You guys ever heard Carry On? That record is amazing. So fast and so fucking pissed off. I wish their singer didn't sell out and start doing coke......they were such a good band.
I think it's a personal outlook, and you shouldn't do it for anyone besides yourself...... That being said I consider myself straight edge and go by the following standards: I don't drink or do drugs of any kind. I don't have promiscuous sex, and now I'm engaged so that doesn't matter anyway. I do drink coffee and I take medicine if I'm sick, but some people who are straight edge don't even do those things. So like I said personal standards.
ouch, Earth Crisis? Really? This seems to be a consistent theme with a lot of people younger than me. Everyone I knew thought they were a joke, and the whole super right wing christian agenda, kill other people but pro life/anti choice, we're a gang thing was waaaaack. Kind of like vegan reich. SxE got really lame for a while. Guns and music don't ever work wel together. That said, I am listening to Poison Idea right now. I think just about every song on Feel the Darkness is about being completely jacked in some way. Absolutely amazing record, and completely honest. It doesn't matter what scene you are from, we are all one big scene.
I agree. I do love Earth Crisis. They are way too extreme but that's part of the reason I like them. I'm not Vegan and a lot of the stuff they say is pretty crazy, talking about killing scientists for testing on animals. Stuff like that...... On the other hand, Propagandhi is one of my other favorite bands. They hate Earth Crisis and even have a song talking about how their "firestorm" is bull shit. But Propagandhi is also an extremely political band. Reguardless I love you both bands and many other sxe and non-sxe bands. Punk, hardcore, metal, sludge you name it.
Toybot, as an answer to your question from my point of view, SxE was a general feeling, and a reaction to the larger climate of self destruction within the early punk scene. (77-82) People looking outside the mainstream were attracted to punk, and that meant it pulled from a wide audience, from the artsy, to the intelligent shut ins, to the maligned or thrown away, and to the fuck ups and those with a passion for flamboyance. Punk has always revelled in it's self destructive image, which belied a very motivated and cogniscant underpinning of extremely thoughtful and motivated individuals who believed in the power of one person to make a difference. Most people in that frame of mind don't search for public accolades much, so those less content with themselves usually steal the spotlight as they overcompensate. Therefore you get the public image of the jacked up heroin addict slumped in the corner at the middle of the concert before they go home and slash their wrists. Very dramatic, for some very real, but not for most. Back to the point, as a reaction to that backdrop, you have people that were either always not simply "into that scene" or were looking to make a more direct change, and SxE was a direct challenge to many of the (at that time local) politics and accepted attitudes of punk. A key point lost on future punk generations (which change about every 5 years) is that SxE was not in any way exclusionary. If you were into something else, cool, that is your business, but it is cool for me to not be into that as well. Generally speaking, it was a loose knit group of kids in D.C. and Boston that went against the grain and stood up saying that they were just as punk as the next guy, but weren't going to self destruct themselves over it. A way of moving past the petty high school politics, and trying to make a dent rather than fading away. In the beginning, it was a way to refrain from things that ended up having dire consequences for them and their friends, Alcohol, Drugs, Cigarettes and casual sex (teen pregnancy is no fun), and being responble for your own actions. Individual responsibility was the key. In the years since, it has grown and become a bit more of a "club" than anything else. Most get very fervant for a year or three, and then fall off the back of the wagon into something else, usually yo-yoing in extremes, as anyone that can jump in that fervantly with a blind vision to everyone else around them tend to do. On the flipside, you have a lot of people who have this set of ideals at their very core, and they tend to be much less judgemental, and end up staying in the SxE scene much longer, sometimes forever (in so much as how old they are). It has it's bad side and good, and is generally a very positive thing, especially for kids in high school searching for something that speaks to them. In the end, it is (and should be) a very personal, individual choice, and like all personal choices, never be fostered upon anyone else, or used to cast judgement on anyone else. Break out the Gorilla Biscuits we're coming home!
Brian I think your explanation was way better than mine. I really agree that being straight edge is such a personal decision and shouldn't be forced on anyone. I will admit that when I first learned about sxe and what it was all about I was one of those stupid kids. I didn't really get it, and when my core group of friends who were sxe ALL decided that they wanted to drink and party and whatever it all became a little more clear to me. I can still live my life the way I chose and be friends with them. I can go to a party and have a good time and not judge people for their actions. I'll admit at first I judged people, it didn't sink in at first that it's for ME, not those other dudes. It's become a core part of my life, and something that I truly believe in. You don't need to get fucked up to have a good time. Most of the dudes in my band drink, and as you can imagine when you go on tour they like to party pretty hard, so I get to laugh with them, make fun of all the stupid things they do and feel great in the morning when they still have hang overs. To each their own, and I will never pass judgment on someone for not being sxe.
And the winner for the most confused t-shirt ever: http://page10.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/m33898675 Brootherhood, the teen idles, chain of strength and DYS all rolled into one, the only thing Boston about this shirt is DYS....Japanese Fashion steps up to fill the void.
I think that's a very fundamental part of the choice that a lot of ignorant / fake sXe people (more often than not, it's those that are just blindly following it because their friends think it's cool, or bands they listen to are edge, or whatever) don't understand and thus create a negative connotation towards the people who happen to truly and genuinely follow it. I think that's sad and discredits how many people might view the lifestyle. I have to say, all of the militant edges that are into violence can go rot somewhere. They just make me think of a college fraternity that adopted the sXe and vegan banners to have something to fight people over.
