alt.skinheads FAQ
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Subject: FAQ: Skinhead (alt.skinheads) Frequently Asked Questions
Date: 9 March 1997
Time: 9:12 p.m. GMT
Version: 0.75.1c (Still Drafted)
Part: 1 of 1
FAQ for alt.skinheads
Questions and Answers about the Skinhead Subculture
Jason A. Dare
jad...@vt.edu
1.0: Acknowledgments
Special thanks to Stephen Martin (Stephen...@skinnet.jammys.net),
former maintainer of this FAQ who collected/compiled most of this material,
and db (d...@progeny.demon.co.uk) the author of the Skinheads Media List.
Furthermore, thanks to the authors of the alt.music.ska FAQ, Oi! the FAQ,
and wp FAQ, authors of skinhead related WWW pages, and subscribers of the
various related newsgroups. Most of all, thanks to all you SKINHEADS around
the world who keep the subculture alive and well!
1.1: Introduction
In response to all of those, "What do white laces mean?", "Why do you people
hate <insert group here>?" questions, and because Michelle Chen bemoaned the
lack of a proper FAQ, I present the following information on the Skinhead
subculture. The information in this FAQ has been culled from the Tomas Willis'
alt.music.ska FAQ, and Arthur LeBouthillier's White Power FAQ, Gerrard Lindsay's
Oi! the FAQ, various postings to alt.skinheads, material from various WWW pages,
personal experience, and discussions with other skinheads.
This FAQ file will be made available for anonymous FTP on the archive site
rtfm.mit.edu as soon as a REAL version is produced and has been available on
the WorldWideWeb for the past six months.
The Official alt.skinheads Homepage is at
http://www.vt.edu:10021/J/jadare/skinhead/
An on-line (framed) version of the Skinhead FAQ can be viewed at
http://www.vt.edu:10021/J/jadare/skinhead/faq.html
You may distribute the FAQ freely, but if you choose to post it on a website of
your own, I encourage you to provide a link back to the Official Home of the FAQ
since this will always be the most up to date version. This FAQ will be posted
at alt.skinheads and other related newsgroups twice a month whether it need be
or not for review, criticism, and approval.
Also, Stephen Martin maintains a FAQ-lette, "Dear Doc Martin", which is a subset
of this FAQ. DDM contains his personal additions to the Skinhead FAQ and
questions specifically directed to him, and his responses. Direct your web
browser to http://www.ncf.carleton.ca/~aj759/
If you have any questions, concerns, or corrections about the Skinhead FAQ
please contact me at jad...@vt.edu
-Jason Dare
1.2: Table of Contents
Part 1
1.0 Acknowledgments
1.1 Introduction
1.2 Table of Contents
1.3 What is a Skinhead?
1.4 What is a Rudie, Rude Boy, or Rude Girl?
1.5 What is a Mod?
1.6 What is a Chelsea?
1.6.1 Do skinchicks exclusively date skinheads?
1.7 What is a SHARP?
1.8 What is a Bonehead?
1.9 What is an Independent Skin?
1.10 What is White Power?
1.11 What is a Hammerskin?
Part 2
2.0 Why are you a Skinhead?
2.1 How do you become a ("claim") Skinhead?
2.1.1 What is a Freshcut?
2.1.2 Why do new Skins need to get beat in?
2.2 Why don't you get a life?
2.3 Why do you hate?
2.4 Aren't all Skinheads Nazis/White Supremacists?
2.5 Why be a Nazi?
2.6 Aren't all Skinheads violent little motherfuckers just itching to fight?
Part 3
3.0 Skinhead Culture: Culture
3.1 Skinhead Culture: History
3.2 The Great Skinhead/Working-Class Debate
3.3 Skinhead identity crisis
3.4 What is ska music?
3.5 What is Oi!?
3.5.1 OI! IT'S JUST STREET-ROCK'N'ROLL!
3.6 Oi, Oi, Oi, Oi!!!
3.7 Skinheads Media List
3.8 Magazine and Newspaper Articles about Skinheads
3.9 What about 'zines?
3.10 Are there any Skinhead homepages or other Internet resources?
3.11 Skinheads and Education
3.11.1 Skinheads in the Classroom
3.12 Skinhead Jokes
3.13 Skinhead Short Stories
3.14 What is the best dark beer?
3.14.1 Guinness Extra Stout
3.14.2 Murphy's Irish Stout
3.15 Do Skinheads use drugs?
3.16 Skinhead Scenes?
3.17 DONT WANNA BE A VICTIM: SKINHEADS (PART ONE)
Part 4
4.0 Skinhead Fashion
4.1 What colour are your Docs?
4.1.1 Anybody know where I can find DM oxbloods in either 3 or 4i?
4.2 Boots and Braces don't make a Racist
4.2.1 Boot Laces
4.2.2 Braces
4.3 The Late Great Burgundy Flight
4.4 Patches
4.4.1 The Spirit of 69
4.4.2 Crucified Skin
4.5 FREDS!
4.6 What the freak is a "wifebeater"?
4.7 What is a Donkey Jacket?
4.8 Where can I get ???
4.8.1 Anybody have a source for Sta-Prest trouser or Dickies?
Part 5
5.0 About the Newsgroups
5.1 alt.skinheads
5.2 alt.skinheads.moderated
5.3 alt.skinheads.arent.neo.nazis
5.4 alt.music.ska
Part 6
6.0 Requiem for the Dead
6.1 Stephen "Donny The Punk" Donaldson
1.3: What is a Skinhead?
Following on the heels of their older brothers and sisters, the Mods (See: What
is a Mod?), in the 1960's British working class youths adopted a shorter hair
style and a more serious attitude towards life and play.
The Skinheads tended towards physical labour and veered away from the overly
flamboyant Mod style of dress as spoken of in the Kinks' song "Dedicated
Follower of Fashion". The shaved head and steel toed boots has been said to
have originated amongst dock workers who required the safety of the steel toes
and who shaved their heads as a precaution against head lice.
It is the Skinheads predeliction towards manual labour rather than more
intellectual pursuits which has lead to the characterization of Skinheads as
being "unintelligent", "Cro-Magnons", "cannon-fodder for the military" and other
more or less polite references. This stereotype is just as abhorent as any other
stereotype that 'rights' activists campaign against and it is a perfect example
of the hypocrisy of same activists that they are the ones who perpetuate it the
most. (See: Skinheads and Education and Skinheads in the Classroom)
After a hard days work the original Skinheads tended to dress in their most
respectable clothing and congregate at the mostly Jamaican run dancehalls where
they mingled with the West Indian community (See: What is a Rudy?), many of
whose members would be their workmates from the docks, and adopted Ska as the
musical sound of choice.
Other staples of the Skinhead culture are a love of generous quantities of beer
and soccer. (See: What is the best dark beer?)
The early Skins were not necessarily a racist bunch, as shown by the melding of
the two cultures and the existence of numerous West Indian Skins. With the
continued immigration from Pakistan things changed and a number of Skinheads,
both black and white, who felt that their jobs were being threatened turned
against the Pakistani community while others continued to enjoy the fine curries
and other Indian/Pakistani foods.
The high point of the original Skins, sometimes identified as Trojan Skins was
the Summer of '69. The passage of time saw many Skins settling down, growing
their hair out, and starting families with their girlfriends.
(See: What is a Chelsea?)
The mid and late 1970's witnessed a resurgence of the Skinhead culture with a
violent turn as teens adopted the Skinhead look and took their love of soccer
to a fanatical point. These "Football Hooligans" were devoted to their chosen
Football (Soccer to the rest of the world) teams and would engage in physical
confrontations with the supporters of opposing teams. Often enough innocent
bystanders ended up taking the brunt of the aggression.
During this time the British Nazi Party and other minor racist organizations
began recruiting their followers from the ranks of these football thugs and
skinhead poseurs and thus the Boneheads came into being.
Gerrard A. Lindsay writes:
uh....skinhead is more than fashion sense and musical taste, but it definitely
requires the two. aside from working class pride and self-respect the skinhead
cult is still just that, a youth cult.
i know plenty of guys who are proud working class joes who are not by any
definition skinheads. i know tons of cool people in construction boots and
baggy pants who are not skinheads.
this isn't even really directed at you, i'm just seeing lots of people using
the 'it's not just a fashion' or 'it's not just music' thing to excuse the fact
that they are not really skinheads. if you don't dress like a skinhead and don't
like at least some of the music (and that don't mean hc), yer not one.
Richard Collins writes:
Being a skinhead is alot in your heart. I mean the fashion is all part of it
but you have to have the belief as well. Some kids can dress the part but not
have the heart, sorry for that rhyme. But I have friends that have grown out
there hair because of jobs or whatever, I know guys that are too old to bother
with alot of the BS around the scene. They still dress in a manner condusive
(sp) to the skinhead fashion. For years I just had short hair. Never bald, only
as short as a number two. People didn't even know I was a skin. Skins knew,
punks knew, mods and other people that are familair with the subculture knew.
You don't have to show the world what you are about unless you feel that it is
nessicarry.
Hey you don't gotta claim anything unless you are in a crew. I mean if you are a
proud working class kid who knows your roots and believes in yourself you are just
as much a skin as the next man. It's not all about what you wear or how close you
shave the scalp. If I grew out my hair again I'm no less of a skinhead. Some
people look shitty bald, do the world a favor leave your crew cut if you have a
funky head. I mean just look at all those bald head NBA players, half of those
guys need to grow it back. Skinhead is more than a fashion statement, it's a way
of life.
Apparent White Supremist MARKW691 wrote:
Being a SKINHEAD is not about being violent and hating everyone but about
perserving a race and nation. Hate is a word commonly associated with SKINHEADs
but it's not about hate. We are called hate mongers and bigoted bastards because
we want to keep our bloodline clean. IN a world of impurity we struggle to purify.
SKINHEAD means self-sacrifice and oppression by those who view our cause as unjust.
To be called a racist is not a put down for the actual definition of a racist is
person who supports and promotes their race. This means that if you have any pride
in your ethnical background you are a racist. SKINHEADs do not roam the streets
looking for a fight but work as lawyers doctors and prominent business men. So
don't be fooled by media brainwashing we are not out looking for a fight. Although
things can turn violent, we do not tolerate anyone trying to desicrate our race by
race trading, homosexual marriages, and anti-white believers. People hate us
because we are proud. Pride by other races is encouraged and so is race
preservation by any others so long as it does not interfere with our beliefs.
Now I ask you this do you deem it fair for a person to be hated because they
have pride and want to keep something in this God forsaken world clean?
Stephen Martin wrote:
And, his historical revisioning aside, he actually seems to have a clue. To build
upon what meager truths he's presented:
Hate is a word commonly associated with SKINHEADs but it's not about hate. Being
a SKINHEAD is not about being violent and hating everyone but about just plain
living and enjoying life (Beer, Chelseas and Ska anyone?). We are called hate
mongers and bigoted bastards by those who are as ignorant as they claim us to be.
SKINHEADs do not roam the streets looking for a fight but work as tradesmen,
shopkeepers, and even [sinking as low as] lawyers. Don't be fooled by media
brainwashing. We are not out looking for a fight. Things can turn violent but
we do not tolerate anyone trying to attack us and will defend ourselves.
People hate us because we are proud, we have respect and honour for ourselves,
and for the people who deserve it (remembering when our institutions were
something to be proud of, when there was more civilization around us), and they
often mistake this pride for hatred of anything that is *non-skinhead*.
We really just don't care. We, as individuals, are proud to be who we are, and
if someone else is proud of who they are, why should it be a problem?
I ask you this, do you deem it fair for a person to be hated because they have
pride in themselves and want to keep something in this God forsaken world clean?
Does it make sense to you to assume that if a person is proud to be a Fireman they
don't have equal respect for the Police or Ambulance Attendants, Construction
Workers, etc.? Is it really any different than assuming that anyone who is proud
of their sub)culture has nothing but disdain and hatred for other (sub)cultures?
Think about it.
Graham Wilson writes:
Michael Bennett wrote:
ARE THEY DIPSHITS OR WHAT. WHO TOLD THEM WHAT A SKINHEAD WAS. THEY NEED TO CHECK
INTO KKK, AND NOT SKINHEADS. TRUE SKINHEADS ARE ANTI-RACIST. IT STARTED, BEFORE
RACISTS CAME INTO PLAY, IN BRITAIN WITH THE FRIENDSHIP OF JAMAICAN IMMIGRANTS AND
LOCAL BRITISH YOUTH.
This is where are you wrong. While it is true that outright racist skinheads are
not "original" skinheads in the real sense, there were are those skinheads who
hold racist ideals. Whether you or anyone else doesn't like it - in terms of
political opinion, there is no such thing as a set political stance that provides
the "real" definition as to what a "true" skinhead is or was.
Just like there are non-skinheads who are racist and anti-racist, equally there
are skinheads who hold racist and anti-racist beliefs. If anything precludes
someone from being a "real" skinhead it is someone who becomes skin believing
that "real" skins are either specifically racist or anti-racist (bonhead or sharp).
Most skins I know- and it works in both directions- can respect, although they
may not agree with a skinhead who is a bonehead or a skinhead who is sharp.
Someone who is skin first, politics second (whether it be left or right) most
skins can accept.
