FAQ: Skinhead (alt.skinheads) Frequently Asked Questions (v0.75.1b) - skinfaq.txt [3/3]

[J A Dare]

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ADL then fulminates in large type about "skinheads as a grave threat
to minorities everywhere and an organized force of storm troopers
available to neo-Nazi and KKK groups around the globe. The mass media
always picks it up and uncritically prints summaries of it year after
year, and this is how the "opinion makers in the USA get their false
image of skinheads. Those who are editors and producers then reflect
that stereotype when they commission their own people to do pieces.
Cops, judges, bosses, teachers and others in turn take their views
uncritically from the media.
Bootboys are no angels to be sure, but It is no wonder that skins
feel crucified by the media, and that the Crucified Skin is one of the
most popular images of skinhead artistic tradition.
I myself have made numerous attempts to open up a dialog with the
ADL, but they simply refuse to respond. My theory is that the Skinhead
Menace is too useful as a tool to frighten wealthy donors into making
donations to the ADL for them to give it up. Every cause-oriented
fundraiser needs a scary threat to get fat cats to cough up the bucks,
so the ADL makes "skinheads out to be on the verge of seizing the
streets and putting their supposed Nazi bosses in power and ship all
those rich Jewish donors off to new concentration camps. Since nobody
among the circles of the powerful knows or defends skins, and the Nazis
love the publicity, nobody holds the ADL to account, so why change?
The irony here is that the ADL is actually helping the rascists
by this campaign, making youth across the country believe that if they
want to join a tough group called "skinheads, or enjoy oi! music, they
have to adopt rascist attitudes and work with the far right. They are
actually undermining the efforts of trad skins to reclaim our heritage
as a multiracial skinhead movement. But nobody cares.

Kids of the 80s
I first got my head shaved as a Navy enlisted recruit, a second
time when i became a Buddhist, and a third time when i became a monk
for a summer. But my association with skinheads goes back to 1979,
when i was a big fan of Sham 69 and spent 3 days with singer Jimmy
Pursey while i interviewed him for PUNK Magazine. He first taught me
about skins and their close connection to punk rock; Jimmy was once
both a skin and a punk, and his band is widely acknowledged as the
origin of what later became oi! as a skin/punk musical coalition.
Jimmys authentic working-class style appealed to me tremendously and
reminded me of the cameraderie id enjoyed as a common sailor. But my
combative embrace of violence while living off low wages in the South
Bronx ghetto eventually got me convicted in 1980 of "assault with
intent to commit murder on a cop and thus sent off to federal pri
son for 4 more years of working-class companionship and lessons in
violence. I had to fight in every joint and i usually lost, but i
showed that i "had heart and was willing to stand my ground against
the odds.
After getting out, i hung out as a Lower East Side punk with many
skins and even had one of the original Frisco skins (Dickie) living
with me for a while; i interviewed Agnostic Front for Flipside and
defended skins as a subgroup of punk rockers in my monthly NYC scene
reports for Maximum Rock & Roll, causing several arguments with editor
Tim Yohannon, who hated skins and to this day wont give me a regular
column there. I did get insulted by some skins for having been raped
in jail (which i never kept a secret), had my leather MC jacket and oi!
records stolen and my nose broken by two skins in 85 (i saw the thief
again in prison in 90), and was seriously beat up by 6 self-
proclaimed Nazis in 87 (2 of them later apologized to me). But i
never considered these guys to be typical, and in an April Fools skit
on Pat Duncans WFMU show in 86 i ended up becoming a skin
and forming a band with the Dalai Lama while The Sedated played in the
background. By then i was collecting skinhead music on tape and was a
big fan of The Radicts, then NYCs major oi! band; i almost became
their manager. After an 8-month parole revocation in 90, i started
going to ska shows and discovered the NYC oi! revival.

Feeling Alright With the Crew
Finally in May 1993, after a run-in with the Newark, NJ, cops
left me full of anger and determination, my friend Eric, then a skin,
shaved the rest of my head, which had been half-skin and half-hair
since 1990. By that time i had already been associating with the
Mayday skin crew for half a year, and i learned much about the
tradition from them (the crew disbanded in 94). I went to the
legendary United Front skin festival in Washington, DC, in June (UtV
#15) and got such a warm welcome that i went ahead and got Docs and
braces in July.
I dont believe anyone really becomes a skinhead overnite, just
by shaving your head and having your parents buy you a set of boots and
braces and a flight. No, "skinhead, i knew, was for skins a title of
pride and honor; it has to be earned and the tradition learned, and i
refused to call myself a skin until other respected skins recognized me
as worthy of the honor. I had some doubts when i got jumped at the
instigation of a Nazi bonehead right after an August 93 Madball show
(#16), but kept at it and joined loose skinhead associations like SHARP
(SkinHeads Against Racial Prejudice), United Front, and the
International Rangerskins, read everything i could find in print about
skins, attended a lecture on skinhead history, listened to endless
skinhead anthems going back to its Jamaican roots in the 60s, joined
in the ongoing Internet debate via alt.skinheads and #ska, started the
electronic Oi!-list, wrote and photographed for a bunch of skinzines
including Skinhead Times; published two letters to the editor in the
New York Times protesting their very biased news coverage of skinhe
ads; and above all talked with countless skins about what "skinhead
meant to them. I was commissioned to write a piece on non-rascist
skins for the Village Voice but the editor who assigned it died.
I kept my fidelity to punk values and music as well, copping to
the early 80s designation of "skunk as a fusion of skinhead and punk.
Meanwhile, in NYC and (generally) worldwide, the skin and punk scenes,
which had lost their original fraternal proximity in the later 80s,
moved back together again (especially in the oi! music scene),
returning to the close ties of the late 70s and early 80s, leaving me
comfortable as a skunk. Not long ago Mark Brown, editor of the
European skinzine Bronco Bullfrog, now merged with Skoink! to become
Teenage Warning, named me his American correspondent.

