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22/09/97 -- Arts: Kids with an EdgeThe Peak, Simon Fraser University's Student Newspaper since 1965, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada V5A 1S6,e-mail: epeak@mail.peak.sfu.ca, phone: (604) 291-3597 fax: (604) 291-3786 Volume 97, Issue 4 September 22, 1997 ArtsKids with an Edgeby Mat XIf you take a look around the SFU campus, you'll see athousand different expressions of personal style. But withinthese differences are similarities that we can grouptogether into subculturesć both alternative (ravers, punks,hippies, skaters) and mainstream (outdoorsy, sporty,business-like, Friends cast member look-alikes, etc.).For some, fashion is to die for; be careful you don't insulttheir personal statement. Straight-edge kids are noexception: "sXe" (an abbreviated form of "straight-edge,"pronounced "sexy") kids are serious about their clothes,their music, and their beliefs. Don't mess with 'em!Music and fashion are a logical pair--each musicalsubculture has its own representative fashion. Peopleconsciously desire to be identified as a certain kind ofperson through the clothes they wear and the music theylisten to. Straight-edge kids, like in other subcultures,are proud of their group and want to show it.Straight-edge is a kind of music, a style, and a way oflife. It all started back in the early 80s in Washington,DC, with a punk-hardcore band called Minor Threat. Theirsong "Straight-Edge" put it all into focus with the lyrics:"Don't drink, don't smoke, don't fuck/At least I can stillfucking think."For Ian MacKaye, Minor Threat's lead singer, being straight-edge meant drug-free, and celibate. Today, straight-edge hasevolved into a drug-free, vegan lifestyle. Not all "sXe" (anabbreviation for straight-edge, pronounced "sexy") kids arevegetarian, but most are, and they listen to any music by astraight-edge band.The straight-edge community is very small on this campus,and includes people who used to have "the edge," but havenow lost it. Most sXe kids are young--19 or under--but oneSFU prof, who shall remain nameless, grew up with the scenein DC, and still walks around campus wearing Fugazi andMinor Threat t-shirts.As part of my unending search for smart, sexy, cool kids onthis campus, I spoke with Rob Brownridge, a local straight-edge cutie-pie. "What the hell is straight-edge?" I wantedto know. "And why do they look so cute?"Peak: Introduce yourself, and give me some demographics, orsome crap like that.Rob: I'm Rob Brownridge. Age 19. Third year businessstudent. Unemployed. Been involved in straight-edge and punksince I was fifteen. Sold hardcore/punk related records. Dida hardcore/punk radio show [with friend Angela] at SFU for awhile. Organized three or four hardcore/punk type shows...Peak: What was the name of your radio show on CJSF?Rob: It was "Jiffy Marker"Peak: "Jiffy Marker"? [laughter]Rob: Cuz jiffy markers are what sXe kids use on their handsto signify their belief in the doctrine.Peak: So why do we always have these images of fists with Xson them?Rob: The X on the fist came from New York city... in theearly 80s, when they first started having all-ages punk rockstraight-edge shows. The only way they could let underagekids in was the people at the bar would put a big black X ontheir hands so the kids couldn't buy booze. And since thenit's become a symbol of "I don't drink by choice."Peak: [laughter]Rob: So it's on the fist; it's a fist, because we're strong.Peak: [laughter]Rob: Strong-willed, positive, youth of today.Peak: Straight-edge kids, from what I understand, they canbe pretty uptight. They're pretty dedicated to something, sowhen they slip, they get all messed-up about it.Rob: That's sort of been the more dominant trend, from thebeginning. The people who got involved with straight-edgewere really, into it. A lot of the early straight-edge bandsdidn't drink, they didn't eat meat... they were also intocelibacy. So it's always been like this very strictdoctrine. And obviously with any strict doctrine, I thinkthe people who follow it have to be really zealous aboutit.... I was friends with a kid who was straight-edge, hegot me into straight-edge, and when he stopped being sXe,all his sXe friends were, like, we don't want to hang outwith you anymore. Almost as if it's a religion orsomething...Peak: The all-ages punk show is alive and well in Vancouver,and it's not just for straight-edge bands or sXe kids. Thereis a very large group of young people who only go to all-ages shows. And a sizeable number of bands only play all-ages shows, they refuse to play bar-shows. Oneexample is the local band Submission Hold.Rob: I'm a firm believer that if it's not all-ages, it's notpunk. And therefore if it's not all-ages, it's not hardcore.I see punk as the umbrella of which hardcore is thedescendent of....Peak: Punk seems to be more commercialized than it ever was.It's easy to wear the punk uniform and not be aligned withpunk ideals: anarchism, do-it-yourself, anti-racism, ant-fascism and so on.Rob: I think straight-edge has still escapedcommercialization. It's still a very young scene. It's onlybeen around since the early eighties, bands like: MinorThreat, Gorilla Biscuits, Youth of Today; the founding bandswho first came up with the idea....it's very young and verynew. And I think it also tends to stay with young people.There's a joke, you know, that once you turn 19 or 21 you'regonna "lose your edge." And that tends to happen. It tendsto happen, I think, maybe just because people lose theiridealism as they get older. You're not a teenager anymore,you gotta start living life, I don't know, I don't know whatthe real reasons are. Luckily it has not becomecommercialized as pop-punk has.Peak: Green Day, NoFx...Rob: That's what made mohawks, dyed hair, piercings-- allthat stuff is no longer--Peak: A sign of resistance...Rob: It's not necessarily a sign of resistance. It doesn'tnecessarily identify your mindset anymore. You can look punk-as-hell, and be completely un-punk. Be completely consumeroriented, be completely happy with the status-quo...Peak: Have no clue about politics, or anything.Rob: Exactly.homepage  current issue past issues search contact  more issue #4 |
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