There is an important distinction between a skinhead who is a bonehead and a
bonehead skinhead in the same way there is a distinction between a skin who is
sharp and a sharp skinhead.
The defining factor is which comes first - skinhead or politics?
If someone allows their politics (left or right) to be the defining factor as
to whether they are a skinhead, then that person is a wannabe - using skin image
and culture for their own purely personal ends. Either they are using the way
society labels skins either to reinforce the sterotype that a skin is only a skin
to be racist (putting aside working class skin history, culture and loyalty in
the process) or (in the case of most modern sharps) because they think it is
really a bit of a laugh to go around challenging the sterotype image (again skin
history, culture and loyalty being put aside).
It is true that some of the first skins were from Jamaca and they were involved
in crews with white English skins. Equally, however, some of the first skins were
involved in what was loosely called the "APL" (Anti-Paki League) and it cannot be
denied that both some West Indian and English skins were involved in - to use the
term of the time - "Paki bashing". These combined crews of English and Jamacans
objected to what they saw as the influx of alien cultures and beliefs to the UK
which was damaging their job prospects and (for want of a better word) personal
values.
The organised racism where racists hijacked the skinhead image came about during
the late 60s and into the 70s and still exists.
Equally with sharp it came about during the 80s. It's ideals were honest and
whether or not most skins accepted what it stood for it was respected. However,
in the 1990s it seems to have been hijacked. It now seems more about a society
for trendy sterotype challenging more than
anything else.
THEY FOLLOWED THEIR FAVORITE FOOTBALL TEAMS, AND FOUGHT OPPOSING TEAMS. IT MADE
NO DIFFERENCE OF COLOR, AND IT WAS ABOUT UNITY!!!!
In the early days most crews consisted of a cross-range of political / cultural /
nationalistic beliefs that included both racist and anti-racist views. However,
most were skinheads first and political second and hence respected each other.
I remember this being the case even during the mid / late 80s. I can't say that
it is so obvious today. Primarily, I think this comes down to the right wing
becoming more extreme and the left wing becoming more silly.
It is true what you say that with the first skins, colour was not the defining
factor as to whether someone would or would not be accepted. The fact that
Afro-Caribbean skins existed alongside and together with white English skins
proves that point. However, equally, it is true that racism was there from the
outset against certain foreign nationals and cultures, as in the APL example
above. With the original skins the racial issue was not a case of all (as
bonehead skins would have you believe) or a case of nothing at all (as sharp
skins would have you believe).
In reality it was there but aimed at specific groups, not non-white
English/British nationals per se.
1.4: What is a Rudy, Rude Boy, or Rude Girl?
Rudy is synonymous with Rude Boy and Rude Girl. Of course the only difference
is in the sex. Melody Maker described a Rude Boy as a "sort of cool super-
hooligan," where 'rude' in Jamaican usage means wild, violent, or reckless.
Rude Boys were a product of the mean streets of Shanty Town, as described in
Desmond Dekker's "007 (Shanty Town)" (1967), "Rude Boy Train" (1968), and a
host of other Dekker releases. Shanty Town refers to Dekker's home, the
overcrowded slums of West Kingston, Jamaica. The area was plagued with
unemployment, tension, and violence. An Associated Press story noted that
it contained "ramshackle dwellings, the majority of them made of cardboard,
plywood, corrugated metal or some other discarded material." Dekker: "Them
a loot/Them a shoot/Them a wail/At Shanty Town/When rude boy deh 'pon probation/
Then rude boy a bomb up the town." Harry Young of Lightning Strikes (The Lou
Christie Newsletter) states:
Due to very repressive police policies, only a few "rudies" actually went around
looting and shooting. But every teenage male in Trench Town adopted the rude
attitude and dress, especially a jaunty cap. In the popular culture, "Rudy"
became an outlaw hero figure, like Jesse James, Billy The Kid, or even James Bond.
During the '50s and '60s many Jamaicans and other West Indies immigrated to the
UK. In addition to the Mod (see: What is a Mod?) influence, Skinheads adopted
the Rude Boy music (see: What is ska music?), tough street-level attitude and
various aspects of their fashion. These days Rude Boys can be typically
identified wearing a dark suit, thin black tie, and pork-pie hat. Rude Girls
appear to have more freedom in their fashion.
Brian Poust describes the Rude Girl look:
The norm seems to be either the Fred Perry, short skirt (dark color or
plaid is common), ankle socks and loafers look (fishnets and 3 button
jackets optional) a la the usual skinhead girl out on the town look, or
the A line dress, usually two tone in color it seems with nice low heel
shoes. Hair seems to range from the chelsea (which I'm seeing a lot more
grown out these days) to a bob, sasoon style, or for longer hair, a flip
(which works well with the A line dress). If you can find a Mondrian
patterned dress, you'll win the heart of every guy in the room!
These are pretty much the recognizable looks, but be creative! Don't
fall for the checkerboard myth. It's not as cool as everyone thinks.
There are more colors in the spectrum than black and white and if I never
see a short plaid skirt again in my life, I'll die a happy man. Pleats
are right out, and don't underestimate a well fitting double breasted car
coat for the colder weather coming up. Flights are functional, but the
skinhead crowd more than supplies an ample number of those at shows.
Parkas are warm, but most girls I've seen wearing them end up looking
like they've raided dad's closet.
Experiment, find something that looks smart that everyone else isn't
necessarily wearing. If you've got the flip thing going on, try a scarf
a la "That Girl" Marlo Thomas every once in a while, it works!
1.5: What is a Mod?
Harry Lowes writes:
For the record, MODS were *Modernists*. MOD CONS means *Modern Convieniences*.
As in "The flat had all *MOD CONS*."
Brian Poust writes:
Mod is a direct outgrowth of Post War Britain, when all of a sudden
teenagers had disposable income and a desire for an identity beyond
schoolboy or working man. This strive for identity led to using their
income to look better, act smarter and have more fun than their elders,
and to make it known that they were a force to be reckoned with, and
that they had a voice and influence, especially in the marketplace.
James F. Dugan writes:
Mods or modernists were working class youth cult in England in the 60's. They
were very fashion concious and a product essentially of the space age bigger
better faster culture of the 60's, hence the name. They also were fans of R&B
and Soul (as well as some ska). Their counterparts, the Teds or teddy boys or
rockers were an older youth cult that by the time the mods came around were
essentillly American style greasers. I wouldn't go so far as to call Psychobilly
fans teddy boys, for a lot of reasons, not the least of which is that losts of
Psychobilly folks are ex-skins. Watch Quadrophenia.
Chris writes:
There is one problem here. They were on the cutting edge, but frankly, they
aren't anymore. That was the only reason to be. Skins on the other hand, have
the common working-class bonds and beliefs. That's why we are still legitimate.
Mods on the other hand, don't have this reason for existing. They are just
living the life that was, not is. These days, a mod would be a fuckin raver
(which kind of explains the state of ska today, but that's another matter.)
The mods that were the forefathers of skins deserve the respect, but not the
ones of to-day.
Brian Poust replies:
Your tired little arguments really are ridiculous. Your implication that
skinheads are on the cutting edge and that mods don't have a working
class ethic it beyond bullshit.
I think it shows a lot more self respect to have a good work ethic and
still care about being clean cut and well dressed than it does to look
like some downtrodden aggro loving half-wit. Working class is not about
poverty, my friend. Working class is about making a respectable living
and pulling your own weight, no matter what your job is.
There are a lot of skinheads who also realize this fact as well, you just
seem to have missed the boat. You can be a skinhead and still not talk
and look a complete mess. I daresay you'd be terribly laughed at by
original skinheads.
You obviously don't have a clue about mods, you only know that you think
skinheads are better. If you gave any thought to what you believe before
you wrote, whatsoever, you might realize that the only reason to be a mod
is NOT to be on the cutting edge, ravers are not mods, ravers aren't on
the cutting edge, and I am certainly not illegitimate, thank you very
much.
This is getting far too silly as it seems that a lot of skinheads can't
get their heads out of their asses to see that they aren't going to take
over the world, they aren't going to start some new Worker's Revolution,
and they're often just too damn closed minded for their own good.
1.6: What is a Chelsea?
Chelsea originally refered to the girlfriend of a Skinhead but has since come
to refer to females as Skinheads in their own right. Whether the term stems
from the name of the fringe, short on top and longer around the sides, they
adopted, or whether the hair style was named after the girls remains a mystery
to me.
Jennifer J. Jewkes says:
I have a feather cut now...and it needs a trim..I live in Chicago..so a chelsea
is out of the question for now... I'm getting tempted to shave it again...only
when it get warmer..prolly in a few months..the way Chicago's weather goes. I
agree... Chelsea's are stunning...but feather cuts have a bit more class..
especially when you are older and have to worry about finding a job.
Gerrard A. Lindsay weighs in stating that:
someone remarked that not many original skinhead girls had short hair. maybe
i'm wrong, but most pictures i've seen did feature skingirls with short to
cropped hair. maybe not extreme fringe, but i haven't seen any pictures of
skingirls with long hair from before the seventies...
even the skinhead bible mentions skingirls going to male barbers for haircuts...
Jenn Starkman replies:
I didn't say that they didn't have *short* hair, but that they rarely *shaved*
their heads. I've seen plenty o' pics of skinhead girls from the '60s with bobs
'n stuff, or just really short hair, but a girl with a shaved head 30 years ago
would have been a true rarity, from what I've seen.
> even the skinhead bible mentions skingirls going to male barbers for haircuts...
Again, mine is obviously not the word of God, but there's a difference between
short hair and a shaved head on a female, and a woman in the '60s with a shaved
head would've had a hell of a time in public (outrageous hairstyles not being
*nearly* as common in those days--unless you count beehives as outrageous).
Besides which, a great many "skingirls" in the beginning (unfortunate though this
may be) were pretty much just girlfriends of skinheads, and not quite as apt to
shave their heads."
ja...@uno.edu wrote:
noone answered my other hair question, what is a chelsea? is it a fringe of a
different name, or what?
Schroedinger Cat writes:
I think Jenn answered this one effectively, but I'll recap... in relation to
skinheads, it is both a skinhead girl and a skinhead girl haircut (a ffringe,
basically, though I usually hear fringes referred to as just the bits on the
front, chelseas go all the way around).
dave gets the final comment:
uhh not sure what's worse? environment with like no skingirls or an environment
full of skingirls just too old for you? life sucks below the drinking age ;)"
1.6.1: J.A. Dare writes: "Question for you skinchicks: Do you just exclusively
date skinheads?"
From: Jenn Starkman
Well, at the moment I'm exclusively dating *a* skinhead... <grin>
But generally, I probably *couldn't* only go for skins simply because I'd be very
lonely--there are very few skinheads where I live and even fewer single ones (my
boyfriend included, now...). If I could, though, I probably would, if only
because I find skinhead guys particularly attractive--more so than others,
usually.
If I met a guy I really hit it off with who wasn't a skin, though, I'd probably
give it a chance.
In the end, though? Yeah, skinheads are always first on my list. :-)"
1.7: What is a SHARP?
Todd Ferguson writes:
In the late 1980's a group of skinheads got together in NYC to form the first
chapter of Skinheads Against Racial Prejudice. SHARP had three main objectives:
to educate the public about true skinhead culture, to expose the bonehead
imposters for what they really are and to drive the boneheads out of their
communities by any means necessary. The New York chapter was quickly successful
and soon chapters sprang up elsewhere as news spread. Today SHARP is the most
predominant anti-racist skin group around and you can find SHARP chapters all
over the world, as well as other anti-racist skinhead groups like SCAR, SPAR
and RASH.
Sir Lawrence of Skarabia writes:
Here in Hawaii the are the HARPS H.awaiianskins A.gainst R.acialP.redjudice.
There are japanese and chinese skins here as well.
1.8: What is a Bonehead?
Bonehead is a derogatory term used by Traditional and other Skins to denote any
Skinhead who holds to racist or White Power beliefs, as well as those Neo-Nazis
who have adopted the skinhead "look" in an attempt to hijack the movement.
1.9: What is an Independent Skin?
Kali Holloway writes: "Independent" is usually used interchangeably with
"traditional".
Stephen "Donny" Donaldson writes: "I thought 'independent' meant 'not in a
crew'. I certainly hear it in that sense in NYC."
1.10: What is White Power?
White Power is an empowering philosophy of White racial nationalism and ethnicity.
It refers to a diverse range of philosophies from leftist White racism to National
Socialism. Perhaps the simplest imperative about what White Power stands for
exists in the "14 words" coined by former Bruder Schweigen member, David Lane:
"We must secure the existence of our people and a future for White children."
[WPF]
In the eyes of non-racists, White Power is the modern embodiment of the evils of
the Fascist Nazi Party and its belief in the superiority of the "White" or "Aryan"
race over the Jews, Blacks and others whom White Power advocates choose to blame
for the woes of modern society.
1.11: What is a Hammerskin?
In Pink Floyd's _The Wall_ movie, there is a video segment sung to the tune "Up
against the Wall," where Pink takes on the visage of a powerful leader. During
this sequence, hundreds of skinheads march through the street and chase the
"Pakis" (Pakistanis) out of England. Although the movie is largely opposed to
that viewpoint, young skinheads were emboldened by the image of strength and
came to call themselves Hammerskins. As these groups spread throughout the U.S.
and Canada, they took on regional prefixes like: Western Hammerskins, Northern
Hammerskins, Confederate Hammerskins and other such names. [WPF]
2.0: Why are you a Skinhead?