Rebels With a Cause
It was with some trepidation that i decided to wear boots and
braces and a large OI! button during the filming of the Mike Wallace
interview with me about prisoner rape on "60 Minutes (aired March 3),
but i wanted to send a signal to the knowing among the 45 million
viewers (in the USA) of my subcultural affiliations. I didnt know how
skins generally would react to my disclosure that i had been gang-raped
and hence, in the view of many males, had "lost my manhood. In a
very macho subculture, it seemed to be a risky step.
Then this month i got my long-awaited copy of George Marshalls
"Skinhead Nation" in the mail; its first chapter, incidentally, is
about NYC, which says a lot. This Scotskin, former editor-publisher of
Skinhead Times and author of "Spirit of 69: The Skinhead Bible" (the
real skinhead handbook, must reading for any real skin or anyone
seeking to understand the skinhead movement), just happened to see me
on "60 Minutes (broadcast in the UK). In in the last chapter of this
156-p. sequel to "Spirit of 69," George said some very nice things
about me as a skinhead , calling my appearance "the bravest thing Ive
ever seen a skinhead do and describing my battle against the prison
system and its institutionalized rapes "the sort of battle that
skinheads throughout the world respect as being part of the very fabric
that runs through the skinhead cult in its purest form.
This judgement from the most respected skinhead in the world left
me, a writer, at an unaccustomed loss for words, but not so Alexandra
Gerber, office manager for Stop Prisoner Rape, a ska fan who has been
hanging with skins since she was 13. She wrote to George: "You should
have seen the happiness in his face, and dare I mention them, the tears
of pride welling up in his eyes....It is so good to see that his
community will back him and recognize his work. Nor is George the
only one: The Business singer Micky Fitz embraced me recently after a
NYC show, having read about my work while touring in Seattle, and
members of The Templars (whose song provided the title for this
column) and Patriot (whose song "Bail Me Out describes the fear of
being raped) have also shown their support . When the matter came up
on the Internet recently, i learned that a longtime skinhead friend of
mine in North Carolina, Jimi 45, had told one of the Oi- list
subscribers that he would give his life for me. That is the kind of
loyalty that skinheads recognize as one of the traditions highest idea
ls.

Warriors
Yes, and perhaps they also recognize that, tho perhaps i am now
too old for street brawls and too busy running a national organization
for pub crawls, i am in my own way still very much a fighter, refusing
to be a helpless, defeated victim, yes, taking on the very government
itself, the Goliath of violent power, in a cause with few allies. My
earliest memory is being in a Navy boxing ring at the age of 3i still
have the team photo and so i have been a fighter all my life.
So by way of thanx to all these skins, and acknowledging my own
skinhead allegiance, this 2-part column. In the next issue ill try
and describe skinhead history and tradition and the skinhead movement
today.


[box text: Skinhead Nation and Spirit of 69 can be ordered from See
Hear, the zine store at 59 E. 7th St., NYC 10003; Moonska Records, NYC
store at 150 E. 2nd St. (Ave. A) or PO Box 1412, NYC 10276; or ST
Publishing, PO Box 12, Dunoon, Argyll, PA23 7BQ, Scotland; STs prices
are $30 and $20. For the Oi! list, send the e-mail message: info oi-list
to: lists...@nizkor.almanac..bc.ca]

4.0: Skinhead Fashion

"When a Skinhead has his head shaved, wears a Flight Jacket and big Doc Marten
Boots, people notice him" - Loren Christensen

Skinhead fashion is important but shouldn't really be strictly defined. There's
label snobbery with skins as much as cult. Skinhead togs are a mix of military,
workwear and city gent! Utility and style. The practical cult!

Three distinctive sterotype looks have emerged however.

Smart Skin: Suits (single brested, 3-4 button), shirts(button collar, no tie),
sta press trousers, boots, brogues, crombies.

Everyday Skin: Jeans, Combat Trousers, Boots, Fred Perrys, T-shirts, Button collar
or collarless shirts (plain or tartans), MA1 jackets, Levi style jackets, donkey
jackets.

Bonehead Skin: High boots(14-22 Holes), black drainpipe jeans, combat/camo
trousers, Black MA1's, Union jack / WP T-Shirts.

Of course most skins mix all of the above sterotypes and wear lots more besides

A spin off cult is scooter boys who tend towards the bonehead look, MA1's, camo/
combats and boots. Which is more suited to hours spent in the rain on a scooter on
route to Morcambe. [SHG]

James F. Dugan (flu...@nyc.pipeline.com) writes:

You don't have to look any way to be a skinhead. Its not about clothes, or even
hair for that matter, but apparently you're way too caught up in appearences and
the signifigance of your own opinion to even come close to understanding this.

4.1: What colour are your Docs?

From: ig...@hooknladder.jammys.net (Stephen Martin)

I've got a pair of black 8-holes that I wear regularly, a pair of Black Watch
Tartan 8-holes that I wear frequently, and a pair of blue 14-holes with red tartan
laces that I use as my rain boots. :>

From: dj jurgen <jur...@io.org>

CHERRY DOCS, either my 14 0r 18 holes with Combat Sole. Those are my preferences
although I also like my black 14 holes.

