Blackpool_Rox
11-08-2005, 10:18 AM
Hi - my name is Andy Higgins - I run a UK punk label (Just Say No To Government Music) and a fanzine Blackpool Rox II. All this is on my site www.jsntgm.com .
I am writing a column 4 a new UK zine ‘Beat Motel’ regarding SxE. I post this thread in the hope of some feedback and discussion points which might help me writing the article. If anyone wants to contact me direct then that's fine - andy@jsntgm.com.
I only started becoming familiar with SxE in the late 80’s, even though I bought early Minor Threat material and got introduced to that sound via the Flex Your Head album in the early 80’s (my copy has the three crosses on the cover). Whilst I enjoyed certain songs I found a lot of the music a bit uninspiring, predictable and one dimensional, as I did with a lot of early 80’s ‘hardcore’ and the stiflingly uninspiring UK ‘Oi’ scene. As such I tended to fish in different yet related waters for my musical sustenance. So when I think of SxE I am sort of picking through ‘old records’ (which I never at the time labelled as SxE ), and trying to re-articulate how this style of music fits with certain key lyrics (Minor Threat Out of Step – Youth of Today Can’t Close My Eyes) and how this all makes me feel and its relevance today.
The fact that my view is by definition a retrospective one (I was never part of the phenomenon) might affect my judgement, but I also think my view of SxE is tainted somewhat as it always seemed a bit too intense and serious. The sound and the moody/angry record covers sort of screamed “we are serious about this … and so should you be”, which contrasted with the more subversive and interesting approach of bands like the Dead Kennedys and DOA. Hence a journey through my record collection now reveals more DK material than all SxE related stuff put together – which concerns me a little.
Another factor was that I was never really ever aware of a UK SxE scene? I remember gigs in the early 90’s where younger punkers were turning up with skateboards to gigs and Minor Threat t-shirts were getting more prevalent, and sure loads of people had a cool moral stance towards the world and each other, but nevera scene as such.
[Incidentally one thing I fuckin hate about the UK scene is that nowadays bands like Black Flag, M.T. have a new found sense of popularity as a result of the media co-option of ‘punk rock’. I remember being well into Black Flag in the bleak and uninspiring UK mid 80’s and people at shows asking ‘who are they’ ‘what are they like’ ‘where are they from’ etc In my life I have never seen more than say 3 people ever wearing Black Flag t-shirts in the town where I live (and I know all 3 individuals) until very recently when I spotted a lad about 20 years of age wearing one. I bounded up to him in friendly punk rock fashion and tried to engage in conversation about Black Flag – he had never heard any of their music, he just liked the t-shirt. I guess the same goes for media celebrities who swagger around in Ramones t-shirts purchased from over-priced boutiques.] – rant over !
I don’t smoke (never have done really) because I don’t like it, however drinking and taking drugs has never been a problem in my book. I have tried many times to be a veggie (like now) but always with limited success – I do that though out of a moral dislike for the madness of the meat industry rather than health reasons. I have never really sung or written about these sXe related issues, as I have preferred to focus on what I perceive to be more pressing social/psychological/historical issues – that’s a personal preference rather than a moral judgement of course.
Anyhow please feed-back your thoughts.
ah
I am writing a column 4 a new UK zine ‘Beat Motel’ regarding SxE. I post this thread in the hope of some feedback and discussion points which might help me writing the article. If anyone wants to contact me direct then that's fine - andy@jsntgm.com.
I only started becoming familiar with SxE in the late 80’s, even though I bought early Minor Threat material and got introduced to that sound via the Flex Your Head album in the early 80’s (my copy has the three crosses on the cover). Whilst I enjoyed certain songs I found a lot of the music a bit uninspiring, predictable and one dimensional, as I did with a lot of early 80’s ‘hardcore’ and the stiflingly uninspiring UK ‘Oi’ scene. As such I tended to fish in different yet related waters for my musical sustenance. So when I think of SxE I am sort of picking through ‘old records’ (which I never at the time labelled as SxE ), and trying to re-articulate how this style of music fits with certain key lyrics (Minor Threat Out of Step – Youth of Today Can’t Close My Eyes) and how this all makes me feel and its relevance today.
The fact that my view is by definition a retrospective one (I was never part of the phenomenon) might affect my judgement, but I also think my view of SxE is tainted somewhat as it always seemed a bit too intense and serious. The sound and the moody/angry record covers sort of screamed “we are serious about this … and so should you be”, which contrasted with the more subversive and interesting approach of bands like the Dead Kennedys and DOA. Hence a journey through my record collection now reveals more DK material than all SxE related stuff put together – which concerns me a little.
Another factor was that I was never really ever aware of a UK SxE scene? I remember gigs in the early 90’s where younger punkers were turning up with skateboards to gigs and Minor Threat t-shirts were getting more prevalent, and sure loads of people had a cool moral stance towards the world and each other, but nevera scene as such.
[Incidentally one thing I fuckin hate about the UK scene is that nowadays bands like Black Flag, M.T. have a new found sense of popularity as a result of the media co-option of ‘punk rock’. I remember being well into Black Flag in the bleak and uninspiring UK mid 80’s and people at shows asking ‘who are they’ ‘what are they like’ ‘where are they from’ etc In my life I have never seen more than say 3 people ever wearing Black Flag t-shirts in the town where I live (and I know all 3 individuals) until very recently when I spotted a lad about 20 years of age wearing one. I bounded up to him in friendly punk rock fashion and tried to engage in conversation about Black Flag – he had never heard any of their music, he just liked the t-shirt. I guess the same goes for media celebrities who swagger around in Ramones t-shirts purchased from over-priced boutiques.] – rant over !
I don’t smoke (never have done really) because I don’t like it, however drinking and taking drugs has never been a problem in my book. I have tried many times to be a veggie (like now) but always with limited success – I do that though out of a moral dislike for the madness of the meat industry rather than health reasons. I have never really sung or written about these sXe related issues, as I have preferred to focus on what I perceive to be more pressing social/psychological/historical issues – that’s a personal preference rather than a moral judgement of course.
Anyhow please feed-back your thoughts.
ah