Stephen J. Alexander (ste...@coos.dartmouth.edu) writes:
> rev...@execpc.com writes:
>Assuming thier aren't any first generation skinheads on this NG, I'd
>like to know why some of you became skinheads.
>
>-Was it the image?
To some extent, yes. It is a wondrous thing to inspire respect (and
sometimes fear, depending on where you are) just because you look a little
odd and you stand up straight and proud.
>-The beliefs?
Yes, provided you're not talking about white pride. My take on the reason
anyone ought to be a skinhead is a matter of attitude. Basically it's
losing the juvenile sophomoric bullshit that most of the world partakes in
daily, and getting serious about your life. Of course that means getting
serious about having fun too... I guess that's why I have such
discriminating taste in beer, heh. Anyway, before I claimed skin I was
something of a rebel without a cause. In high school, I was always looking
for some way of life to relate to because all the crap I had seen previous
to that had got me nowhere... one religion or system of beleifs seemed as
empty and stupid as another. I knew what shitheads most of the world is
comprised of and I wanted to separate myself from it, but I didn't know
how. I don't think I could have at the time either, I was pretty clueless
in high school. Be that as it may, I guess it follows that when I met some
skins and realized what they were about, I came to know what I was meant
to be.
>-An apreciation for the dress, which is one of the strangest things
> about the whole lifestyle, especially in the U.S.
Yes. Boots and braces are rad as hell... I've thought so since I
first saw them, at that. I wouldn't say the style of dress is so much
strange, as distinctive. My mother thinks it's anachronistic, which makes
sense when you consider when the whole skinhead thing started. She also
mentioned to me how her father wore thin braces to work when she was a
child in the forties and fifties (in the states) so the style really isn't
that far from home. There are a few other features of the 'look' which the
observer will notice as well, which also suit me just fine.
rev...@execpc.com writes:
-Was it the image?
Stephen J. Alexander (ste...@coos.dartmouth.edu) replies:
To some extent, yes. It is a wondrous thing to inspire respect (and
sometimes fear, depending on where you are) just because you look a little
odd and you stand up straight and proud.
Jenn comments:
Speak for yourself, kiddo! I don't look even the least *bit* odd...
<friendly grin>
Mike (UK) writes:
It was the image, look, lifestyle. A hard look that suits me and I
find appealing in others. Hardness tempered with a brain. I'll talk
myself out of a fight almost every time but I'll stand my ground when
I have to. Respect for myself and other skins. The clothes which
look fucking brilliant. A feeling of belonging to something that *I*
believe is worthwhile. Life can be impersonal enough even in the UK
(Heaven alone knows what it's like in the US) and the recognition
between skins is relief from this. The music (Ska) though I also like
Techno and am a good dancer! I also feel it's important to correct
the idea that all skins are boneheads as we're not. I'm not a kid
anymore but at 35 much of the angst and relative insecurity of youth
has gone to be replaced with even stronger conviction. I remember the
skins in '69 and the 2nd wave and hope the movement never dies. A
right wing "robotic army" plays no part in all this. (I think those
latter are very close even to George Marshalls words).
DREWSKIN has the final say:
I am a skinhead because the pride i feel for my country goes more than
skin-deep. I believe skinheads are the people most dedicated to their
beliefs in this world today... whether it means being a white power
skinhead(bonehead) a traditional skinhead,a SHARP skinhead, etc. etc....
or just a normal guy like me who`s into good music, pride for my country,
beer, fine skinhead girls and likes dressing sharp and dancing to good
music...
2.1: How do you become a ("Claim") Skinhead?
fred...@smart.net (Frederick N. Crouse) inquires:
Anyway, this fellow referred several times, in the course
of the story, to how he became a skinhead. In fact, he never referred to the
process as "becoming"; instead, he said that he "claimed skin"....
Jenn replies:
The phrase "to claim skinhead" is a commonly used one, but the word "claim"
is *not* necessarily used in the sense you see it. Basically, there is most
definitely a genesis involved, but rather than most skinheads seeing their
becoming such as being a gradual process--during which *entire* period they
would call themselves skinheads--the best skinheads are those who have taken
the time to research and immerse themselves in the subculture, and learn as
much about it as they possibly can...*before* they "claim skinhead".
In other words, there is that period of genesis and learning, but it is not
until *after* they feel that they have enough of a grounding in the history of
the subculture, and enough to offer to it, that a person will finally "claim
skinhead", or start identifying him/herself as an actual *part* of the
subculture.
Stephen Martin wrote:
Unlike political parties, or specific job categories, social groups such as
Skinheads, Hippies, etc., have no formal entrance requirements, yadda, yadda,
yadda.
I think you'll find with many people that it is simply a matter of them
becoming aware of the fact that they have been, already *are*, and always will
be a Skinhead, and then taking that finally step of identifying with "their
people".
2.1.1: What is a Freshcut?
A Freshcut is someone new to the Skinhead subculture. "When are you no longer a
Freshcut?" That's purely subjective, depends on who you ask.
roo...@oi.skin wrote:
Being a freshcut is not a bad thing. It is just typical that the new
person gets picked on. Just hold your head high for a while and
return the abuse to the next freshcut that comes along.
Michael Rosencrantz (ro...@interport.net) writes:
It is the duty of the younger skins to irritate the older ones. When I
was younger I'm sure I bugged the hell out of the older guys. Now that
I'm a decrepid old man, I sometimes get a little huffy when 3000
teenagers ask me to buy them beer.
2.1.2: Why do new Skins need to get beat in?
mybrk...@aol.com (MyBrKeeper) wrote:
I've got a question about new skins in general. Why do they get "beat in"??
Is that just a local thing or do you have to be beat up by older skins to be a
skin.
Graham Wilson (gra...@dircon.co.uk) writes:
See whether you can stand the pace of things.
You certainly don't have to be beat up by older skins to be a skin.
However, when you get to know a group of skins for the first time, if you stand
your ground then you end up with far more credibility than you would otherwise
have.
2.2: Why don't you get a life?
Skinheads, regardless of their political, sexual, or religious persuasion, or
lack thereof, do have lives which, while they may differ from your own principles
and ideals, are no less valid then those of any other member of society at large.
While you may not agree with their lifestyle, keep in mind that there's bound to
be someone who doesn't approve of yours either.
2.3: Why do you hate?
While the popular media enjoys its love/hate relationship with Skinheads, almost
consistently portraying them as sub-literate, unemployed racists with a fondness
for hiring themselves out as bodyguards/storm troopers for the Neo-Nazis, this is
a gross distortion of the truth.
Anyone who truly understands the origins of the Skinhead subculture (see: What
is a Skinhead?) sees right through that stereotype but, unfortunately, there are
those who cannot distinguish between a Skinhead and a Bonehead (see: What is a
Bonehead?).
In all fairness to the Boneheads, in his White Power FAQ, Arthur LeBouthillier
answers this question saying:
White Power advocates love their race. Because of that, they are strongly opposed
to any attempts to harm it by means of loss of territory, loss of economic or
political self-determination, disenfranchisement or race mixing. In order to
preserve their race and its interests, they are often willing to engage in
hostile acts against perceived threats to it.
Well, that's enough of that for now.
2.4: Aren't all Skinheads Nazis/White Supremacists?
No. The term Nazi comes from the name given to Adolph Hitler's National-Socialist
German Workers Party, a *form* of Fascism, and thus has had no validity since 1945.
The proper term for resurgent Nazis is Neo-Nazis. Supremacy refers to an alleged
right to rule over other races. As with Neo-Nazism, although some Boneheads are
White Supremacists many are not.
Stephen Martin writes:
While skinheads, racists, and Neo-Nazis are not mutually exclusive, they are not
necessarily inclusive and it is just as wrong to tar skinheads with the taint of
neo-Naziism or racism as it is to paint any ethnic group as a pack of criminals
or what have you.
Please, do try to keep in mind that the original skinheads grew out of the melding
of British working class youth, both white and black, with the music and fashions
of the immigrant Jamaican community.
While such racialist organizations as the BNP (British Nazi Party), and others
have had some success recruiting members who affect the style of dress associated
with the skinhead subculture, you will find that these aberrations are minor
compared with the number of Traditional skinheads, S.H.A.R.P.s, Gay/Lesbian
skinheads, those skinheads of African, Spanish, French, etc. descent, in addition
to those skinheads (none of the aforementioned categories being mutually exclusive)
running the gamut of political persuasions from Anarchists to Apolitical to
Communist to Conservative to Libertarian, etc. and/or religious faiths including
Buddhists, Christians, Jews, etc.
Just witness this following posting retrieved from Deja News:
Re: Older man wants to be a skinhead - advice?
From: James F. Dugan
Date: 1996/01/13
MessageID: 4d8g41$n...@pipe1.nyc.pipeline.com#1/1
references: <4d4s6g$g...@ixnews3.ix.netcom.com>;
organization: The Pipeline
newsgroups: alt.skinheads
In article <4d4s6g$g...@ixnews3.ix.netcom.com>;, Dr. Stanley Korobka writes:
>Hi there, people. My name is Dr. Stanley Korobka and I am interested in
>becoming a skinhead. Although I am an older man (62) I must admit that
>I am very attracted to skinhead culture, especially the spirited music and
>rebellious fashions. I was always a good boy, did what my Daddy told
>me to, went to medical school, invested wisely and such. I suppose this
>is a midlife crisis long overdue. But there you have it. By the way, I
>am not a racist, I am actually Jewish. Can I still be a skinhead? Could
>anyone give me pointers on where to shop?
>
>Stan
>
>Dr. Stanley H. Korobka, aspiring skinhead
>
Well doc, I don't mind saying that this is without a doubt the strangest thing
I have ever seen on this newsgroup. Rest assured you don't need to be a racist
to be a skinhead, many of the skins here are non-racist and several are also
Jewish. However the fact that you don't know this makes me wonder what exactly
it is about being a skin that you find attractive. Skinhead is predominantly a
working class youth movement, and as you are neither working class nor a youth,
it would be a bit of a stretch. This isn't to say you couldn't be a skin, but
I think you may be the first 62 year old doctor to ever express intrest.
Jim Dugan
Thank you.
2.5: Why be a Nazi?
BRicha6796 wrote:
I've always wondered why people become nazi skins as opposed to real skins. It
seems to be fascists are way more greedy than "the evil jew" I mean Resistance
cd's are REALLY expensive. And if you ever read a copy of Resistance most of the
shit they preach i obviously untrue. I mean wouldn't it just be better to be
non-political? Not necessarily SHARP but just be a skin as opposed to being part
of all the bullshit. Look at most nazi bands today. They sound like cock-rock.
Is this really skinhead music? I don't think so. I heard the america first
committee does not want to work with nazi's in "The Aryan Quest" cuz their are
too many gays. I just wanna know what makes hanging out with bikers, gays,
longhairs, and white trash look attractive as opposed to hanging out with decent
clean working class people.
Ivon Kalalang replies:
I really don't understand either. Maybe, it's the disposition people take in life
that resulted from a bad experience, or the in bred desire to harm someone and
you're just looking for an excuse. This is how I picture it. The early skins were
cockney fuckers. Racism was never their main theology, and racist tendecies were
what they were, tendencies. Someone could be, someone couldn't be. So in comes
along NF and BNP takes the disenfranchised youth and churns out white power kids.
So years later, the media exploits this. People have gotten so used to seeing
skinheads as being racist on TV, that it actually has an odd influence on some
people who just want to be a skinhead becuase they are racist, and to them being
racist from what they see on TV is what being a skinhead is all about. Music is
another topic in itself. WP stuff is expensive, but considering a lot of it was
put on R-O-R, and R-O-R stuff is pretty damn rare. That's why I'd buy a WP album.
I mean, look at some of the bands from the US before 1990, Allegiance, Arresting
Officers, Forced Reality, and etc. They were actually okay to listen to. I mean
Arresting Officers has some catchy songs like 'Stop Red Action' and 'United
Skins'. Anyways, the point is, it's really so easy falling into the media's view
of nazi skinheads. Just look at that one stupid HBO special 'Skinheads USA'.
2.6: Aren't all Skinheads violent little motherfuckers just itching to fight?
Richard Collins wrote:
Well assuming that the lot of us are college students or something to that nature,
it is safe to say a good number of the regulars out there are of the more
intellectual variety, despite their personal beliefs. This brings we to a question
about fighting. I'm not saying you can not be smart and also tough at the same
time, but people of intelligence have been known to use their minds to avoid
fighting. Then again, we all at times get the overwhelming urge to beat the pulp
out of some stupid piece of human fieces. So are any of you girls or boys aggro
skins?
Do you have some friends that can not go out without ...
A) Starting a fight
B) Suggesting you (as a group) start a fight
C) Looking for any excuse to jump into a fight
Last night at Desmond Dekker this little skin girl told a bunch of us boys that
some guy hit her. So a boot party nearly insued. I was just watching being the
hippie scum that I am. No, but seriuosly I don't get off on being the sixth guy
to boot some one's head in. Fighting to me is not a nessicary part of being a
skinhead. I recognize fighting as a part of life we all must face but it doesn't
need to be a part of every night on the town.