From: skh...@ocvaxa.cc.oberlin.edu (Kali Holloway)

To tell the truth, I'm a little more partial to Getta Grips than Docs these days,
mainly because Getta Grips (in this age of mass-produced Docs) are sturdier than
Docs, and last longer. Never go over ten eyelets. Monkey boots look nice on girls
too, but I think loafers---not boots--- should be worn with skirts. My favorite
pair of shoes that I own, though, are Docs with red Iron Crosses on the side. Doc
stopped making them a few years ago, and I used to work in this store that sold
Docs (Junkman's Daughter in Atlanta, for those of you that have been there) and
they were the last pair to be found. They've actually lasted a good three years
thus far...

From: gra...@dircon.co.uk (Graham Wilson)

Nothing else but 14 holes - Black or proper oxbloods, not cherry bloody red.

From: ric...@netcom.com (Richard Collins)

I prefer 20 eye pink docs with purple laces. For some reason a lot of men in SF
like my boots ! Go figure ?

From: modst...@aol.com (MODSTYLE68)

oxblood always! my current pair are 10 hole, i'd never wear more eyes than that!

From: Michael Rosener

14 eye steel cap for fun, and i want a pair of the black & white wing tips for
those dressier occasions

From: bae...@plains.nodak.edu (The Werewolf of London)

Black 8i Docs....that's the only pair i have, i can't afford another pair at the
moment...

The Werewolf of London (bae...@plains.nodak.edu) writes:

Joellen Welch (jow...@lynx.dac.neu.edu) wrote:

Yeah, they make white Docs, but they're patent leather (the ones i've seen at
least) and have black stitching with black laces.

White Docs, eh? Just the thing if you work in a hospital....or drive a Mr. Softee
Ice Cream truck...

From: dave, Oink! 'Zine <avi...@haven.ios.com>

OXBLOOD!!

Joellen Welch (jow...@lynx.dac.neu.edu) writes:

Greasy leather, if I'm not mistaken, is just smooth and shiny, right? Well, in
any case, i like my boots 10-hole, black, and so shiny you can see yourself in
them, until i walk out the door and my showroom shine gets scuffed... I'm also
ordering the three-hole oxbloods (cherry red?) from Sheely's soon... rumor has
it that they're going to stop making three-hole steel-toes soon, so get 'em while
you can -- you never know what's true or not these days! They're only 34.99 in
pounds, good deal!

Out of eleven responses the top two most popular styles were the 14 or 8 holes in
Black or Oxblood.

4.1.1 Anybody know where I can find DM oxbloods in either 3 or 4i?

The Werewolf of London (bae...@plains.nodak.edu) writes:

I can find cherry reds everywhere, it's oxbloods I'm looking for. Hell, I'll even
consider a used pair if they are 10 1/2 US and don't stink too bad.

Graham Wilson (gra...@dircon.co.uk) writes:

I don't think you will find any. I think they haven't been made as oxbloods for
about 7 - 8 years now.

You can turn cherry reds into oxbloods by putting a fine coat of black polish on
them and then a coat of oxblood polish. They don't go black, just darker red.

Bullskn (bul...@aol.com) writes:

Umm granted i picked mine up like a year and a half ago...im still pretty sure
they sell em at the Dr Marten store in chicago..if anyone really wants the
address email me..ill have to dig it up

4.2: Boots and Braces don't make a Racist.

4.2.1: Boot Laces

kamui (k...@escape.com) wrote:

what's the deal with the color of boot laces? i hear that if you had white laces,
it used to mean white power? can someone clear this up for me on what different
colors are supposed to stand for? thanks.

Common concensus seems to be that the colour coding of boot laces amongst
skinheads is a thing of the distant past. The most sensible post on this
subject read:

From: dj jurgen <jur...@io.org>

This whole perceived meaning of colours of laces is childish and ridiculous!
Being a skin is not about the colour of laces in one's boots.

The funniest posts, however, came from Graham Wilson (gra...@dircon.co.uk),
and jagd...@ecnet.com (wrath of god), who wrote:

gra...@dircon.co.uk (Graham Wilson) wrote:
Acete...@msn.com (Acetes Man) wrote:

White lace -> White power (or supremacy if you like)
Red lace -> Fascist / Fascism

and yellow laces in red rangers means you're Ronald McDonald....next.....

Hey whats wrong with yellow laces in red rangers? Every cool skin is wearing
them these days. They look really cool with my rainbow 3" wide braces ( I
unfortunately have this urge to wear a red rubber nose every time I wear this
outfit).

Bryan

If I had one of those silver flights, I could be a raver also.

Graham did shed this bit of light upon the whole subject:

The original lace thing started when English skins started choosing the colour of
their laces depending on which football team they supported.

When I was younger and used to support Watford (I know, we all make mistakes) I
used to wear yellow. As a Coventry supporter (known as the 'Sky Blues') if I
wear my black docs I have blue laces in them.

Very few English skins do this anymore. I know a few old'uns who do.

As for what they mean today in terms of media perception to your politics it is a
load of wank.

The meaning of colours vary from area to area. I've know places in England where
white means white pride, but NOT white power (parts of North London). In other
places white can mean white power and white can mean gay.

Perhaps the colour thing was true when the laces were first linked to which
football team you supported. Some of the football crews did have a particular
strong political bias and people there assumed that because you wore "X" colour
you ran with "X" crew who, in political terms, were mainly "Y". I guess this is
where the politics/lace thing must have started off.

gra...@dircon.co.uk (Graham Wilson) writes:

gre...@gwis2.circ.gwu.edu (Gregory Gardner) wrote:

Well, back in my day (1980-84), the _ONLY_ color were red laces, and
the _ONLY_ boots were 10-hole DM steel-cap "Blackguards", which I don't think
Doctor Martens even makes any more.

The named boots like "Blackguards" were made by Joe Hawkins under licence. They
also used to make a pair called Blackwatch. Can't recall the name of the 8 or 14
holes.

