Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
Arts & Entertainment
Watch Brooklyn's Happiest Headbanger Rock Out On The Subway
By
Ben Yakas
Published Mar 11, 2013
Modified Mar 11, 2013
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Ben Yakas
Published Mar 11, 2013
Modified Mar 11, 2013
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Anyone born with the ability to grow god-given strands of metal hair has a God-given duty to rock their locks to the fullest extent of the Gwar. And so we proudly salute the young man in the video below sporting Chris Cornell-circa-1988 locks headbanging his way across Brooklyn on the R train, as if he were on his way to meet Riki Rachtman and skulking Eddie Veddar.
The fact he also practices his scary metal voice completely unselfconsciously—in addition to performing several windmill head moves on-and-off for 11 minutes—only enhances our admiration. If only we could know what sweet siren had inspired such ferocity of headbanging—it's probably the same thing that got these grandparents headbanging.
Tagged
headbanger
metal
MTA
Music
rocking out
subway
subway video
train
original
Ben Yakas
Ben Yakas is a former Gothamist reporter.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE arts-entertainment
How the NYC Marathon has changed in the last 50 years
Spoiler alert: It's still 26.2 miles.
By
Hannah Frishberg
Published Oct 14, 2026 at 2:36 p.m. ET
A visit to Art of Play, the Brooklyn store in an animatronic bird beef with Kelly Clarkson
"Kelly Clarkson has put us in danger," says the co-owner of Art of Play.
By
Sonia Rao
Arts & Entertainment
A visit to Art of Play, the Brooklyn store in an animatronic bird beef with Kelly Clarkson
"Kelly Clarkson has put us in danger," says the co-owner of Art of Play.
By
Sonia Rao
The hottest way to show you're an authentic New Yorker is… riding a Citi Bike?
By
Lindsay Lee Wallace
Is NYC’s hottest attraction the free observation deck at 1 Centre Street?
By
James Ramsay
What happens when NYC kids take lessons in rock music? Really good bands.
By
Jayson Greene
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .