A cord designed to hold something around the neck, usually with a clip at the end on which to fasten the object. Used for easy exposure and/or quick access to an ID badge, keys, etc.
"We could tell who the roadies were at the rock concert, because they each wore an 'all-access backstage pass' on a lanyard."
"Oh, so THAT'S what those things are called."
by Bill M. July 29, 2004
The belief that God (or some form of deity or divine creator) exists, but plays no interactive role in our day to day lives
The founding fathers of the United States were largely deists.
by Bill M. July 27, 2004
1. noun The relative highness or lowness of a musical note
2. verb To throw an object in a particular direction
3. verb To get rid of; to throw away into the trash
4. noun A statement used for advertisement
1. When you inhale helium, it raises the pitch of your voice.
2. He pitched the baseball from the mound.
3. This is broken. Just pitch it.
4. He gave us his sales pitch.
by Bill M. July 28, 2004
A band of the hard rock or heavy metal variety associated with the 1980s, even if from the early 90s (as was the case with Damn Yankees, Mr. Big, Nelson) "Hair metal" was a term not coined until well into the 90s, but roughly covers what was known in the 80s as "glam metal".
Self-proclaimed haters of hair metal try to define the genre as music with all focus on image, and contrast it with grunge. Yet in grunge, the lack of aesthetics became a trendy enforced look itself, and the scene never produced any virtuoso "musician's musicians". Many credit Nirvana and grunge with the "death" of hair metal, but this is historically inaccurate, as hair metal's loss of popularity was mainly due to 1) sudden denial by radio stations and Mtv of any airplay or promotion, and 2) unrelated pitfalls of many key bands in a very short time span: Ozzy Osbourne had announced retirement, inner conflict led to Guns n' Roses' break-up, too many years taken off in between some band's albums (Metallica, Alice Cooper, AC/DC, Judas Priest, Def Leppard), while other bands lost prominent members (Iron Maiden, Motley Crue, Poison).
Most hair metal bands in fact continued to put out albums and play small venues throughout the 1990s, finding promotion via the internet, college radio, and the work of loyal fans. Ironically, it then became a much more anti-corporate, "alternative" form of music than the 90s pop music that was still being called "alternative".
"Haha, look at all that hair metal. I hate anything that came out of the 80s."
"Wait a minute, didn't you just buy the latest CDs from Guns n' Roses, Aerosmith, and Metallica?"
"Yeah, but those bands don't count as hair metal because, um, you know. Er, uhhhh...hey what's on TV tonight?"
by Bill M. July 24, 2004
A pass, usually in the form of a laminated card or felt-like sticker, that allows the bearer access to the "backstage" area of an entertainment event (e.g., a concert). The area might not literally be behind the stage, but some other at the venue normally restricted to the other event attendees. An event may have different types of backstage passes for different levels of access; typically the "All Access" passes for a concert are of the laminated card variety, whereas the sticker type usually only allows the bearer access to limited areas at predetermined times.
Many music fans dream of getting a backstage pass so that they can meet their favorite bands at one of their concerts, but they should realize that 1) the bands their fan clubs don't always have the power to give out backstage passes; usually it's the venue or radio stations who get a hold of these, 2) like front-row tickets, backstage passes are mostly snatched up by those who already personally know somebody in the band, crew, or venue staff. And most importantly, 3) even having a backstage pass does not guarentee that you'll get to meet the band.
In the movie "Wayne's World", Wayne and Garth use their backstage passes to meet Alice Cooper after the show.
by Bill M. July 29, 2004
The large plastic piece found underneath or below the strings on some guitars, usually covering most of the front of the guitar body.
Fender guitars and basses usually have a black or white pickguard screwed into the top of the guitar.
by Bill M. August 27, 2004
The long area of the guitar under the strings where the player applies pressure with his or her non-strumming in order to produce different notes; the long, flat area on the front of a guitar neck
by Bill M. July 27, 2004