If you go back in history then you'll find that the only original colours were
football team colours.

And you absolutely NEVER laced them in cross-overs (that still annoys me when I
see some kid with DM boots laced crossed over. Kind of sad.)

I know of one crew that did. It was done to piss everyone else off...and it
worked.

Of course, after a while I started using flourescent orange laces. They seemed
original at the time.

...or a Wolvey supporter....

Wolverhampton girls - The essex girls of the midlands (;-)

Y'know, I'm getting tired of this semiotic hair-splitting. Wear what you like.

... so long as it is the colour of the football team you support...

An old man.

I'm getting there

Graham

Common concensus, again, seemed to indicate the following colour codes:

black - You have just bought these boots and the laces
aren't worn enough to necessitate
buying a new pair.
white - white power, white pride, Boneheads, nice contrast
with black leather/you avoid mud
puddles with admirable dexterity.
red - white power, Nazi, National Front, Boneheads,
Communists
yellow/black/blue - S.H.A.R.P. (circa 1990, Sacramento and most of
Northern California)
yellow laces/red rangers - you're Ronald McDonald
yellow laces/blue rangers - you're Batman!
pink laces - gay skin or fag-bashing skin
blue laces/black docs - Chelsea/Coventry supporter
blue laces - cop killer, sXe
yellow laces - Columbus Crew/Watford supporter, cop/asian basher
green laces - keep on skanking? Environmentalist? Celtic Pride?
flourescent orange - Wolverhampton supporter</PRE>

There are some who say that the following codes also exist:

Yellow: Anarchy, looking for ultraviolence
Green: Sharp, Gay basher
Orange: Biohazard fan

But there has been no colloboration of this.

4.2.2: Braces

kamui <k...@escape.com> wrote:

braces?

From: bb...@FreeNet.Carleton.CA (Jenn Starkman)

Braces is just a synonym for suspenders. Any kind of suspenders. They could be
3 inches wide and they'd still be braces. Skinheads just happen to be partial
to the ultra-skinny kind, but they're *all* braces, 'cause they're all still
suspenders.

4.3: The Late Great Burgundy Flight

Sylvia Rowe writes:

I don't know of ONE self-respecting guy who would wear a burgundy flight. I think
of them as girls flights, as do a lot of people I know. Maybe it's not PC to make
gender distinctions, but I like to think that we girls can have something a little
feminine that's all ours. We used to have monkey boots, but you men took to wearing
them too. BTW, nobody ever said your choices were limited to burgundy or green
flights. Why not black or blue?

flu...@nyc.pipeline.com (James F. Dugan) writes:

Well I'm not a big fan of burgundy flights in general, but I never thought of them
as a "girl" thing. Now monkey boots on the other hand...

From: ja...@uno.edu

NO, no, I'll have to go with Sylvia here about the flight, and Jim about monkey
boots.... JOE

BRicha6796 (brich...@aol.com) wrote:

I got a burgundy flight and a black flight and Oxblood Docs and black Getta grips.
I dunno Is that cool. I don't wear them all at once. My Burgundy flight has about
had it anyway. So have my Getta Grips so I guess it's oxblood Docs and a black
flight for me. >

ric...@netcom.com (Richard Collins) writes:

Another dude with a burgandy flight. Some people out there have this strange
notion that it is a feminine color. Now maybe, pink, or magenta would be feminine
but good old burganday rocks. I dated a girl named Burgandy, but that is another
story .....

From: "sketch" mros...@ix.netcom.com(Michael Rosener )

Well hell, if we're all coming out with our burgandyness (is that even a word?) i
had one, but it's toast now. I'm going with a good ol' blue now.

And so everyone started coming out of the "burgundy flight" closet. American
President William "Bill" Clinton was even heard to remark: "I had a burgundy
flight once, but I didn't wear it.."

Chris, CRM9...@UConnVM.UConn.Edu summed it all up best when he said:

I'm basically in the same boat as Sketch. I had a burgandy flight, then I got my
green one (which was a piece of shit) but I have to say that the best lookin one
has to be the blue. Throw on a pair of oxblood london undergrounds, a box hat,
and yer good to go!

BRicha6796 (brich...@aol.com) writes:

Well off the subject of wet dreams etc. I got this catalog and they have flights
in Silver, Desert camo, and woodland Camo. That's much worse than burgundy.
-BEN

4.4: Patches

Joellen Welch (jow...@lynx.dac.neu.edu) writes:

I've been dying to find a backpatch that says "better dead than red", but other
than that, i just have an American flag. I have POW-MIA patch (yes, I've been a
supporter since six, not since i cut my hair off), but I just ordered a green and
black one that's gonna go on my flight. As for bands, i just stick with the
little sleeve pins, of which I currently have none.

"AudioWhore, M.D." <man...@cs.tufts.edu> writes:

I love patches with the name of the band on them, but because I'm a music snob,
personally, I would have to know -a lot- about the band before I put it on my
flight. I saw a nifty Scofflaws patch, but I didn't get it, because 1> I don't
own any of their material, 2> I don't know them well enough as a band-- ie. # of
albums, members, history, 3> Because it would be just plain embarassing a huge
fan of there (who knows everything about them) started talking to me about them....

The Werewolf of London <bae...@plains.nodak.edu> wrote:

Well, I have a US Flag on my left shoulder, a Union Jack (or Butcher's Apron as
some call it) on my right shoulder, a pin that says Oi! and a pin with a skin,
Union Jack and "The Last resort" on it...

