i think this is a good part of what draws everyone to these toys, straight edge, drinker, super-tweak-master, or whatever else. you dont have to be into psychadelic substances to get jazzed on wild, surreal toys. if drugs/drinking/etc is your jam, weird monster toys can fit right in. if youre not into drugs/drinking/etc, weird monster toys can fit just as nicely. im really glad this topic can exist between so many diverse people with just a little bit of common ground.
I had no idea what "straight edge" was until about a month ago. I have dabbled in various psychedelics over the years, altered states of consciousness, intentionally induced, to investigate the mind or just see things from a diifferent perspective. Had a delicious martini last night after seeing an art exhibit on the Birth of Cool. Do I need a drink to enjoy myself all of the time? no. If you have seen drugs or alcohol destroy other people, I can understand how one would view them as evil or something to avoid. But in occasional moderation, I think that they are okay (at least for me) as long as they don't interfere with work, family, relationships etc. and doesn't become too much of an obsession or escape from real life.
Occasional moderation doesn't work for me, so I just quit drinking all together to save my self the trouble and headaches that resulted from a night out. I'm not straight edge though.
I must not be to cool,I have never heard of this straight edge stuff,all I know is I must be crooked and dull as hell!
here's one thing you straight edge super dudes are missing out no: tequila brub rbub brub rbub rbub brub rbub totally all 100% natural and gauaranteed to packa punch. JUST DO IT.
I love my gin and Salty Dogs. Im ok with the edgers, most of my freinds were until their late 20s, most lost their edge but we all have seemed to hang on to the vegan/vegetarian off shoot that often went with the SXE culture.
This is really interesting for me as in NZ i'd doubt if there is any/many straight edge kids. I get the gist of what it's all about apart from the fighting/beating down non-edgers. I realize that this would be something that only a couple of "hardout" people would do, but where does this fit into the whole ethos. My main problem with guys who get stupidly hammered is the violence it leads to. There's a real drinking culture in New Zealand linked to rugby etc and alot of the footy heads love to get pissed and fight. I guess what i am asking is, how does not drinking AND fighting help anyone? Let me reiterate that i understand that most straight edgers don't go scrapping drinkers, but i'm just interested in the ones that do and why.....
wherever there is s a hardcore/punk scene, there will be straight edge kids. seeing as most countries have a hardcore scene (from poland to peru), there are edge kids pretty much everywhere. as i said before though, if you were never involved you wouldn't really have much of an idea. i guess its sorta like with vinyl haha.
it kind of blows my mind that there are people who were unfamiliar with straight edge. i guess i've been sheltered, but in reverse. too many years surrounded by punks. even my mom knows what straight edge is. haha then again, she raised 2 hardcore/punk kids, so she knows a lot of things that I guess normal people's mom's don't know about. "Oh god Missy! Los Crudos? What is this shit? Play that Promise ring band, at lest they can sing."
I was sxebefore I even knew the term. In 1984 it came into my world via skateboarding and punk and fit well wihth who I was. The unique part of it at that time was that it was not a "scene" it was just part of the movement. Eveyone rolled together -drunks, punks, goths, wavers and skaters. Only later did it become it;s own scene, and became both more exciting, and way less relevant at the same time. If you have no counterpoint, how can you have something to compare it to? Just as I was in 1984, I consider everyone part of the scene, from the recovering heroin addict of a buddy I have in portland to the newest 15 year old edge head in nowhere, USA. Once people realize it is about the larger movement of punk and that it takes all flavors to make a meal, it sure makes it a lot easier. I love Poison Idea as much as I love Gorilla Biscuits. That said, I have considred varsity jackets for S7 on a number of occassions, but it still seems a bit too jockish for those that don't understand the late 80's early 90's ironic athletic HC twist vs. the thugheads jocks out there today. 36 going on 37 and still here.
varisty jackets are sweet but i don't think i could ever wear one, i'd just feel retarded. my friend (who broke a year or so ago at 25) had an awesome custom one that cost him like $550 AUS though.
Gah...I despised Promise Ring. And I'm from Milwaukee, and that's not funny (my shirt says that, too).
WAIT WAIT WAIT gilly: from my experience of hanging out with NZ edge kids most of them wouldn't fight drinkers for no reason, although some are more thug about it than others. ALSO like to add the violence rugby correlation you pointed out, did you know that when a rugby team loses (all blacks, local team, whatever) the figures of domestic abuse also rise, so it's not just mano a mano it's men beating their wives and children. the things you learn when your partner does work for women's refuge. both hamilton and auckland have pretty big straight edge scenes wellington used to, then didn't, then did, and now doesn't again (thank god) hamilton also (at least a year or so ago) had a pretty massive christian scene in my opinion (and this is MY opinion) christianity (or any religion for that matter) and hardcore should NOT exist together EVER. but another topic for another time ALSO CONQUEROR: what NZ bands are shit? i'd like to see who you list!
also ironic because although he can sing, at least early on he couldn't sing in tune! ( cap'n jazz and 30 degrees/nothing feels good era)
Same deal here . . . only over in the UK it's called 'Teatotal' (not half as cool or credible) . . . I have trouble remembering what I had for breakfast when I'm functioning normally. Fuck knows what I'd be like mashed!
Yeah, I never connected myself with it or the SxE movement. I was METAL ONLY in highschool, so I didn't pay attention to the punk and hardcore kids. Plus, where I was in Chicago, it was always "wanna drink dude?" "No, I don't" " That's cool" there was never anything weird about it.
personally, i don't see why anyone would care if someone chooses to be straight edge or not. it effects no ones life but the person who chooses it (unless they are those crazy, angry sxe guys who run through bars and knock drinks out of peoples hands. i once saw a huge sxe dude repeatedly punch some other dude square in the face for wearing a shirt that said FUCK YOU AND YOUR STRAIGHT EDGE HAIR CUT! That was crazy and completely uncalled for, though also extremely entertaining and a pinch on the funny side. But, yeah, that's when you take something too far! As for the myth that sxe peeps don't know how to have fun, it is definitely not true! I love beer, so I could never be straight edge, but I have this one friend who tags along as sober cab and he's sxe and he always ends up being the craziest, most outgoing person in the crowd by nights end. i have had times in my life where i've gone the route of not drinking for a long periods of time, just because the 'scene' never changes, and it got boring. but like i said, i love beer, so i could never commit. to add to my neverending, random rant, i hate when people say that some dude must've been on something when they talk about some crazy piece of art or literature or movie or whatnot. i personally like to believe otherwise. i hate when genius and outrageous works of art are credited to drug use. true talent shows thru when someone can create something unique, fun, etc. without the use of drugs. man, all that typing calls for a nice, cold new castle! bring on the beer!!!