Carry On were and still are awesome. If I was stuck on a deserted island with only that record to listen to I wouldn't complain at all. It's just too bad what happened to Ryan. The dude had a lot of 'inner demons' and is still having a lot of problems. As a friend, I really hope he comes back around. We had some good times.
Yeah I was so bummed when they broke up. They were supposed to play Arizona and then about 2 weeks before their tour.....called it quits. I was and still am so bummed. I never got to see them. They did those reunion shows, but to me it wasn't the same thing.
I still dont know what this straight edge thing is you guys are talking about but if I did I would say.. earth crisis is a bunch of dudes who get a bad rep. I dont think they were any more gang oriented than say Agnostic front. I think every new generation has the band that the old men(brian haha) dont get. I'm sure people said the same thing about Judge. I'd like to say that for the past 3 weeks Ive been listening to feel the darkness every morning as I get ready.. Favorite poison Idea albums are as follows 1 pick your king 2 feel the darkness 3 record collectors... everything else is tied.. dude Turbonegro totally used this album as a blue print. Wheres paul fresno to add to this? My morning routine has now been reaplced by the BURN 7"... and I'd like to now go on to say that Burn is in my top 3 favorite NYHC bands of all time and they have never put out anything bad...ever...even the EVR album...There I said it. I knew someone at s7 had to be an edgeman when the "super 7 hardcore" shirt came out as a straight COS rip. I called up super 7 Immediatly and demanded to buy it.
This is cool. I think the whole kaiju toys and their bag packaging has this 'hardcore' vibe all over it. DIY and don't compromise on quality. To me this discussion kind of proofs that. I started listening to Sick of it all when I was 16 I guess and still love their stuff. Here in the Netherlands there were quite some kids who were SxE but mainly because they wanted to belong to the scene. Since I didn't drink or smoke they told me I was SxE and should put the X on my hand. Well, sorry dudes but I'm used to making my own decisions. Now let's get those old NYHC tapes out and sing along!
bullshit...you're not that old flynn... i bet i'm older than you and they were hot in my generation. they were (and i assume still are) nice guys. i'm sure there was a bit of honesty burried deep inside those words but the lyrics were more of a "fantasy" or storytelling device than a "bible" to follow. think of all the dumb shit you said/did as a teenager and that may help put it in perspective. i know up here in new england for the most part (i said most part) they didn't start up any "crazy groups" that firebombed things and beat people up. all those crazies got together in salt lake city. that place was a mess in the 90's as far as militant violence goes. that said, i really don't think the tough/militant thing ever was missing in the sxe scene from the begining. look at all the tension that existed between boston and nyc...violence galore. ian even said in that recent movie "american hardcore" that he got out of the sxe/hxc scence he founded because it was simply getting too violent. violence and punk will never be separated in my opinion (at least among youngsters). i've got that beat...my college roomate turned me onto nwa, cypress hill, etc at the same time i was heavy into sxe and hxc. to me good music is good music (yes i know people will say the forementioned don't qualify). i'm probably one of the few people who can go from listening to deacide to zao to madonna to public enemy all in a row.
I've got to say that this is one of the more interesting turns a thread has taken in some time! I did not grow up in the hardcore scene and the extent of my punk knowledge was limited to DKs, Black Flag, CJs, and (of course) Sex Pistols...still don't know much more, but a little...anyway it's very interesting to read about the SxE philosophy, as written by people who know...I can't relate to living my life as a punk monk, but hey, whatever works, man, whatever works... always interesting here in the strange common ground of the Secret Base forum...
first... zao are completely awful. icaught them once and couldn't believe how bad they were. earth crisis... say what you will about them, but those dudes are all still sxe and vegan. can't say the same for the majority of those that carried the sxe flag before them. i loved earth crisis 'back in the day', and still do. Destroy The Machines is a classic for that generation. and hank... i'm sorry you never saw Carry On. those reunion shows were the greatest things to happen that summer. They out did the record release show for ALLP, which I never thought would never be topped. Ryan was easily one of the best frontmen I've seen. For a skinny dude he had a lot of presence. He had a very arrogant yet infectious enthusiasm about him. On their east coast tour they played cbgbs and i did a stage dive and i grabbed him when i launched and i easily sent him about 10 to 15 feet further than I went, i thought i killed him. I only need 2 records to complete my Carry On vinyl collection. A test press of the first 7" and a copy of ALLP thaat linas sketched on. Unfortunately I think I know where all those records are and I don't think I'll be able to get them.
its definitely awesome to see so many straight edge/hardcore people here! from one type of vinyl to another haha.
This is a great thread. I always liked the idea that people I collect with also have the same music tastes as me. Not only do we have an amazing taste in toys but also in music, and probably lots of other aspects in life. People should be more like us!
This post rules! Cryptopsy anyone? And since it seems like a lot of you are into punk and hardcore I'm going to do a shameless plug..... Please check out my band www.myspace.com/hourofthewolfaz
I have an old photo book about teenagers and their bedrooms & it had one of the dudes from Earth Crisis in it. He had a Budweiser poster pinned over his mattress.
Stoked as fuck on the edge ghostfighter Check the DNA crew representing hard on the cover of the first PATH record! xxx