Jen/Ed has a Canadian flag on her left sleeve, a patch with a skin and Oi! on her
right sleeve, an Oi button and skinhead girl button on her flight (she can't get
her newsgroups anymore so I thought I'd speak for her)

sc...@panix.com (Schroedinger Cat) writes:

Let's see... I have a Skinhead Moonstomp (small, square one) on the back of my
flight, with a Vespa: Foremost in Performance patch underneath it; a Chelsea:
England's Pride patch on my right sleeve, with a Deutscher FuBball-Bund patch
underneath it... on the front is yet another Chelsea patch, and on the left sleeve
is Ajax, with a smaller vespa patch right above the pocket. On the collar I have
my grandmother's coast guard pins from WWII, a Chelsea badge (surprise surprise),
America/Germany crossed flags, and my Cum Laude pin (I had to put it somewhere or
I'd lose it!)

4.4.1: The Spirit of 69:

Michelle Chen (vox...@nyc.pipeline.com) wrote:

One of my friends in school has a yellow and black, circular patch that reads "69"
on his backpack. Everyone seemed to assume that it represented the -- er, sexual
position, "69". However, at a show, I saw a skinhead with the same patch
displayed prominently on his flight jacket. I came to the conclusion that he
thought it stood for the "Spirit of 69". Could it be either, or was that skinhead
just humiliating himself? 8)?

Richard Collins (ric...@netcom.com) writes:

Well funny you should ask that little girl. Many of my friends and I have those
"69" patches on our flights. We wear them in reference to "Spirt of 69" to indicate
that we are traditional skinheads, in the same way a SHARP would have a SHARP patch
or a nazi a swastika. Somehow there is a connection however with the astrological
symbol of the Cancer. I do not know what it is to be honest. And ironically I am
a Cancer so when people ask me am I a Cancer I sometimes think "How did they guess
... duh !" I guess that patch has a dual meaning for me, but generally it is a
trad thing !

paul (pma...@gl.umbc.edu) wrote:

i thought the sham skins started the 69 patch thing. the sham army and so on.

The Werewolf of London (bae...@plains.nodak.edu) writes:

yeah, that's what i thought too....The Sham Army started it...

4.4.2: Crucified Skin

SmokeyL (smo...@aol.com) writes:

what is the history behind the crucified skinhead? I saw on one of the tatoos of a
crucified skin, blood and honor, which kind of sounds like something racist?

please fill in me on what the significance about it is?

napoles lisa m (nap...@students.uiuc.edu) writes:

The crucified skinhead symbol was used by the Oi! band Last Resort, but it's
pretty much become a universal skin symbol.

Schroedinger Cat (sc...@panix.com) writes:

The crucified skinhead thing is getting co-opted by freshcuts. If there's one
patch you SHOULDN'T put on your first flight, it'as a crucified patch... that's
about having suffered persecution and the like for a LONG TIME because of being a
skinhead... I have no particular time frame in mind, but let me just say that I've
been wanting one for a few years now, and think I'm going to wait a few more just
in case.

You get a crucified skins patch when you know you're in it for life; and frankly,
no matter how dreamy-eyed you may be at the prospect of boots and braces, after
your first month with a shaved head you can't really know if a year from now you'll
find it equally appealing.

(booro...@cobra.uni.edu) writes:

I've never actually heard of wearing a crucified skin patch. Around here you get
it tattoed after about 5 or 6 years. But most of the skins that have stuck it out
that long don't have the patch or the tattoo. The patch seems kinda dumb.

Last word on "Patches and Pins" goes to paul <pma...@gl.umbc.edu> who writes:

well right now i have a red stripe, and a skinhead moonstomp pin. the busters and
selecter patches, and a guinness bar towel on the back under an embroidered fred
wreath.

Which brings us to:

4.5: FREDS!

From the home office in Sioux City Falls, Nebraska (NO, not really),
"James F. Dugan" <flu...@nyc.pipeline.com> writes:

I suppose I can take a stab at this ... I realize this is way too long,
feel free to edit it.

Fred Perry's:

Probably the single most popular "skinhead" shirt around, particlarly in the US..
Despite a recent popularity among Ravers, Skaters, and television personalities,
that laurel wreath crest is pretty much synonymous with skinheads, and feartures
prominantly in zines t-shirts and tattoos.

History:

Fred Perry was arguably the greatest English tennis player of the 20th century.
He died last year in Australia, in his early 80's, and despite persistant rumor,
was not black. Like many athletes today, he lent his name to a line of tennis
related apparel with the ubiqitous laurel wreath, a traditional symbol of victory,
as it's logo. The original line were standard tennis shirts, made from an open
weave pique knit fabric that "breathed" and absorbed sweat. Contrary to anther
rumor, Perry did not "invent" this style of shirt, it was popularized in fact,
by Izod Lacoste, as an alternative to playing tennis in long pants, long sleeved
shirts and sweaters. Today, the company that owns the trademark makes every thing
from wool sweaters to golf shirts, to warm up suits.

The shirts were very popular in the early to mid 60's, particularly in, England,
but as English Fashion was dominant at the time, the sold well all over. Sean
Connery can be seen wearing a white one on the beach in Dr. No (look closely in
this scene and you can also see his tats on his forearm, which are "Scotland
Forever" and "Mum and Dad") and they appear often in "period" films such as Air
America (a ghastly yellow with an aqua crest) and Quadrophenia (several shirts
on Mods and Rude Boys) The shirts, as can be seen in Quadrophenia, were very
popular as everyday wear with the fashion concious (obsessed?) mods. As hard
mods grew away from their more intellectual and wealthier counterparts, they
continued to wear the shirts. This is in part due to the "I'm not going to
dress like a peacock all the time" mentality and partly because many of the
shirts came in fabric and piping combinations that matched football team colors..