Graham Wilson replies:
I was when I was younger. I soon realised however that I was going to end up in a
lot of shit. What's the point?
If you have to stand your ground then I believe stand it. I don't believe in going
out looking for fights though. I realised that if I was going to (to use an old
naff but appropriate phrase) live by the sword, then I was going to die by the
sword. Eventually you end up getting into a fight with someone who is much
stronger and you get the shit kicked out of ya.
These 3. [A, B, and C] I can think of a couple of skins I know that are like it.
The problem is that there are those who like to start a fight on purpose but then
leave everyone else to finish it.
I suppose I used to see it as the easy way to solve everything.
CRM9...@UConnVM.UConn.Edu (Chris) replied:
Depends on whether the guy deserves it or not. In the case that you just described,
yes, I would. But if some guy just starts talking shit and calling me names, that's
no reason. I've been called worse. Sometimes you just get in the mood where you're
just waiting for a fight. About a week ago, I was going to hit this crusty that
was shooting his mouth off too much, but my friends held me back. They later
changed their mind when we found out the next day that the same scumbag had hit
this female friend of ours. All in all, it depends on the situation.
Janis Collins writes:
I'd sure like to find the real reason behind this group. If you're so non racist
and nonviolent, what's up with all the fighting?
Generalizations have their beginnings in truth even if they tend to get distorted
later. 9 time outta 10 if you see red docs with white laces on a skinhead with the
famous red suspenders you're looking at trouble. If they're enmasse, you're really
looking at a massacre
flu...@nyc.pipeline.com (James F. Dugan) replies:
What the hell are you talking about?
9 times outa 10 I see oxbloods with white laces, i'm saying "Hi, how are you" to
their owner. As for red suspenders, they're really not that popular. Futhermore,
9 times outa 10 when a skin beats someones ass, they deserved it, and 5 times out
10 the other idiot started it and wants to whine about it later. Even accepting
all of the things you say as gospel, there is separate and perfectly good reason
for your experiences: you and your friends are assholes.
Janis Collins (dall...@voicenet.com) writes:
Because they're already proving themselves defective so why not expect more
negative behaviour?? Are you trying to say that you're just as likely to get
a violent response out of a Joe Citizen/well-to-do officeworker as you are a
skinhead?
And of course Janis is right. Witness this exchange:
Chris UCB (chri...@aol.com) wrote:
I am looking for fellow skins in the S.F. area particularly the east bay. I am
tired of always being bored at home please e-mail me or post to this newsgroup.
Richard Collins (ric...@netcom.com) writes:
Who are you man? Where do you live?
Note the way Richie immediately starts pumping poor Chris for his address,
obviously so he can go over and beat him up. Let's read on...
The scene out here is huge. I live in the east bay in the suburbs but still the
city is only minutes away. Are we talkng east back like Livermore? Concord?
Obviously a well veiled threat there, and see how he's still searching for his
address?
Even the farthest reachs are accessable to SF.
Yep, Skinhead Fascists. They're the worst and it's obvious that Richie is a
member of their crew... (I guess that's enough sarcasm)
Janis Collins <dall...@voicenet.com> wrote:
I'd sure like to find the real reason behind this group.
Michelle Chen replied:
The real reason for this group is so SKINHEADS can "get together,"
in a virtual sense, and talk about stuff, and meet, complain, rant, etc.
Janis Collins <dall...@voicenet.com> wrote:
Don't take that personally. What I mean is anyone should be able to post,
as long as they know what they're talking about, which you have proven
since before I've even been here.
If you're so non racist and nonviolent, what's up with all the fighting?
Joellen Welch (jow...@lynx.dac.neu.edu) gets the last word with:
I'm violent, I have a violent attitude, but try to remember that while
some of us may not have hair, most of us have proven our high intellectual
capacity, and many of us are proven geniuses. From that, you can infer
that we do also have brains. We think before doing something stupid, like
running out and beating someone up over bullshit.
3.0: Skinhead Culture: Culture
"we're all skinheads we stand proud,
we're working class and shout it out loud,
we love our oi! that's what we live for,
can't get enough we always want more..."
the pride 'the pride'
3.1: Skinhead Culture: History
Skinhead origins begin in Britain in the mid to late 1960's. Out of a youth
cult known as the "Mods," the rougher kids began cutting their hair close,
both to aid their fashion and prevent their hair from hindering them in
street fights. These working class kids adopted the name "Skinheads" to
separate themselves from the more dainty and less violent Mods. Huge groups
of these explosive youths would meet every Saturday at the football grounds
to support their local teams. The die hard support for a group's team often
lead to skirmishes between opposing supporters, leading to Britain's
legendary "football violence." When night swept the island, the skinheads
would dress in the finest clothes they could afford, and hit the dance
halls. It was here they danced to a new sound that was carried to Britain by
Jamaican immigrants. This music went by many names including: the ska,
jamacian blues, blue beat, rocksteady, and reggae. At these gatherings the
skinheads would dance, drink, and laugh with each other and the Jamaican
immigrants whom brought the music to Britian.
During the 1970's, there were many changes in the "typical" skinhead. For
some fashion went from looking smooth in the best clothes you could afford
with a blue-collar job, to looking like you were at home, even when you were
out. For others the disco craze of the seventies hit hard, resulting in
feathered hair, frilly pants, and those ugly seventies shoes. By the late
70's the National Front, Britain's National Socialist party, had invaded the
skinhead movement. Kids were recruited as street soldiers for NF. Since
skinheads were already a violent breed, the NF decided that if their young
recruits adopted the skinhead appearance, the might benefit from the
reputation. It was at this point that racism permeated the skinhead cult
without the consent of its members.
Also by the mid 70's punk had put the rebellion back in rock-and-roll,
opening a new avenue for street kids to express their frustrations. The
shifting mindset brought kids into the skinhead movement as yet another form
of expression. By the late 70's punk had been invaded by the colleges, and
record labels, letting down kids who truly believed in its rebellion. From
the streets came a new kind of punk rock, a type which was meant to be true
to the working class and the kids on the street. This new music was called
"Oi!" by Gary Bushell, and the name stuck. Oi! revived the breath of the
working class kids. Because of Oi! music's working class roots, the media
scorned its messages unlike they had done with the first wave of punk. With
the change in music came a new kinds of skinheads, and the gaps between the
different types widened. Aside from the National Front's skinheads, the
movement had been simply a working class struggle, rather than a right-left
political struggle. With skinheads forming their own bands, political lines
began to be drawn on the basis of right-left and even non-political
politics. Politically right groups were often associated with the National
Front and had distinct racial messages. Leftist groups looked at the working
class struggle through labor politics. Non-political groups often shunned
both sides simply because they chose to be political. The Oi! movement
consumed most of the 1980's and is still alive today.
Skinheads have spread to every part of the globe. Each country supports an
independent history of skinhead goals, values, and appearances. The
definition of "skinhead" varies from country to country, which doesn't say
too much since it also varies from city to city.
Starting in the late 80's, through present day, there has been a large
resurgence back to the "traditional" values and appearance of the 1960's
skinhead. This has occurred in Britain, America, as well as most of Europe.
This has lead to even more tension, this time between "traditional," and
"non-traditional" skins. [SOTN]
3.2: The Great Skinhead/Working-Class Debate
TBD
3.3: Skinhead identity crisis
Joellen wrote:
I hate to generalize, but a lot of people who aren't skins who are my
friends tend to generalize as well. I made friends with this girl in
one of my classes last year, and she found out I was a skin, and then it
was like the whole skinhead thing was more important to talk about with
me than anything else we used to talk about. She'd say things like "I
told my boyfriend last night that I was friends with a skinhead and he
almost DIED. Can you beleive it? So I thought maybe you could talk to
him so he knows what you're about and he doesn't have to worry about me
hanging out with you and all." I was polishing my boots and my
roommate and her friend were over, and the friend asked me why I was
polishing my boots. I was polishing them because they looked like
they'd been through a war. My roommate piped in with, "Well, she's a
skinhead, and skinheads have to have really shiny boots." It seems that
everything anyone else does normally, we only do because we're
skinheads.
"Why is that girl over there eating a hamburger, Tiffany?"
"Well, you see, Todd, my darling, she's a skinhead."
God forbid the professors find out you are, you have to write papers
about it when everyone else can choos the assignment.
"Well, I thought I might suggest that *you* write *your* paper on
skinheads. Maybe you could write about the night your whole dorm tried
breaking your door down when they found out and how you had to keep
yourself locked inside with a parking meter in hand in case they got in
you were going to hurl it at the first one's head as a warning to the others."
"Or maybe you could tell us all about the history behind the culture,"
when everyone else is writing about their familial historical
backgrounds.
John M. Stafford replied:
A decade of experience has taught me that when someone who is not a
skinhead mentions the word "skinhead" to me, my reaction is to just smile
at them. You don't agree, you don't deny. If you deny then you are
obviously living a lie. But if you agree then the damn "skinhead" thing
becomes more important than your own skills and personality. I have no
need to discuss skinheads with non-skinheads, and I am not so insecure
about it that I need to shove it down everyone's throats.
Horse wrote:
Skinheads aren't just static characters. We are dynamic (for those english
majors out there) we have varied interests, we can't be holed into the
stereotypical corner like the media and other idiots would like us to be.
And its this dynamic character that separates us from the wankers that try
to horn in on the subculture. They try so hard to fit the stereotype that
they stick out like sore thumb. And even further more thats why this
subculture hasn't gone the way of grunge, or the raver, or any other fad
thats was there today then gone the next. The constrictiveness of each
little fad wears off and loses its fun after a couple months.
Its the individuality thats keeps it strong, with the respect and
tradition at its base.
3.4: What is Ska music?
Ska is dance music, first and foremost. Ska was a Jamaican dance music that swept
out of Jamaica in the early 1960s to shake the butts of working- and middle-class
Jamaicans before going on, via the West Indian immigrant connection, to the U.K.,
and then on to the world. In the U.K., ska was also known as `blue beat' music.
Rocksteady, and later, reggae sprang from the loins of ska in the late 1960s.
Mid-1970s and 1980s/1990s revivals of this popular dance form have kept this music
alive and fun through the present. The ska beat on drums and bass, rhythm guitar,
lots of horns and maybe a Hammond organ --- that's the ska sound. [AMS]
Ska came to England with immigrants in the early 1960s. Known in the U.K. briefly
as ``Jamaican Blues,'' ska inspired the formation of the Blue Beat record company,
providing yet another name for the ska sound: `blue beat.' Ska gained popularity
in the U.K. with the `Mod' scene, leading to the residual association of small-
brimmed trilby (hats) and scooters with ska music. [HSBR] (For scooter talk,
check out the alt.scooter Usenet group.) [AMS]
Don't forget to check out into alt.music.ska and read the FAQ for more
information on Ska and it's relationship with Skinhead culture.
3.5: What is Oi!?
"Hey!"
(from cockney slang, a shortening of the greek 'oi polloi' or common people.)
Oi! is the label which Gary Bushell (a British journalist) gave to the late
seventies/early eighties streetpunk bands who refused to be a part of the plastic
punk (call it the ancestor of MTV punk) that was big at the time. Nowadays Oi! is
thought of as a melodic, old school type of punk but it was originally more of a
movement than a sound.
The grandfathers of Oi! are Sham 69. They were one of the first bands to take punk
to a level higher than just shock value. They used their music as a working class
protest.
The classic Oi! band is the Cockney Rejects (who were the first band to use the
chant oi! in their music). Their 'ruck n roll' attitude (we ruck n you roll)
pretty much sums up the oi! stance, non-political, working class, proud music.
A lot of bigger punk bands were also originally identified with the oi! movement
(i.e. the Exploited who as 'skinhead herberts' are on Oi! the Album).
Oi! is streetpunk, oi! is working class kids winning, oi! is punx and skins
together, oi! is oceans of beer and mountains of pride.....
Buy an Oi! comp and it'll change yer life. [OTF]
[written by Gerrard Lindsay (botb...@akula.com) of Bottom Of The Barrel.
http://www.akula.com/~botbskin/]
3.5.1 OI! IT'S JUST STREET-ROCK'N'ROLL!
"If punk was *real*, then Oi! was *reality*!"
-Laurie Pryor
"No mess. No fuss. Just pure impact..."
-Mick Furbank
Oi! is a melodic type of punk-rock which originated in Britain around 1980
and has since spread throughout the world. The forefathers of Oi! (Sham 69,
Menace, The Lurkers, Slaughter And The Dogs, Cockney Rejects, Cock Sparrer,
Angelic Upstarts, etc.) played what some of the smarter press of the time
dubbed, "real-punk" (i.e. punk-rock with a message/theme of "social
realism"). A lot of the press who courted the original wave of punk-rock,
wholly ignored or wrote-off what was soon to be called Oi! as "thug-rock,"
and thus insured unfair treatment of the genre right from the get-go.
Around 1980, bands like the 4-Skins (East London), Infa Riot (North London),
The Last Resort (Herne Bay), Red Alert (Sunderland), The Business (South
London) and Blitz (Manchester) began to pop-up all across Great Britain. This
phenomenon of strikingly similar-minded, yet unrelated bands was quickly
clumped together as "Oi!" by Sounds journalist Gary Bushell, taking the name
from the classic Cockney Rejects song, "Oi! Oi! Oi!" Bushell not only gave
Oi! its name, he compiled and gave the world the first Oi! compilation, "Oi!
