult movies and music. * The 2019 Steel Panther album '' Heavy Metal Rules'' is named after the "philosophy" of the "Zebra-man" * Dialogue from the film is sampled several times on

The Avalanches The Avalanches are an Australian electronic music group formed in Melbourne in 1997. They are known for their studio albums '' Since I Left You'' (2000), ''Wildflower'' (2016), and '' We Will Always Love You'' (2020), as well as their live and ...

’ 2016 album '' Wildflower''. * Clips from the film were shown during the 2022 induction of Judas Priest into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

References

External links