Even when the shirts fell out of mainstream fashion, skins continued to wear them,
and they essentially became a part of skinhead culture. Particularly here in the
US, they're sort of a status item, because theyre not easy to find, and unless you
find one at TJ Maxx, rather expensive due to the exchange rate and import duties.
Also, Ben Shermans, the only other contender for an "official" skinhead shirt, are
less distinctive, despite stitching the Ben Sherman logo on the newer shirts, more
expensive, and harder to find.

Finding/Buying Fred Perry's:

Fred Perrys aren't easy to get a hold of, and a shirt can cost you up to $50 when
you do find them. Your options are basically: tennis shops, mail order, TJ Maxx,
or thrift stores. Things to keep in mind: Your best bet is at TJ Maxx in the
early spring. Many get good selections in and they run $12-20 as opposed to $35-50
for a new shirt. This is especially useful if you live in an area with few skins.
They don't get bought up and you can often get them on the clearence rack for next
to nothing. Conversely, go to tennis stores at the *end* of the summer when they
have all of their sales. Thrift stores just require persistance. I personally
hate mail order. You have to wait forever, often they send the wrong thing or
size and they're expensive. Unfortunately, some people have no other alternative,
particularly if you want a sweater, socks or basically anything other than a plain
shirt. A few tips, call first and be very specific. If its out of stock, then
decide if you want to substitute. Also, keep in mind that if you order from
Shelly's or the Merc *you* are responsible for the cusoms duties, its not included
in the price, and they *won't* tell you. Its really an unpleasant surprise to have
to go to the post office and pay $30 bucks over what you've already paid to ransom
your new shirt/suit/hat/whatever from the Government.

In general, be persistant, and buy what you like when you see it, but don't buy
something just' cause its got the logo on it. Some of that shit is UGLY and you're
not going to get cool points for wearing a black Fred with neon lime green piping
(true story) just 'cause its got a crest on it. I've gotten a ton of gear over the
years and I think I paid full price for exactly one of the shirts I still have.

Jim Dugan

4.6: What the freak is a "wifebeater" ;p? (Michelle Chen)

James F. Dugan (flu...@nyc.pipeline.com) writes:

A wifebeater is an "A" shirt (as opposed to a"T" shirt, [yes these names actually
mean something]) otherwise known as a ribbed tank top or a "(least favorite ethnic
group here) formal shirt" For some reason they are particularly popular with
skinheads, and IMHO, the most comfortable undershirt you can get (unless of course
you have to worry about tats showing through your shirtsleeves)

4.7: What is a Donkey Jacket?

kylet (ky...@netwalk.com) wrote:

What is a Donkey Jacket? For the Love of God, please tell me!!

The Werewolf of London writes:

Well..I guess it's sort of like a car coat...I don't have one so I'm no
expert, just going on what Richie told me. Basically a jacket that's a
bit longer than waist lenght...anybody else care to help out here?

Charlie Chester (g...@fs1.csu.man.ac.uk) writes:

Kyle a donkey jacket is a working man's coat of a type worn by coal miners
(when we still had any), labourers, builders & the like. It's longer
than a suit jacket but shorter than most coats. They are usually black
or sometimes very dark blue and are made from heavy woollen cloth. A
donkey jacket's most distinctive feature is the large patch over the
shoulders and upper back, originally of leather but often made of vinyl
these days. This was probably put on to help keep out rain and stop the
tools or materials carried over a workman's shoulder from fucking up his
coat.
In this country you can get them very easily from army surplus or work
wear stores.

4.8: Where can I get ???

From the Skinheads on the Internet web page, Skinhead gear web page, TreySkin
(voo...@phatjunkie.net), bigs...@northcoast.com (MIke), Michelle Chen, dj jurgen
(jur...@io.org), Kate Lloyd (kal...@lynx.dac.neu.edu), and John M. Stafford
(JMSta...@compuserve.com):

Probably the most difficult thing for skinheads, at least those not living in
large cities or on the coasts, is finding traditional skinhead clothing. Even
in large cities it is sometimes hard to find places that carry a good selection
or reasonably priced clothing. This list is to help skins find the clothes they
want to wear. It is a little skimpy at the moment, so I hope that people will
send me some mail with more places to add to the list. Descriptions/comments by
the above people.

99X
84 East 10th St.
New York, NY 10003
212-460-8599
A friend of mine went to NY and ordered a bunch of stuff from them. The prices
seemed to be a little inflated, but he got a bunch of cool stuff. Fred Perry,
Ben Sherman, Lonsdale and various things. The 3/4" braces are sharp (and of good
quality). I guess they only do COD for mail order.

Air Wair Chicago
3240 N. Clark
Chicago, IL
312-248-6599
Fred Perry's and boots. Probably more stuff but I don't really know.

Army Surplus, Millets
Everywhere, Ideal for good cheap boots, camo & combat trousers and of course
MA1 Jackets.

Cole & Decker
1520 Lonsdale ave.
P.O. Box 3742
North Vancouver, BC
CANADA
V5M 3I7
(604) 985-0259

They're currently offering for retail gingham in red, navy and black for short
sleeved shirts, $60 Canadian and $45 US. In long sleeve, they have navy blue,
mars green, black and white for $65 Canadian and $47.50 US.

Crash And Burn
3184 Roswell Rd.
N.E. Atlanta, GA
30329
404-365-8502
From the people I've talked to, this seems to be a complete skinhead store. Some
have even compared it to the Last Resort shop. The have everything: Music, Boots,
Perry's, Ben Sherman's, donkey jackets, etc. I'm pretty sure they are cool about
mail ordering, though I've never done it myself. If you are looking for something,
you'll probably find it here.

They have screen printed patches, backpatches and buttons together with a bunch
of stuff. I'm not sure about their prices, just call and ask for Frank/Hillary..

