Punk, Politics and the 1980s

[82_28]

Am I wrong in remembering that skinheads invaded the early 80's ska scene as well? My friends and I loved skanking and slam dancing. The term mosh pit came somewhat later, after my time really.

The skins were everywhere. My very first "punk show", ALL/Descendents of all things, was filled with skinheads who took over the pit. At the time it was a terrifying thing to behold. If I was my age back then now I would have just laughed at them and told them to get the fuck out. But then it was "what kind of world have I gravitated to?" type thing. It was all so new.

The skins came in and essentially all locked arms and mowed us all down as they went back and forth across the pit. To think I am old enough to remember shows that security was light and you were on your own is crazy. Even though I am now approaching 40. But that night, like many nights, there was nothing you or anyone could do to quell the skinheads. Thankfully, at least in urban areas, we as "punks" were successful in ejecting any and all influence they did have because of great waves of anti-racist sentiment. Strangely, however, this begat the era of mass shootings as we know it and it essentially started in my hometown.

[semper occultus]

.....the more intelligent denizens of the movement like Lydon I guess took a principled stand against the hippies who'd sold-out on the radicalism & gone straight ( ...butter adverts & property portfolios anyone... ) whilst the more under-evolved specimens amongst the influx of followers were happy enough to submerge themselves in their new tribe were "hating hippies" was part of the uniform along with the leather biker jacket, bondage trousers & green mohican.......some well-known 60's figures like Caroline Coon were early advocates of the Punk movement to but Crass prob. represent the clearest direct lineage from participants in the 60's counter-culture to an authentic Punk group, although funnily enough Nik Turner ex-of-Hawkwind formed a punk-ish ( very "ish" ) outfit Inner City Unit who achieved well-deserved obscurity....

[Hammer of Los]

...

I love hippies!

Go Hawk Wind!

I got a silver machine!

...

[Weather Balloons]

Crass was my favorite punk band when I first got into punk (which for me was the late 90's.) Punk Is Dead was one standout track. I liked how they blamed the fashion aspects of punk and hippie for taking the sting out of both movements. I remember at first thinking how punk was just a continuation of the hippie movement. It wasn't til I got into The Dead Milkmen that I even realized there was supposed to be animosity between hippies and punks. That was a confusing notion at first. Still is. Good song though.

[8bitagent]

Everyone who was old enough to have been a teen during the hey dey of punk(or even the hippy movement proper) are lucky.

We don't have that these days. We have a bunch of bored looking 20 something hipster college kids surgically attached to their apple products. "Give peace a chance" has been replaced with
"Meh, like whatevs".

[Hammer of Los]

...

The Clash weren't punk, they were a decent rock act.

London's Calling!

And The Stranglers were basically prog as far as I was concerned.

Some Thing Better Change!

I like Faith No More and the Red Hot Chili Peppers too.

Mid life Crisis?

City of Angels!

Zephyr Song!

Californi..

Er, moving swiftly on.

Jane's addiction?

I had never heard of Jane's Addiction until recently.

Irresistible force?

Immoveable object?

In time water doth wear away the hardest stone.

Another vision from the Rock Pool of Galadri El;





...

[Hammer of Los]

...

And wasn't the name Stiff Little Fingers a reference to the TV show "The Invaders?"

They were aliens in disguise.

There were also a number of mutant aliens, who experienced emotions similar to those of humans, and who even opposed the alien takeover.

I'm just sayin'.

No connection to the er superhero team of the same name.

What's in a name?

A rose.

Magic in names there is, just as the Willow said.

...