The Album" (released by EMI injunction with Sounds magazine). "Oi! The Album"
-- though not a truly stellar record or even completely representative of the
Oi! genre of the time -- set the precedent for the compilation as an
important part of the Oi! movement, as witnessed by the release of countless
Oi!-focused compilations world-wide ever since its release. Musically, Oi! is
generally distinguished by anthemic melodies, terrace-style backing vocals
and a pace/tempo more suitable for pogoing and singing along, than
slam-dancing and stage-diving. Together with ska and reggae, Oi! forms the
musical focus of the traditional skinhead subculture, and together with
hardcore and classic punk-rock, it forms the musical focus of the punk
subculture.
The impact of the early '80s, English Oi! scene could be felt the world-over,
with Oi! bands and scenes popping-up globally, kick-started by bands like
Iron Cross in the U.S., Bohse Onkels in Germany, Komitern Sect in France,
Cobra in Japan, Nabat in Italy and so on. This is barely mentioning the huge
impact Oi! had on the U.S. hardcore scene, evidenced by such classic American
hardcore bands like Agnostic Front, 7 Seconds, Youth Brigade and Negative
Approach citing Oi! as a huge influence, as well as covering many brickwall
standards.
Sociologically, Oi! is a coalition of street-punks and skinheads, and
emphasizes working-class concerns and themes: labor, fighting, shagging,
drinking, pride, self-respect and generally having a laugh -- the "politics
of life" or the "politics of the street." Being rooted among the
working-class, street kids and the powerless, authentic and traditional Oi!
rejects the authoritarian and conservative politics of the extreme right as
well as the knee-jerk, reactionary politics of the extreme left.
***
Oi! is having a laugh and having a say.
Oi! is bigger than any uniform.
Oi! is sharp in brain and dress.
Oi! is you and me... Winning.
Oi! is thinking for yourself.
Oi! is pride and self-respect.
Oi! is the beat of the street.
Oi! is working class protest.
Oi! is youth eternal.
Oi! is youth enrage.
Oi! is a way of life.
***
Select major British Oi! bands (past and present) include:
Another Man's Poison, Anti-Establishment, Anti-Social, Attak, The Betrayed,
Blitz, Braindance, Boisterous, The Business, Cock Sparrer, Cockney Rejects,
Combat 84, Condemned 84, Crashed Out, Criminal Class, Crux, The Ejected, The
4-Skins, The Gonads, Infa-Riot, Indecent Exposure, The Last Resort, Last
Rough Cause, Major Accident, The Oppressed, The Partisans, Pressure 28,
Prole, Red Alert, Section 5, Short'n'Curlies, Straw Dogs, The Strike &
Vicious Rumors.
Select major American Oi! bands (past and present) include:
The Anti-Heros (GA), The Authority (CA), Battle Cry (NY), The Bruisers (MA),
Boot Party (CA), Bootcamp (NY), Bottom Of The Barrel (NY), Chapter 21
(Chicago) Bovver Wonderland (CA), Broken Heroes (NJ), The Choice (CA), Forced
Reality (MA), Headwound (NJ), Iron Cross (DC), Immoral Discipline (DC),
Limecell (PA), Lower Class Brats (TX), Moonstomp (GA), Niblick Henbane (NJ),
90 Proof (TX), Oxblood (NY), Patriot (NC), The Press (NY), Pist'n'Broke (MI),
The Radicts (NY), The Service (WI), Stars And Stripes (MA), Stormwatch (DE),
The Templars (NY), The Toughskins (CA), U.S. Chaos (NJ), Those Unknown (NJ),
The Uprise (PA), The Wretched Ones (NJ) & Y.D.L. (NY).
Select major International Oi! bands (past and present) include:
Agent Bulldog (Sweden), The Bad Vultures (Japan), Becks Pistols (Germany),
Cobra (Japan), Crikey Crew (Japan), Discocks (Japan), Dose Brutal (Brazil),
The Fuck Ups (Norway), The Herberts (France), Impact (Canada), Klasse
Kriminale (Italy), Kohu-63 (Finland), Komitern Sect (France), The Magnificent
(Holland), Mata Ratos (Portugal), Nabat (Italy), Oxymoron (Germany), Pobel
Und Gesocks (Germany), The Pride (Holland), Sideburns (Japan), Snix (France),
The Stage Bottles (Germany), Die Lokalmatadore (Germany), The Vacant Lot
(Canada), Vanilla Muffins (Switzerland), Virus 27 (Brazil), Warrior Kids
(France), The West Side Boys (France), Zakarrak (Spain) & Zona A (Slovakia).
Other bands which move on the fringes of Oi! include:
The Adicts, Angelic Upstarts, Anti-Nowhere League, Barbed Wire, Blaggers ITA,
Blanks 77, The Blood, Casualties, Chron Gen, The Crack, Exploited, Frankie
Flame, Lurkers, The Macc Lads, Menace, 999, Oi Polloi, One Way System, Peter
and the Test Tube Babies, Toy Dolls, Red London, Redskins, Resistance 77,
Rose Tattoo, (early)7 Seconds, Sham 69, Slaughter And The Dogs, Splodge,
Stiff Little Fingers, Special Duties, The Suspects, The Swingin' Utters, Vice
Squad, The Violators & Youth Brigade.
Some Oi!-focused record labels (past and present) include:
Bird, Bleach, Bronco Bullfrog, Dim, Dojo, DSS, Force Majeure, GMM, Hammer,
Havin' A Laugh, Headache, Helen Of Oi!, Kickback, Knock-Out, Link, Oi!
Records, One By One, PunkCore, Scumfuck, Sta-Press, Step-1, S.P.E., Teenage
Rebel, Twins, Vulture Rock & Walzwerk.
Some related newsgroups are:
alt.punk, alt.punk.europe, alt.skinheads, alt.skinheads.arent.neo.nazis and
alt.skinheads.moderated
[written and compiled by Lee 69 (Sound...@aol.com) of
"Do A Runner!" 'zine. http://members.aol.com/SoundViews/doarunnr.html]
3.6: Oi, Oi, Oi, Oi!!!
On 6 Mar 1996, Gerrard A. Lindsay wrote:
ever notice how many 'skinhead' songs and songs about skins that there are in the
world?
for instance 'skinhead moonstomp', 'skinhead girl', 'skinhead jamboree', 'skinhead
speaks his mind', 'skinheads don't fear', 'moonhop in London', 'skinhead moondust',
'where have all the bootboys gone','bootboy',oi! oi! oi!,'skinheads in stapress',
'resort bootboys', 'bring back the skins', 'chaos', 'clockwork skinhead','boots n
braces','back with a bang','crucified' (by iron cross),'skinheads rule,ok', 'fresh
and burning','joe hawkins'......
From: am2...@swt.edu (Andy MacLaurin), flu...@nyc.pipeline.com (James F. Dugan),
skh...@ocvaxa.cc.oberlin.edu (Kali Holloway) (revised in v0.15 with corrections
from James F. Dugan)
As for lyrics, here are the complete lyrics for Suburban Rebels as taken from the
liner notes of The Business 1979-1989 on Blackout Records.
They're the sons and daughters of well off bankers
Tom Robinsons' army of trendy wankers
Flared blue jeans and anoracks,
With yellow streaks all down their backs
Who act so tough when [they're] on TV,
But trendy wankers don't scare me
Oi Oi Oi Chosen Few, (x2)
This is what we think of you
Suburban Rebels playing at reds
You would-be urban terrorists
You don't scare us with your badges and banners
You know fuck all about heavy manners.
You're the middle class kiddies from public school
Who write your slogans on toilet walls
Like Tony Benn's clones in plastic macks
You wave a hammer and sickle, never Union Jacks
Got lots of mouth when you're in a crowd
But when you're alone, you don't speak loud!
Of course, I have several versions, where the lyrics are changed but this is the
closest to an "official" version I've found. I also have the lyrics to Harry May,
Coventry, Shout it Out, No Emotions, Never Been Taken, Out in the Cold, Blind
Justice, Do a Runner, Another Rebel Dead, Welcome to the Real World, Frontline,
Mortgage Mentality, Handball, Smash the Discos, H-Bomb, Loud Proud and Punk, Real
Enemy, Product, and Saturday's Heroes, if anyone is particularly interested. I
may post them anyway, if I can scan them.
Jim Dugan
From: jow...@lynx.dac.neu.edu (Joellen Welch), Eric Coomer
(coo...@nuc.berkeley.edu), bae...@plains.nodak.edu (The Werewolf of London)
I was walkin' down the road with a dozen friends of mine
lookin' for some aggro, just to pass the time
we met a stupid hippy, he tried to run away
but I punched him in the nose, just to pass the time of day!
Great big boots
Great white laces
Jeans held up by
scarlet braces
get out of our way or get took for a ride
we've just go violence in our minds....
In article <15FEB96. 137772...@IBM.UTM.EDU>, Sylvia Rowe writes:
THE BROWN FIELDS OF BIRMINGHAM
(sung to Skrewdriver's version of "Green Fields of France")
1) Well how do you do, Mr. Bill Riccio
Tell me why did you do that damn HBO show
And look like a kook to the whole USA
We can read 'tween the lines that you're really gay
I see by his license he was only 19
When he joined the great call for the Riccio Army
And we hope you raped quick, and we hope you raped clean
Mr. Bill Riccio you are gross and obscene
Do you beat the meat slowly
Do you fuck young boys only
Do you play the skin flute as you butter them down
And did the boys play with your hairy asshole
And did the lads play with your big old fat roll
2) Did you leave a spot on his fair white behind
In his sore asshole is your memory enshrined
Although you should have died when you were 16
In that faithful butt you're forever unclean
Or are you a stranger without a name
Enclosed in your jail cell behind a glass frame
In an old wife beater tattered and stained
And faded to yellow from your putrid pit stains
(CHORUS)
3) Well the sun now it shines on your dirty ripped pants
As the vomit spots make your broken toys dance
And look how your sons can down a 12 and a 6
There's no gas, no barbed wire, but we wish you were nixed
And here at your compound it's still no-girls land
The countless young skinheads passed out in the sand
To your blind indifference to your fellow man
To a whole group of buys who were raped by your own hand
(CHORUS)
4) Mr. Bill Riccio, why'd you do that damn show
Do those that live here know why you did blow
And did they believe that they wished you're their dad
If they did then they're really demented and sad
The sorrow and suffering, the disgrace and the shame
You know how to give white power a really bad name
Mr. Bill Riccio, it'll never happen again
If it does we'll know who exactly to blame
(CHORUS)
Sylvia
Iron Mountain CHS, Tennessee
BRicha6796 (brich...@aol.com) writes:
Vulture Rock
POBOX 40687
ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico
87196
And I think you have to send a dollar or something but it's the best Oi!
mailorder catalog that I know of with very decent prices.
3.7: Skinheads Media List (v2.2 29DEC96) by d...@progeny.demon.co.uk
Books and Films of interest to Skinheads; not necessarily an exhaustive list or
required reading/ watching. Neither is this meant to be an indication of the
quality of the content!
BOOK Information given, where possible:
TITLE
AUTHOR YEAR OF PUBLICATION PUBLISHER
ISBN <availability>
SYNOPSIS/COMMENTS
FILM Information given, where possible:
TITLE
LEAD CAST,
DIRECTOR, YEAR OF RELEASE, COUNTRY OF PRODUCTION
CATEGORY & RELEASE AVAILABILITY INFO
Additions, corrections, updates, comments and any detail to fill
the gaps welcome, please email db (d...@progeny.demon.co.uk).
**********************
* Section 1: BOOKS *
**********************
Quoting the author and title (and ISBN where given) at your local bookshop should
be able to get you nearly all of the titles available. For those out of print -
you'll have to rely on book searchers or your local 2nd Hand bookstores.
ST (Skinhead Times) Publishing in the UK publish a large range of these books and
orders can be placed with them direct. They do not have a telephone ordering
service, nor do they accept credit/debit cards.
If you want to know what titles they have available and the prices - drop them a
line and ask for a catalogue (I'm sure they'd also appreciate a stamped addressed
envelope or a little dosh).
Their address is:
ST Publishing
PO Box 12
Lockerbie
Dumfriesshire
DG11 3BW
SCOTLAND
United Kingdom.
N.B.: STP no longer publish the paper 'Skinhead Times' - it ceased being produced
back in 1995 and they no longer have any back copies left.