D&M Clothing
Toronto, Ontario
Canada

Doc's Here
Toronto, Ontario
Canada

Holts
Camden Lock
London
A small shop that sells a large range of docs and other quality boots / shoes with
a skinhead / mod customer base in mind and at good prices.

HORROR SHOW badges
Frank Bruno
P.O. Box 1095
Chelsea, NY 1011-1095
You can get buttons from HORROR SHOW badges. They mostly have Oi!. There are
black/white and also full color. The buttons are $1.00 each and when you buy 5
you get 1 free. Its a minimum of $5.00 for mail orders. Just write and they'll
send you a list and information.

ICL Clothing
Toronto, Ontario
Canada

Le Shoe Store (3 - locations)
Toronto, Ontario
Canada

The Merc
19-21 Ganton St.
London W1V1LA
England
071-439-7750 or 071-734-1469
FAX 071-734-1476
The skinhead store. They have everything you could possibly want including Fred's,
Ben Sherman's, footwear, T-shirts, etc. I've never ordered anything but everyone
that I've talked to says that the service is good. The catalog has some cute girls
in it too.

At Ganton St & Camden Lock London A top shop dedicated to skinhead gear at good
prices and a range not to be beaten. Own brand suits, exclusive ben sherman gear,
hard to find fred perry oddities! Also stocks books, fanzines and cds/tapes. Well
Worth a visit.

Scootering International Magazine
P.O. Box 46
Weston-super-Mare, Somerset
BS23 1AF, England, UK
TELE/FAX: (01144) 1-934-414785
EMAIL: 10624...@compuserve.com
Skinead Times uses Scootering International magazine as its official mail
order outlet. Scootering is open for business 5a-1p EST (2a-10a PST,
(9a-5p GMT) M-F. They accept VISA, MasterCard, Access, and EuroCard, as well
as checks drawn in pounds sterling.

Sherrys
Ganton St,
London.
Similar to and across the street from, The Merc. A smaller shop with large range
of Freds, Bens and own brand suits, all the usual skinhead gear.

Shellys
Several around central London. Oxford St (2), Covent Garden. A huge range of
boots and shoes all at about the best prices available.

SYMS
New England
For all you skinheads out there looking for some fine wear that is actually within
your budget, check out SYMS. I know it has several depots in New England, I don't
know about anywhere else. So if you don't know about it, go there. Shirts run
about $15-20 and sweaters are about $20-25, usually a pretty good selection to.

Top Skin Mailorder
Top Skin, P.O. Box 20234
Cincinnati, OH 45220
I've never used them, neither had the person who gave me the info. If anyone has
ordered from them let me know what they have.

Trash Vaudeville
4 St. Marks Place
New York, NY 10003
212-982-3590
From what I understand it is more of a punk store carrying Docs, laces, braces
and various other things. I don't have a lot of information about them.

Two-Tone Mailorder
251 Main Ave
Passaic, NJ 07055
(201) 778-7478
I don't have the address right now, but you can order Perry's, Sherman's, music,
and all kinds of skinhead related stuff from them. I'll put the address and phone
number up as soon as I find it.

As to whether or not they are cool to deal with, idunno, i just ordered my first
item the other day, and the girl was pretty nice and friendly, sooo....

Er, they carry a fairly good selection of clothing, but it's kind of expensive.
They sell Fred Perrys and workpants and porkpie hats. They also have a little
leather-bondage section (heh heh). They sell a lot of records, too. More punk
than ska, but they have a lot of stuff on vinyl. They also sell books from S.T..
publishing, as well.

4.8.1: Anybody have a source for Sta-Prest trousers or Dickies?

(CRM9...@UConnVM.UConn.Edu) writes:

Dickies are good pants for really cheap. I've had mine for a while, and the the
things have still held their crease without ironing the damn things! Plus they
look pretty good, too.

Joellen Welch (jow...@lynx.dac.neu.edu) writes:

You don't want Sta-Prest. They're such crappy quality now. Get Dickies.
they rock.

5.0: About the Newsgroups

5.1: alt.skinheads

As the number of mindless crossposts and silly gits with nothing better to do than
come trolling onto the newsgroup ground upon my (and a whole heck of a lot of other
people's) nerves, I wished that I could use a killfile. Unfortunately, some servers
don't allow one that luxury, so I just scan the subjects/authors for those that
interest me. And so...

People to Read in alt.skinheads
(Past and present members)

Name Email Address

Audiowhore, M.D. man...@cs.tufts.edu
The Werewolf of London bae...@plains.nodak.edu
Chris CRM9...@UConnVM.UConn.Edu
Gerrard A. Lindsay botb...@akula.com
Ivon Kalalang ikal...@sierra.valleynet.com
James Dugan flu...@nyc.pipeline.com
Jennifer Jewkes jew...@orion.it.luc.edu
Joellen Welch jow...@lynx.dac.neu.edu
Jen Lyons/Moonstomper jlo...@emerald.tufts.edu
Cheeky Princess leah_r...@bc.edu
OhioSkin ohio...@aol.com
db d...@progeny.demon.co.uk
Eric Coomer coo...@nuc.berkeley.edu
Michelle Chen vox...@nyc.pipeline.com
Graham Wilson gra...@dircon.co.uk
Jenn Starkman bb...@freenet.carleton.ca
Jason M. Garner cd...@freenet.carleton.ca
Sylvia Rowe ???
Kali Holloway skh...@ocvaxa.cc.oberlin.edu
Dominic Green demoni...@cix.compulink.co.uk
DJ Jurgen jur...@io.org
Modstyle68 modst...@aol.com
Stephen "Donny" Donaldson spr...@ix.netcom.com Rest In Peace
Schroedinger Cat sc...@panix.com
Elizabeth Marie Richardson e...@gwis2.circ.gwu.edu
Horse ho...@charm.net
JezeByrdx Jeze...@aoe.com
Oi! Oink!! Oink!!! Yes...@worldnet.att.net
John M. Stafford JMSta...@compuserve.com
Martina P. McBurney madm...@total.net
SoundViews sound...@aol.com
Paulskin pma...@gl.umbc.edu
Richie DCRi...@aol.com

Your mileage may vary, but these are the only people posting/who have posted that
I make a point of reading and that I could remember off the top of my head. Any
additions to the list are encouraged. Contact me by email at jad...@vt.edu

Eric Coomer writes:

What is Alt.Skinheads really all about??

