Decoder Ring: What’s Really Going On Inside a Mosh Pit?

The mosh pit has a reputation as a violent place where (mostly)
white guys vent their aggression. There’s some truth to that, but
it’s also a place bound by camaraderie and—believe it or
not—etiquette. In this episode, we explore the unwritten rules of
this 50-year-old live-music phenomenon with punks, concertgoers,
and a heavy-metal physicist. Decoder Ring is produced by Willa
Paskin with Katie Shepherd. This episode was written by Katie
Shepherd. This episode was edited by Willa Paskin and Andrea Bruce,
with help from Joel Meyer. Derek John is Slate’s executive producer
of narrative podcasts. Merritt Jacob is our senior technical
director. Thank you to Vivien Goldman, Paolo Ragusa, and Philip
Moriarty, whose insights and research on moshing were crucial to
this episode. You can create your own mosh pit using
this simulator developed by Jesse Silverberg and his
colleagues. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit
megaphone.fm/adchoices