--------------------------------------------------
Soccer (Football) Violence (Factual)
--------------------------------------------------
Everywhere We Go - Behind the Matchday Madness
Dougie & Eddy Brimson, 1996, Headline Book Publishing
0747252254
Steaming In (Journal of a Football Fan)
Colin Ward, 1989, Pocket Books
0671853651
In Your Blood (Football Culture in the late 1980's & Early 1990's)
Richard Turner, 1990, Working Press
1870736079
**Out of print**
Among The Thugs
Bill Buford, 1991, Mandarin
0749313285
Bloody Casuals (Diary of a Football Hooligan)
Jay Allan, 1989, Northern Books
0905489411-1
---------------------
Novels/Fiction
---------------------
One For The Road
Kid Stoker
Nightshift (Growing Up in and around Wigan Casino 1974-1981)
Pete McKenna, 1995, STP
England Belongs to me
Steve Goodman, Low Life (STP)
1898928002
Red London
Stewart Home, 1994, AK Press
1873176120
Saturdays Heroes
Joe Mitchell, Low Life (STP)
1898928053
The Complete Richard Allen Volume 1
(Skinhead, Suedehead, Skinhead Escapes)
Richard Allen (aka James Moffatt), 1992, STP
The Complete Richard Allen Volume 2
(Skinhead Girls, Sorts, Knuckle Girls)
Richard Allen (aka James Moffatt), 1993, STP
The Complete Richard Allen Volume 3
(Trouble for Skinhead, Skinhead Farewell, Top Gear Skin)
Richard Allen (aka James Moffatt), 1994, STP
The Complete Richard Allen Volume 4
(Boot Boys, Smoothies, Terrace Terrors)
Richard Allen (aka James Moffatt), 1995, STP
The Complete Richard Allen Volume 5
(Mod Rule, Punk Rock, Dragon Skins)
Richard Allen (aka James Moffatt), 1995, STP
The Complete Richard Allen Volume 6
(Glam, Teeny Bopper Idol, Demo)
Richard Allen (aka James Moffatt)
** due to be published late 1996 by STP **
** The 18 individual Richard Allen novels were originally published in
** the 1970's by New English Library - all are now out of print.
Casual
Gavin Anderson, 1996, Low Life (STP)
1898928207
---------------------
Graphic Novels
---------------------
Skin
Milligan, McCarthy & Swan, 1992, Tundra
1858090008
-----------------
Photobooks
-----------------
Skins
Gavin Watson, 1994, STP
1898927057
Public Enemies
Leo Regan, 1993, Andre Deutsch
0233988300
Oi! The Photobook
A.H van der Sluys, 1993, Double Shot (Roermond, Holland)
NO ISBN
-----------------------------------------
Reference - Skin, Ska & Mods
-----------------------------------------
You're Wondering Now (A History of The Specials)
Paul Williams, 1995, STP
1898927251
Skinhead
Nick Knight, 1982, Omnibus Press
0711900523
Total Madness
George Marshall, 1993, STP
0951849743
Spirit of '69 (A Skinhead Bible)
George Marshall, 1991, STP
0951849700
Boss Sounds (Classic Skinhead Reggae)
Marc Griffiths, 1995, STP
Skinhead Nation
George Marshall, 1996, STP
1898927456
Watching the Rich Kids
Arthur Kay, 1992, STP
**Out of print**
Skinhead Street Gangs
Loren Christensen
Bad Manners
George Marshall
**Out of print**
Mods
Richard Barnes
**Out of print**
Scooter Boys
Gareth Brown
The Two Tone Story
George Marshall, 1990, STP
0951849735
**Out of print**
Skinheads Shaved For Battle: a cultural history of American Skinheads
Jack Moore, 1993, Bowling Green (Ohio)
0879725826 (HB), 0879725834 (PB)
- This book has been termed "somewhat 'objective' in their
appraisal of White Power advocates" in the White Power FAQ,
and has been consistently derided by the members of
alt.skinheads. Stephen Martin (ig...@hooknladder.jammys.net).
Loud, Pround 'n' Punk - The Business
Garry Fielding, 1996
The Two Tone Book for Rude Boys
Omnibus Press
** Out of print**
------------------------
Reference - Political
------------------------
Fuhrer-Ex
Ingo Hasselbach, 1996, Chatto & Windus
0701165367
- From the German book: 'Die Abrechnung: Ein Neonazi Steigt Aus'
by same author, 1993 by Aufbau-Verlag GmbH, ISBN: 3746670136
this version contains photos (the English version is text only)
Blood in the Face: "The Klu Klux Klan, Aryan Nations, Nazi Skinheads
and the Rise of a New White Culture"
James Ridgeway, 1990, Thunders Mouth Press
1560250038
------------------------
Reference - Punk
------------------------
Punk Diary (1970-1979)
George Gimarc, 1994, Vintage
009952211X
Sex Pistols File
Ray Stevenson, 1978, Omnibus Press
0860014649
Cranked Up Really High
Stewart Home, 1995, Codex
1899598014</PRE>
***********************
* Section 2: FILMS *
***********************
-------------------------------------
Soccer (Football) Violence
-------------------------------------
The Firm
Gary Oldman, Lesley Manville, Phil Davis
Alan Clarke, 1989, UK
* TV FICTION
Trouble on the Terraces
Narrated by Sean Bean
Allan Sharpe, 1994, UK
* VIDEO DOCUMENTARY
I.D.
Reece Dinsdale, Warren Clarke, Sean Pertwee, cameo by Phil Davis
Phil Davis, 1995, UK
* MOTION PICTURE
Hooligan '96
Narrated by Lesley Grantham
Sharper Image Productions, 1996, UK
* VIDEO DOCUMENTARY
-------------------
Mods & Skins
-------------------
Romper Stomper
Russell Crowe, Daniel Pollock, Jacqueline McKenzie, Alex Scott
Geoffrey Wright, 1992, AUSTRALIA
* MOTION PICTURE/ FICTION
- A cinematic masterpiece, one of only two films
which I have paid to see twice. - Stephen Martin
(ig...@hooknladder.jammys.net)
Quadrophenia
Phil Daniels, Leslie Ash, Toyah Wilcox, Sting, Phil Davis, Mark Wingett
Franc Roddam, 1979, UK
* MOTION PICTURE/ FICTION
Made in Britain
Tim Roth, Terry Richards, Bill Stewart, Eric Richard, Geoffrey Hutchings
Alan Clarke, 1982, UK
* TV FICTION
Meantime
Tim Roth, Phil Daniels, Gary Oldman, Alfred Molina, Marion Bailey
Alan Clarke, 1983, UK
* TV FICTION
A Clockwork Orange
Malcolm McDowell, Patrick Magee, Adrienne Corri, Miriam Carlin
Stanley Kubrick, 1971, UK
* MOTION PICTURE/ FICTION
- This film is not available in UK in cinema or video due to
restrictions placed upon it by the Director.
Skinheads, The Second Coming of Hate
Chuck Connors, Barbara Bain, Jason Culp, Elizabeth Sagal, Brian Brophy
Greydon Clark, 1989, USA
* MOTION PICTURE/ FICTION
- "Skinheads: the Second Coming of Hate", is a nonsensical
film whose only reasons for existence seemed to be to add
to Chuck Connors' bank account, and to bolster the bruised
egos of jocks everywhere. - Stephen Martin
(ig...@hooknladder.jammys.net)
Skins - The Movie
Wings Hauser
Wings Hauser,,USA
* MOTION PICTURE/ FICTION
- Has anyone seen this piece of trash?? If you havent...dont
bother. What a load of bollocks. Its written by, directed
by, and stars one pratt named Wings Hauser. Where the fuck
did they dig up this guy??? Anyway.....obviously this guy
was beaten up by some skins and this movie is his fantasy
of what he wishes he could do if he actually had a set of
testicles. All I can say is save any money hiring it.
About the only good bit in it is the head skin's shirt,
and the room with the giant swastika painted on the floor
(if you're a neo-nazi). Save your money and forget it.
Deth (de...@magna.com.au)
World of Skinhead
Filming by Doug Aubrey
Alan Robertson & Doug Aubrey for Channel 4 Television, 1995, UK
* TV DOCUMENTARY
- George Marshall was consultant on this programme and it is
worth viewing alongside his book 'Skinhead Nation'. STP plan
to release this on video at some point - no details announced
as yet.
Skinhead Farewell
BBC, 1996, UK
* TV DOCUMENTARY
- This TV programme on the life of Richard Allen was transmitted
in the UK in March 1996. It is not available on video, nor is
it planned to be released.
American Skin
1996, USA
* MOTION PICTURE/ FICTION
- Elizabeth Marie Richardson (e...@gwis2.circ.gwu.edu) writes:
American Skin is a piece of shit. It's good to watch if you want
a laugh. No, I take that back, it's never good to watch. Most of
the DC skins went to see it on opening night and we all got up
and left after 15 min or less. First of all it's a bonehead movie.
Now I know Romper Stomper is also, but it was made well.
Second of all, the sound and the cinematography is horrible as
well as the plot. I know someone who saw the whole thing and
said the plot was something about this German (with a HORRIBLE
fake accent, by the way) drug lord who was trying to infect the cities
of America with this drug so he could wipe out the black people and
there were these black drug dealers who would just kill little kids right
and left and the skins were also on this bizarre misssion. The cop
(played by the director, who was oh so tough while he was trying to
sell his T shirts to us) who was chasing them for their hate crimes and
the drug people kept flashing back to Cambodia (or something) and it
turned out in the end that the Nazi guy was some guy that killed all
these kids in Cambodia (Cambodia scenes brought to us by the foliage
of the director's back yard) a long time ago. Every body bad dies. At
least thats what I think he said. I don't know the guy who saw it said
it was pretty confusing and stupid. I think I got up and left when the
German referred to the boneheads as "our diminutive bald soldiers."
One of the reasons we were so pissed (besides the general bad quality
of the film) is because it was marketed as DC skins in general and the
9:30 club supported it and bartenders acted in it.
-------
Punk
-------
Rude Boy
Ray Gange, The Clash, Sara Hall, Johnny Green, Terry McQuade,
Liz Young, Jack Hazan & David Mingay, 1980, UK
* MUSIC FICTION
The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle
Mary Millington, Liz Frazer, Malcolm McLaren, The Sex Pistols
Julian Temple, 1980, UK
* MUSIC FICTION
Sid and Nancy
Gary Oldman, Chloe Webb, David Hayman, Drew Schofield
Alex Cox, 1986, UK
* MOTION PICTURE/ BASED ON FACT
3.8: Magazine and Newspaper Articles About Skinheads
The Werewolf of London (bae...@plains.nodak.edu) writes:
Check out the Jan. 8th issue of the New Yorker magazine, there's a long article
(about 20 pages) by a former member of the German neo-Nazi movement. He has since
had a change of heart and wised up to the total bullshit that neo-nazis spew, and
now he gives talks at schools and stuff...I thought it was pretty interesting. His
name was Ingo Hassebruck (?? Something like that)
inked...@aol.com (Inkedsknhd) writes:
Check out the article in the new (April 1996) Esquire about "skinheads" in the
military! Once again, all skins are neo-nazis! So are guys with shaved heads!
Lets hear some positive stuff from military skins for a change.
"NY Times and ADL Slander Skins Again"
by the late Stephen Donaldson
June 28, 1995
Letter To The Editor
The New York Times
229 W. 43rd St.
NY NY 10036
The Times has once again (June 28) carried a one-sided report on
skinheads, which takes the fund-raising propaganda of one group, the
Anti-Defamation League (ADL), at face value to give readers a totally
misleading impression of another group, skinheads.
If the Christian Coalition issued a report demonizing homosexuals
you would include a response from gays; if the Environmental Defense
Fund issued a report demonizing Western cattle ranchers you would try
to put it in perspective. Why does the Times thow the principle of
balanced news reporting out the window as soon as the word "skinhead"
is uttered?
First you take an already skewed ADL "Survey of Neo-Nazi
Skinheads" and then report its findings--not in quotations from an ADL
spokesperson, either--as applicable to all skinheads ("skinheads
remain....", "skinheads share...they read...they prefer....their
disposition" "American skinheads are organized..."). You might as
well take a report on "Right-Wing Militia Military Veterans" and then
continually tell your readers "veterans favor....; veterans
denounce...., etc." as if these militia members represented all
veterans.
In fact, the ADL has accepted the preposterous claims of extreme
right groups to the skinhead tradition---which actually began among
Jamaican blacks in the 1960s, not "in England two decades ago"--and
given them currency because having a scary enemy helps the ADL raise
money. In so doing they are actually helping the Nazis by giving them
legitimacy among working-class youth. Traditional skinheads denounce
these imposters as "boneheads" who have no respect for the long
tradition of racial integration which in fact has characterized the
skinhead movement. Anyone who has attended skinhead music events in
New York City can see for themselves that black, Hispanic, Oriental and
Jewish skinheads are common. Nationally and internationally
traditional working-class skinheads far outnumber the boneheads,
financed by wealthy right-wing patrons, who are trying to steal a proud
tradition.
All the "skinzine" publications I have seen are determinedly
non-rascist, and the main one in New York, "No Escape," is edited by a
black skinhead. So is "Carry No Banners," the leading Midwestern
skinzine. The ADL report may have "found no discernible national
skinhead organization in the United States," but they either didn't do
much research or deliberately omitted traditional skinheads, since they
omitted the nationally organized non-rascist United Front organization,
now headquartered in Ohio. Maybe they couldn't handle the UF's
racially integrated logo.
Traditional skinheads often proclaim that they have been
crucified by the sensation-seeking mass media. As a former newspaper
reporter, I like to defend good papers like The Times. But you
continually prove their point. As a responsible paper, you should be
talking with real skinheads, especially here in New York where you are
published, and report the truth, not just the ADL's propaganda. Why
don't you talk to someone from SkinHeads Against Racial Prejudice
(SHARP), which has chapters around the nation and in New York, for
example?
[The writer reported on alternative music for a number of publications,
including Maximum Rock & Roll, New York's Under the Volcano, and, in
1994, the Skinhead Times, under the name "Donny the Punk".]