It's real simple. Like most newsgroups, alt.skinheads was created by people
interested in discussion of a certain topic. Simply SKINHEADS. First and foremost,
alt.skinheads was NOT created as a political sounding board. I know, I joined the
group shortly after it's inception... Skinheads come in many shapes, sizes, and
genders- let's hear it for the ladies! as well as political persuasions etc. But
there is an underlying identity of being a skinhead which transects all of these
qualities. That is why we are here on this board. There are more appropraite
newsgroups to post and beat your chest about whatever political bullshit you want.
This just isn't the place.

So to put it real bluntly, feel free to contribute to the discussion if you

1) Are a skinhead
2) Are interested in Skinheads
3) Have something worthwhile to add

It's pretty rude to join in with such pedestrian comments that label all of us
nazis, racists, thugs (okay maybe), or of particularly low IQ. Read the rest of
this FAQ, decide for yourself if you're still ingorant enough to make such
comments, then by all means post your diatribe to some other newsgroup set up
for political discussion. Alt.politics.* is a good place to start. Maybe even
alt.stuff.it.up.your.ass

Cheers

5.2: alt.skinheads.moderated

From the desk of the moderator, d...@progeny.demon.co.uk:

ALT.SKINHEADS.MODERATED

Alt.skinheads.moderated was the brainchild of a group of alt.skinheads contributers
who found that, as with many Usenet newsgroups, the 'signal to noise ratio' (i.e.,
the amount of unrelated and off-topic garbage being posted to the group) was making
it a difficult forum for Skinhead related discussion between Skinheads.

At present alt.skinheads attracts about 100 new postings per day - a large number
of which are crosspostings, spams, get rich quick scams and mass postings of flame
baits.

This is not to say that there isn't a platform for discussion somewhere in there -
it just makes finding it a lot harder! (the joy of KILLFILES)

So in order to created a group whose postings could be controlled in some manner,
alt.skinheads.moderated was created by Graham Wilson (gra...@dircon.co.uk)
in 1994.

It works in the same manner as a regular Usenet group - except that there is a
nominated 'moderator' who monitors what is posted to the group. The moderator
sees all the messages before they become publicly available. At that point they
are either posted intact and unedited to the group or zapped.

Anyone is welcome to post messages too alt.skinheads.moderated and there is no
secret censorship or hidden agenda, but in fairness to all, the following obvious
guidelines apply to all postings..

The moderator will not post your message if it:

is WAY off topic.
is a spam
is a deliberate flame bait
is a binary (although some exceptions could be likely)
it is apparently a forgery (anon remailers are welcome)
is a multiple posting (i.e., several copies sent of the same message)
a crossposting from an unrelated group on an unrelated topic

In December 1995 Graham needed a rest from moderating and so a new moderator 'db'
(d...@progeny.demon.co.uk) took over.

If your service provider doesn't carry the group - then hassle them! It is very
low volume and it is not a platform for racist propaganda.

5.3: alt.skinheads.arent.neo.nazis

I'm in the dark with this one. I don't even get this newsgroup! Apparently main
others are in the same boat.

5.4: alt.music.ska

Mainy skinheads who can't bare the mindless ( and endless) spamming of
alt.skinheads subscribe to alt.music.ska instead.

6.0: Requiem for the Dead

6.1: Stephen "Donny The Punk" Donaldson

More TBD

Stephen "Donny The Punk" Donaldson

Chris Wais wrote:

I saw a memorial for this guy on a web site the other day....don't know
who he is but i'd like to. In any case, i always feel bad when people die
and even more so for fellow punks. If anyone has any information on who
this guy was, please let me know.

Alex Siegfried (nb...@itsa.ucsf.edu) writes:

Donny the Punk is a New York punk-come-skin (anti-Nazi skin, mind
you) scenester who's three claims to fame are his columns (a regular in
Under the Volcano), his advocacy for SPR (Stop Prisoner Rape), and his
attempt to get on the ballot as a presidential candidate (aborted due to
two reasons--lack of funds and... well... he's dead. Duh. Although I
don't think it'd be too much of a leap to go from a brain-dead Reagan to
a complete-dead Donny). I'll e-mail you a copy of his Punk For Prez
campaign flyer if you like.
He was one of the more interesting people in the punk scene, it's
really a pity he passed on.

************************
Sources (cited and not):

[AMS] alt.music.ska, various postings.
[AMSF] alt.music.ska FAQ, maintained by Tomas Willis
[AS] alt.skinheads, various postings.
[HSBR] "The History of Ska, Blue Beat and Reggae," Various Artists, Esoldun
S.A.R.L./Blue Beat REG 101, (1992). Liner notes by Delroy Sion Eccles.
[OTF] Oi! The FAQ, maintained by Gerrard A. Lindsay
[SHG] Skinhead Gear Webpage
[SOTN] Skinheads on the Internet webpage
[WPF] White Power FAQ, maintained by Arthur LeBouthillier

End of FAQ: Skinhead (alt.skinheads) Frequently Asked Questions