Meet the man who headbangs to Metallica, Anthrax and Slayer for a living
A metal aficionado from Arlington in Texas has turned his headbanging passion into a full-time job.
For the past two years, Michael Hildreth has been paid to listen to metal and headbang while holding a sign for pizza chain Papa Murphy’s.
Imbibing a nourishing diet of Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth, Anthrax and Cannibal Corpse, Hildreth has quite literally earned his crust by rhythmically shaking his flowing locks to their deliciously brutal sounds.
Going by the apt moniker of the South Arlington Sign Slayer, Hildreth has incredibly helped the local restaurant boost their profits by over 40% - not bad for a job that was initially a punishment.
“I kept showing up late for work over the course of about a month, a month and a half or something,” Hildreth told CBS. “My boss got a little irritated with me, so he sent me outside as a punishment.”
Rather than stand statically on the verge of the road, Hildreth used his sign as a guitar and began headbanging on the streets. “I don’t like the idea of being bored while you’re working,” he said.
Winning over an army of fans, Hildreth admits that some people are left confused, with one driver contacting the police.
“She called the cops stated there was a local man on the corner of 287 acting like he was high,” recalled Hildreth.
The police officers then asked Hildreth to calm down his act – something he resolutely refuses to do.
A Facebook page in tribute to the South Arlington Slayer - set up by someone Hildreth doesn’t even know - has attracted over 4,400 likes and counting.