3.9: What about 'zines?
The following are Skinhead/Ska/Punk/Oi! 'Zines which are
APOLITICAL and NON-RACIST.
Do A Runner! (Oi!/Street-punk 'Zine)
c/o Sound Views
96 Henry St. #5W
Brooklyn, NY 11201-1713
USA
email: Sound...@aol.com
internet: http://members.aol.com/SoundViews/doarunnr.html
$2(US)/$3(World) for issue #1
Price subject to change for issue #2 due out carca May 1st, 1997.
All rates in US funds.
L'ERE BETE fanzine
C.P. 27501
Laval, Quebec
HYG 4YZ
Canada
fax: (514)686-7613
email:lere...@geocities.com
internet: http://netrover.com/~ricky/lerebete/
Contact for prices.
Oink! Skinzine
PO Box 46
Cresskill, NY 07626
USA
tele: (201)801-5515
email: avi...@intac.com
internet: "The Skinternet" http://www.intac.com/~avidday
$2(US)/$3(World) for issue #3
$3(US)/$4(World) for all issues afterwards (each include a 7")
All rates in US funds.
Teenage Warning! (Street Music 'Zine)
* Ordering from Europe:
Marcos Mari Brown
Apartado de Correos 1474
07800 Ibiza (Baleares)
Spain
1.50 Pounds/5DM/15FF/$3 or 300 Pesetas per issue
* Ordering from rest of the World:
Johan Van Mieghem
Postbus 46
9050 Ledeberg 1
Belgium
$4 per issue
email: bull...@arrakis.es
internet: http://www.arrakis.es/~bullfrog/zine.htm
All rates in the above currencies. Accept
cash (registrated letter) or IMO (International
Money Order). No cheques, or eurocheques.
-------------------------------------------------
Other 'Zines
vox...@nyc.pipeline.com (Michelle Chen) writes:
Alright. It's time to spam for my zine. My zine doesn't have very much to do
with skinheads, I'm afraid, but spamming for my zine is more productive than
posting up Jews4Jesus propaganda (wink, wink). I'm currently getting ready to spit
out another fun-filled issue of Inverted Magazine. The 3rd issue is a split issue
put together by me and a kid in Chicago named Brian (for those of you on IRC,
that's Briangeek--yes, meeting zine geeks over IRC is pathetic), who runs big*geek
zine. I'm sure you'll find it entertaining, and if not, you will at least have
plenty of other reasons not to like me after reading it. Oh, and for those of you
who read the second issue, I did NOT rip anything off of the Lashout website this
time. If you would like to subscribe, send a stamp to this address:
Inverted Magazine
c/o Michelle
75 Grand St. #2E
New York, NY 10013
Yes, that is my home address. I invite you all to come to my house and kick my
ass if you think you did not get what you payed for (though, I'm sure my zine is
worth around 32 cents).
Thank you for your time.
--------------------------------------------------
White Power (possibly defunct)
Rampage: A Skinhead Voice
P.O. Box 19
Coalville
Leicester LE67 1DS
England
SledgeHammer: The Voice of the White Nations,
by the Northern Hammer Skins
P.O. Box 428
Gatineau Quebec, J8P 7A1 Canada
$25.00/yr. (12 issues) in Canada
$30.00/yr. U.S.
$35.00/yr. Overseas
All rates are in Canadian funds
3.10: Are there any Skinhead homepages or other Internet resources?
Skinheads On The Internet/The Lashout home page
http://www-personal.ksu.edu/~lashout/skns.html
Traditional Skinhead
http://pages.prodigy.com/NY/quintskinhead/
Skinheads Rule...OK?!
http://www.op.net/~lambreta/
The American Skinhead Page
http://edlab-www.cs.umass.edu/~mmelillo/
SPiRiT 69's Home Page!
http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/1741/
Bottom Of The Barrel
http://www.akula.com/~botbskin/
Oi! the FAQ
http://www.akula.com/~botbskin/whatoi.html
Stephen Martin's FAQ-lette "Dear Doc Martin"
http://www.ncf.carleton.ca/~aj759/
Bronco Bullfrog Homepage (home of Teenage Warning! 'zine)
http://www.arrakis.es/~bullfrog/
The Skinternet (home of Oink! Skinzine)
http://intac.com/~avidday/index.html
Do A Runner! (Oi!/Street-punk 'Zine)
http://members.aol.com/SoundViews/doarunnr.html
L'ERE BETE fanzine
http://netrover.com/~ricky/lerebete/
BSSC Home Page
http://www.StudioJohnMStafford.com/BSSC_Home_Page.html
Snag's Homepage
http://www.worldramp.net/~snag/
Razors in the Night
http://www.users.interport.net/~sed/
Stormwatch (storm...@gnn.com) Homepage
http://members.gnn.com/stormwatch/stormwatch.htm
------------------
Personal Homepages
------------------
Stephen "Donny" Donaldson (spr...@ix.netcom.com) Homepage
http://www.igc.apc.org/spr/.
Tomas Willis, "The Ska FAQ guy"
to...@cae.wisc.edu or tomas@F18?-???.net.wisc.edu
ken d barr (jr...@acpub.duke.edu) homepages
For the band No Cover (formerly Kenny Jones)
http://www.duke.edu/~jrb11/kenjones.html
A Ska page
http://www.duke.edu/~jrb11/viskasity.html
Bootboy (boo...@airmail.net) For vit musik
http://web2.airmail.net/bootboy/nordl.htm
SkabOi! (skad...@tiac.net) homepage on the web
http://www.tiac.net/users/skadadle/skadadle.html
Schroedinger Cat's (sc...@panix.com) homepage
http://cognac.resnet.upenn.edu/~scat
"AudioWhore, M.D." (man...@cs.tufts.edu) homepages
http://www.tufts.edu/~mlo/audiowhore.html
http://www.tufts.edu/~mlo
Mac (cmmor...@oxblood.compulink.co.uk) skinhead www page
http://members.aol.com/skinheaduk/
Graham Wilson (gra...@dircon.co.uk) homepage
http://www.users.dircon.co.uk/~grahamr
MAILING LISTS
ska-list:
--------
Tomas Willis (to...@cae.wisc.edu) writes:
Hey ska fans everywhere --- are you interested in a ska/rude boy-rude girl/
skinhead mailing list? I got a note from Skarlos, in Puerto Rico, and he says:
I am thinking of starting a listserve list for ska+rudeboys+skinheads. Something
less political than alt.skinheads but a bit more than alt.music.ska. What do you
think?
I think a mailing like this would allow for more focused discussions on some
specific topics than Usenet has seen, so I support the effort. Rude lifestyles,
skinhead history and musical roots are likely topics. If _you_ want to get
involved with this mailing list, contact Skarlos at car...@eart.com (Carlos A.
Rivera), [that's mailto:car...@eart.com for you WebBrowsers] or just use your
newsreader to reply to this message. Send your mail to Skarlos, not me. Thanks.
oi-list:
-------
Lee 69 of "Do A Runner!" Oi!/Street-punk 'Zine maintains the oi-list.
You can reach him by email (Sound...@aol.com) or visit the homepage
http://members.aol.com/SoundViews/doarunnr.html
3.11: Skinheads and Education
TBD
3.11.1: Skinheads in the Classroom
TBD
3.12: Skinhead Jokes
On 13 Feb 1996, Stephen Donny Donaldson wrote:
Q: There's a skinhead, a punk, and a rudeboy in the back seat of a car. Who's
in the front seat?
A: A cop.
From: tony testa <test...@duq3.cc.duq.edu>, Feb-14-96 14:58
how many skins does it take to change a lightbulb?
11-one to do it and ten to back him up
Richard Collins wrote:
There was a three story apartment building in California. On the first floor
lived some skinheads. On the second floor lived some punks. On the third floor
lived some hippies. On day a big earthquake hit and the building was toppled to
the ground. Who survived?
The skinheads, they were at work!
"Dominic Green" (demoni...@cix.compulink.co.uk) writes:
The New York Police Department expressed concern yesterday at the number of
Hairless Vagrant Youths hanging around underpasses, dark alleyways and latrines
holding Personal Computers with the intent to Maim and Rob. One such unhirsute
youth was questioned by reporters:
Our Man In Brooklyn: 'So, Dave - can I call you Dave?'
Dave: 'That's me name.'
OMIB: 'So, Dave, you - hit people with this Personal Computer thing?'
Dave: 'I do. Ram the screen down straight over their ead. IBM PC's works best,
then the ole ead goes right down the cathode tube. Macintoshes only works on
folk with small eads, like Children and Creationists.'
OMIB: 'But...why don't you just...hit them. With your hands?'
Dave: 'I'm a child of the Information Age.'
A fellow I know was over in England for a while and sent this back:
Bonnets, Spanners, and Boots... by Mel Pheasant
The language here is quite different. It's almost the same, but enough to make it
unintelligible if you are listening to someone speaking slangily in a pub, after
having a few. I'm putting together a glossary for myself:
chip 'o larter - a little sausage used for garnish
(not a guy from Ireland)
bonnet - car hood
boot - car trunk
gateau - cake
prawns - shrimp
yorkshire pudding - not pudding at all, but a full coarse meal
minced meat - not a meal at all, but a desert
bangers and mash - disgusting sausage in something or other
clotted cream - unknown, but apparently quite popular
oxtail soup - unfortunately, what you'd think
sweets - deserts
crisps - chips
chips - fries
lunch - usually the meal around noon
dinner - usually the meal around noon
supper - usually the meal around noon
(note no clear word for evening meal)
tea - a fictitious break around 4pm that no one
seems to take
high tea - late night snack I think
low tea - no reference to this, perhaps Sat. morning
tea after a big party?
takeaway - takeout food
drizzle - rain
sleet - rain
rain - rain
blustery - rainy
showers - rain
mist - rain
gales - wind and rain, don't even bother with an
umbrella
fog - slower rain
wind - rain coming in at a slight angle, just
under the umbrella
wet - rain, but they aren't sure what kind, or
a mixture
damp - fog, with some drizzle and rain, perhaps
showers
stormy - blustery rain, with wind
cold front - rain
warm front - rain
occluded front - rain
sun - occasional light poking through the clouds
light - thin clouds with drizzle or rain
dark - think clouds, with any kind of rain
patchy - different kinds of rain, with thin cloud
patches
clear - not describing the sky, but perhaps "rain
clear across England"
weather - rain
dry - the weather man's been on the wagon
widget - strange things put in beer cans to get it
to foam properly
beer - beer
pint - beer
ale - beer
bitter - beer
lager - beer
cider - horribly strong beer/cider
draught - beer
half - a weenie glass of beer
stout - beer you can't see through
real ale - beer made the old way
cheers - like aloha, means almost anything, like hi,
bye, please, thankyou, excuse me, excuse me
for farting, a toast, thanks for the toast,
thanks for stepping on my foot, thanks for
spilling beer on me, thanks for holding the
door open, etc.
sod - "sod it", an expletive suitable for use in
front of youngsters
mate - Canadian equivalent of "guy", American "man"
dodgey - what you'd think, actually, just applied to
more things
fag - cigarette
faggots - large meatballs
First UK Tranlation Guide by an anonymous person:
In this first attempt, I'm going to try a phrase-translation guide to talking in
the UK:
"A hurricane came by and flattened my house, and whisked away all my children and
worldly belongings" translates to "we had a bit of a wind".
"The idea was so stupid we laughed it out of the meeting room" translates to "It's
not on".
"This soup is so aweful you couldn't even stick a goddamned knife through it"
translates to "It's a bit stodgy".
"Two hundred bored fishermen, unable to fish because of bad weather, beat the crap
out of each other and busted up a lot of commercial property" tranlates to "there
was a bit of a rumble at the pub last night".
3.13: Skinhead Short Stories (fiction/non-fiction)
"Saturday Night Aggro? Hardly..." by The Werewolf of London
Saturday night aggro? Hardly...this is kinda funny...last night I was
downtown with my roommate and another friend. I just wanted to kick back
and have a beer and relax after my return trip from Winnipeg (aka Cool
Canadian City),anyways, the three of us are walking up the street about
10 PM minding our own business and
heading for the bar. Well, as we're waiting to cross the street this
jock-boy with a backwards baseball cap turns in front of us and yells out
the car window "Hey faggots! Who does the sucking and who does the
fucking?" and sped off. This brought a finger salute from all three of us
and a wish for a beer bottle to throw. Well, we see him turn the corner
and go up the next block . We decide to have some fun, mainly because he
was in the car with three girls, probably trying to impress them with how
hilarious he was. We speed-walk up the block and round the corner just as
he's turning into the parking lot of the bar. He sees us heading for him,
turns the car around and speeds off down an alley along the railroad tracks
and rounds the corner. We follow after after him and round the next
corner to
see them sitting in another parking lot, nervously waiting. I was the
first to spot them and pointed at them. He's now facing three pissed off
older guys marching shoulder to shoulder straight at his car with
determined looks on their faces. He rolls down the window and screams
"What the fuck is your problem?" to which my buddy yells "Come here,
punk!" One of the girls in the back shrieks "Leave us alone!" and I yell
"We want him, not you." We're almost up to the car and my roommate
yells at him "Hey, talk shit to us now." He gives us a terrified look,
rolls up the window and punches the accelator, leaving in a cloud of dust
and spun gravel while we chase him down the street for a block. Hey, we
wouldn't have hurt him, we just wanted to scare him a bit and teach him a
lesson about yelling out car windows at strangers. I guess he realized
that it's no longer funny when they call your bluff and come for you.
Well, if anything he turned chicken in front of the three girls and lost
some face there. Saturday nights can be fun :)
"Ah, College" by Zach Archer
Tonight me compose music! Yes! Due tomorrow! Song for piano and pretty
female singer! Fuck! Shit! I am neither piano player nor pretty female singer!
Stupid poem by Lord Byron! Make sound good! Unga boop boop be doop! Throw
in a few gratuitous "Oi!"s. Hmm. What's this chord? C#, D, Eb all at same
time! It's perfect! I'm a fucking genius! Anything sounds good at this
hour! Herald me a fucking intellectual and buy me a yacht. I like
fire! Drank lots of coffee. Let me _emphasize_ that. Drank LOTS of
coffee. Hope can fall in sleep-coma soon.
Hmm, let's stay up and finish this fucking project that's been due for 10
weeks oh come on I mean I had other things to do and besides I don't like
poetry it's stupid anyway TEEEEA-CHER why can't I write a SYMPHONY with
parts for people shooting rifles I've always wanted to do that. At the
end they point the rifles at the conductor and maim 'em! Ha ha, a stupid
pretentious music gimmick! Staying up after sleeping three hours was
GOOD idea! I can feel it in my veins! I can feel it wanting to come up
through my mouth! Met a skinhead downtown, said he was passing through.
Him: "WAnna get a beer?" Me: "Uh... no, I have to go finish.. uh... I'd
rather not talk about it." ARGH. Too much pizza is a bad thing. Need go
home, soak in neighbor's hot tub. Calgon, take me away! Need to bust
heads. Cop followed me around, wanted to kick in his headlights. Almost
did. Well, not really. Mmm. Unga. So, is stupid music thing done? FUCK
NO. Wrote for 6 hours today, 6 hours the day before that, put it in
computer, using horrible MIDI software that crashes every time you
play.. an accidental. Sounds like total shit!
LifelessBorgPerformance{tm}! Underwater oboe sound replaces pretty
female singer! Oh come on just give me ten MORE weeks I swear I can
write for symphony or something cool like that just no more FUCKING
PIANO MUSIC. Rain is wet! Remember when I did the music for that
play? And I had three weeks, or actually two, because I got really
sick? Why does this ALWAYS HAPPEN???!! This could have been really
cool music. It's incomprefuckinghensible. And so am I. Actually, I'm
not nearly as fucked up as I'm pretending to sound... Maybe I'll just go
burn down a church and piss a pentagram on the pavement, maybe it'll be
linked to a satanic conspiracy and get in the papers and we can re-kindle
the Jesus Crusades, right here in Californica. Hot shit.
Where's the Fighin' Jesus when you need him?
3.14: What is the best dark beer?
Michael Rosencrantz (ro...@interport.net) writes:
Good dark ales--
Brooklyn Brown (very very good)
Newcastle Brown Ale
Brooklyn Chocolate Stout
Old Peculiar
McEwan's Scotch Ale
Guinness
Anything I brew myself (except that batch last summer, you know the one I'm
talking about)
Good dark lagers--
I don't really like lager, but here's a few:
Shiner Bock
Celebrator (cool little plastic goat tied to the bottle)
Richard Collins writes:
The best dark beer (stout actually) is Guinness hands down. If stout is a little
too thick for you try a porter or lager. And don't overlook Beck's Dark, I know
it sounds common but it is really decent stuff. Personally I'll take a stout any
day but if it is darker than a cup of Denny's coffee I'll drink it!
From: LAHC Student <stu...@mail.SDSU.edu>
I don't think it is dark beer, but I like it (Killians). I think they have red and
dark brown. If you haven't already tried it, I suggest you do.
Joellen Welch (jow...@lynx.dac.neu.edu) writes:
Harpoon Stout. Ya can't get it just anywhere, though...
Liz Lopez (parad...@earthlink.net) writes:
Simple,
Boddingtons, *the* best Northern Bitter. Brewed in Strangeways. As always, the
Mancs do it the best!
On Tue, 2 Apr 1996, Moonstomper wrote:
Hrm...It's not the best dark beer, but my favorite dark beer is Yuengling Porter,
brewed in (I believe) Pottsville, Pennsylvania. It's apparently America's oldest
brewery, and during prohibition, they made ice cream to stay afloat. The reason
it's my favorite is that it's good when you don't want something as heavy as
guinness, but it's still definitely a dark beer, and also, it's relatively cheap,
and it was readily available in supermarkets that didn't carry much good dark beer.
(In other words, the only other real option was Beck's, which cost more).
Unfortunately, I can't get it up here in Mass., cuz it's a small brewery, and
they already have trouble meeting all the demand. "sigh*
Cheeky Princess (leah_r...@bc.edu) writes:
King K of the Allstonians wanted me to post this too: You are right about
Yuengling being America's oldest brewery and I agree that they make some
excellent Gevvy's namely the lager and their black&tan is outstanding. But
alas, I've not had the porter yet. Even though it is a brown ale, Newcastle
is by far better than Becks. I could probably score some of the porter from
my future father-in-law who turned me onto Yuengling last year when I visited
in Allentown, PA. Let me know through this address. I'm getting some anyway,
when he comes up to Boston for our (Cheeky's & my) wedding.
ro...@mail.utexas.edu (rokester) writes:
P.S. A good dark beer is Ziegen Bock Amber, Brewed right here in TX
J A Dare writes:
Here's my two cents. Stouts RULE, okay?! Thus the following....
3.14.1: Guinness Extra Stout
TBD
Fredrick Thornell writes:
Did I tell you what happened when they tried serving Guinnes at the bars
at school? They had to stop. They run things non-profit and even without
enough margin to make a zero-budget if the cans aren't left behind to be
recycled (1/13 dollar a can...)
And what does a tech student who has just had a Guinnes do? Of course
he opens the can to see what the little bubble gizmo in the bottom look
like. They only got back like 10% of the Guinness cans...
3.14.2: Murphy's Irish Stout
TBD
3.15: Do Skinheads use drugs?
TBD
3.16: Skinhead Scenes?
Susan Monaco (smo...@essential.org) wrote:<P>
I'm curious about the skinhead scene. What do you guys generally think
about drugs, sex, food, women, where whites should live, your place in
society, and attitudes toward the law?
smd (wond...@eden.com) writes:
Drug use is to a certain extent a matter of personal choice. Too much of
anything can suck the life right out of you. Sex. Case in point: it's
gotten out of hand, and we're catching hell for it. Food? What a dumb
question, who doesn't like to eat?
Women? I like them. I'm marrying one soon. White people? They manage
to live everywhere, like roaches. That'll never change. My place in
society? Eternal rake. Law? Well one hand I don't like to see little
children fondled and old ladies stabbed, I know what it's like to spend
14 hours in jail at a time for utterly silly bullshit. The law is
forever a necessary evil. It's our worst best friend, generally a tool of
the ruling class.
PJRmovie (pjrm...@aol.com) wrote:
Okay, here goes it again:
If anyone knows anything about any skins, scooters, mods or even a
rockabilly scene in Italy, please let me know. My friend is moving to
Florence in September and desperately is seeking some good people to hang
with.
smd (wond...@eden.com) writes:
This probably isn't helpful, but I'll spill my guts regardless. I was
there in december and had the full range of the "skinhead experiences".
People think you're a Nazi, people pick fights with you in nightclubs,
you meet good old fashioned traditional skinheads (in this case at the
Vatican, the police don't trust you, et cetera. I saw two pieces of good
grafitti "Mods Rule, ok?" and "Punx and Skins: El Grupo Fred Perry". I
had alot of fun. Beware that the flight jacket is a fashion staple, like
the trend of blue jeans. EVERYONE wears them. They don't really mean
much. At the same time the clash between neofascists and
lefties/anarchists is pretty eminent amongst the young. Lots of young
people walking around with the fascists insignias. Lots of battles of
propaganda through spray paint and poster. It's an old battle,
and I'd stay out of it. Okay, that's about it. There are cool people,
it may take a while, but they're out there. If you can afford to have a
good time there, it's an alright place.
Fredrick Thornell writes:
Heh... Well, over here shaving your head is a bad idea if you're not 6
ft. 5, 200 lbs (or non-kaukasian). We've got hoards of gangs made up of
16-yr. old ex-yougoslavian muslims and/or arabs who are basically just
braindead racist dickheads walking around trying to find someone
swedish-looking to beat up to show how tough they are (only ten against
one or so, gotta admire them...). Then they spend a lot of time bitching
about how everyone who's not them is _sooooooooo_ 'racist' since everyone
hates them (which is true, but not very racist IMO) and doesn't
'respect' them... I feel really sorry for all the nice refugees/immigrants
who live here, who have to put up with seeing their contrymen being like
that and suffering from the effects of it.
Anyway, if you're not big enough to be a threat _and_ shave your head,
you can wear a t-shirt with a crossed over swastika and "nasi's fuck off"
printed on it. They are too clueless to realise what it means. You get
beaten up none the less. I don't think even you would be safe.
I'm so goddamn tired of all the racism here, both the 'normal' one and
the 'reverse'. It ruins a lot!
The Werewolf of London writes:
Yep..it's official, i have deemed Winnipeg, Manitoba to be on Marc's
Official List of Cool Places. I just returned from an overnight jaunt up
there...and not only did I find a kick-ass music store with tons of Oi
and Ska (I picked up Oi! The Main Event CD) , I also found a store with a
sale on Docs, no 3-hole oxbloods steelies :( but i did snag a pair of
black 3-holers for $89 Canadian...damn good price in my book...
Scariest part was that =:0 ...I actually got laid again...this is getting
wierd...twice in one month? I'm afraid that the polar ice caps are going
to shift pretty soon...such unusal activity must be a prediction of
something big about to happen...gotta love those Canadian women...:)
Yep...Winnipeg is cool...
3.17: DONT WANNA BE A VICTIM: SKINHEADS (PART ONE)
by Donny the Punk
(may be reprinted freely)
Skinhead! The very word breathes flames. To most of the
population, which has heard of skins only thru the mass media,
"skinhead immediately conjures up lurid pictures of Nazis, the Ku Klux
Klan, ignorant gangs, a disciplined corps of mindless terrorists, the
young storm troopers of the Fourth Reich. Many react with visceral
revulsion, disgust, even blind hatred. To skins themselves, the term
evokes pride, a sense of honor, a feeling of tribe and family and
affectionate brotherhood. Mixed in for both skins and their enemies
are images of macho violence, flight jackets, drunken brawls, gang
rituals, nationalism or patriotism, soccer fans, beer, oi! punk rock
music, British youth cults, Doc Martens boots, "braces (suspenders),
ska music, and the working class. And above all, the short haircut
with its film images of convicts and soldiers.
In the years ive been writing this column, i dont think i have
ever attempted a more difficult subject than skinheads. Ive written
on oi! and on ska music, both of which heavily involve skins, and over
two years ago i promised id eventually write a column on skinheads.
In the last issue i described my joy at a NYC skinhead show, but until
now ive shied away from tackling this complex and usually
misunderstood subject head-on.
Crucified for Your Skins
I started out as a newspaper and Associated Press reporter, so i
am not one of those folks who blame the press for everything. But i
certainly have never seen any group of people as viciously, callously,
and systematically slandered and misrepresented, without any attempt
at a balanced or objective presentation, as the skinheads. Their treatment,
violating all the professional standards i was ever taught, is a black mark
indeed on the record of American journalism. For the sake of sensationalism
(which a gullible public rewards with greater sales and ratings), the mass
media, whether TV, film, newspapers, or magazines, has been holding up
neo-Nazi and rascist boneheads as skinheads, accepting their claim to that
term at face value. The trad(itional) skins, who are the vast majority and who
do not generally recognize the boneheads as true skins at all, rarely show up
in the media at all. The most outrageous journalistic errors are committed at
will, and nobody cares. Why?
Skins are mostly working-class, and few of the media bigwigs have
ever known one. Skins dont move in the power circles of the media,
they dont mean much to heavy advertisers, and they have no big lobbies
and well-connected law firms to make noises when the media mistreats
them. Also as a side effect of a powerless working-class background,
skins are not brought up with the idea that efforts should be directed
towards changing the system. And by now the skinhead stereotype has
become so well ingrained as a bogeyman of the media that most skins
feel it is hopeless to even try to change things, abandoning the field
and concentrating on personal contacts at the grass- roots. It still
hurts, tho, when ignorant people everywhere hate you for a Nazi at the
mere sight of a shaved head; all the more so when youve got the scars
from fighting the real Nazis.
In the United States, a major culprit is the Anti-Defamation
League, which is headquartered in NYC and normally fights anti-Jewish
discrimination, but which each year produces, distributes, and
publicizes a report holding up "skinheads as tools of the neo-Nazi
right wing. Typically, the ADL acknowledges the existence of
non-rascist skins only in a tiny buried footnote (which is of course
overlooked by all the media folks) to the effect that "the term
skinhead in this report means only neo-Nazi skinheads and is not
intended to reflect on other skinheads. But for 30 pages or so the
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
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