Straight Edge

[lordxhumungus]

Ok... I have a tendency to kind of rant and go off on a tangent but I'll try to spit this out...

I just realized that I've been straight edge for 4 years now. I'm very proud to consider myself straight edge.  Now, I'm 39 years old.  I'm pretty sure that most people would think it was kind of silly to become straight edge at 35, after all - it's just a label.  But for me, I've always been fascinated by straight edge people, bands, the movement... whatever.  The conviction to stand for ones beliefs and do the right thing in a positive way - that's just awesome.  I have always struggled with drug and alcohol abuse and, obviously, this has not swayed my musical tastes.  I've always been really open minded about music and tried not to let the beliefs or message of the band be a turn off if I liked the music.  My friends would always say "why straight edge hardcore?" and I would say "because those kids play it right!"  Well as the years progressed, I had always wished more and more that I could put it down and walk away - I wanted to have that same conviction.  I was never a complete mess or a bum.  I've always worked and functioned.  I just needed the escape.  But I always wanted to stop and do the right thing.

Well that's exactly what I did.  Now I have a beautiful wife and family and there's so much more at stake.  I feel that I've earned the right to call myself straight edge and be proud.

I'm sure for some of you this stuff is personal but I'm just curious about the rest of you on this board.  I see a lot of X'es out there and I guess I have questions.  Have you always been straight edge?  How many years?  Did you become straight edge later on in life like me? Did you used to be straight edge and don't call it that anymore? Perhaps you never were?

I'd like to hear what you think.  If not, that's cool too.  Thanks!

[geoff]

quick and simple..... 41 and edge. always have been. but its purely for me and me only. my wife is not and many of my friends are not. doesnt phase me.

and respect is given to those who still are. (jeff!)

[snakexeyes]

Keep it simple like Geoff...39 and edge. always have been.

[ferry]

this sunday I will turn 42 and still edge since age 17...

[xreganx]

lordxhumungus cool thread. It's cool to hear an older dude going straight edge as well, that's awesome.

Some people may not like talking about themselves in this type of setting which is totally understandable. I however love these type of things, then again I'm so self-involved I take most opportunities to talk about myself haha.

Unfortunately I don't really have too much of interest to say really. So I'll try and keep this short. I've been straight edge for 9 years now (I'm 28). Before I decided to go straight edge I had periods in high school where I would drink and smoke weed. I was always a bit of a social retard and I didn't like everything revolving around drinking at that age or people drinking to try and fit in. I liked having a clear head. When I started going to hardcore shows more and listened to minor threat it was like I had found my home.

Deciding to go vegan when I was 19 and straight edge a week later have been the two best decisions of my life and lead to so many awesome experiences and making the best friends.

Seeing my older brother now become addicted to meth makes me so proud of my 19 year old self for making this life altering decision and sticking to it. I shudder to think what I would be like if I didn't.

One question I do have is for the dudes who aren't straight edge. Why collect records for bands that sing almost every song about being straight edge. It's something I've never really understood.

I mean the closest I could relate would be being an atheist and owning Warzone, Cro-mags and inside out records. But if they sung about nothing but religion in the same way judge, chain and youth of today sing about straight edge, I'm not sure I would own their records.

Edits: Sorry about the long rant, got a bit carried away. Have cut out a bit to make this shorter.

[geoff]

regan, i have hang ups on the the f-bomb. maybe im a sensitive pc 90's hardcore kid. but i hate that word. loath it. doesnt matter who says it. sorry.

[xreganx]

Apr 24, 2014 16:40:19 GMT geoff said:

regan, i have hang ups on the the f-bomb. maybe im a sensitive pc 90's hardcore kid. but i hate that word. loath it. doesnt matter who says it. sorry.

Haha sorry dude I actually edited this out just now to shorten up the post, so now people won't understand what your comment is about. But all good I will try and avoid it in the future for you posi PC 90's kids : )

[lordxhumungus]

Apr 24, 2014 16:46:23 GMT xreganx said:

Apr 24, 2014 16:40:19 GMT geoff said:

regan, i have hang ups on the the f-bomb. maybe im a sensitive pc 90's hardcore kid. but i hate that word. loath it. doesnt matter who says it. sorry.

Haha sorry dude I actually edited this out just now to shorten up the post, so now people won't understand what your comment is about. But all good I will try and avoid it in the future for you posi PC 90's kids : )

Haha damn I wish I saw that original post! Just playin... But yea I've been trying to curb my language since I joined this board...

As for Geoff and snakexeyes, wow that's awesome. That conviction is exactly what I'm blown away by. To decide at a young age to follow a path and stick to it for so long. Amazing.

And xreganx, my experiences made me appreciate having a clear head. It just took me way longer to achieve. I never did drugs to fit in - just like I'm not straight edge to fit in. My choices were my own. As for not being sxe for so long but collecting records and going to shows for sxe bands, well that's about the music. Like I said earlier, those kids do it right! My first hardcore tape was Minor Threat back in '87 so I've always been aware of sxe. Theres lots of different kinds of hardcore and I like most of it. Sxe hardcore has so much energy and the people performing have so much passion - it comes through so strong! I've just always loved it!

Hardcore is about having an open mind.

[xfoundxyoux]

43 years young ;-), and sxe since 1988, vegetarian since 1989

jeff
xXx

[reasontorevelate]

Apr 24, 2014 16:40:19 GMT geoff said:

regan, i have hang ups on the the f-bomb. maybe im a sensitive pc 90's hardcore kid. but i hate that word. loath it. doesnt matter who says it. sorry.

Same reaction here...

[orangerory]

xreganx said:

One question I do have is for the dudes who aren't straight edge. Why collect records for bands that sing almost every song about being straight edge. It's something I've never really understood.

I mean the closest I could relate would be being an atheist and owning Warzone, Cro-mags and inside out records...

I went veg and straight edge when I was 14 in 1989 and vegan a year later in 1990. I collected a lot of records (particularly rev) back then. The philosophy shaped my life then and still does today. I am still vegan (not sxe) but I still believe in a lot of the same things. I don't do drugs but I drink occasionally, but I still love old sxe music and sing along loudly. And I'm an atheist (mostly) and still own Warzone, Cro-Mags, and Inside Out records, too.

[chungking48]

I never talk about this stuff, but in the spirit of the thread thought I'd share my thoughts...

I used to drink a little in my late teens. I never liked the taste of any of it, but just drank because that's what all of my friends started doing when they got to 16. One week we were out skateboarding on a Friday night, the week after they wanted to go to the pub to hang with the other kids from school. It was as if they just did it because they thought that was what you were supposed to do when you grew up. Me, I still wanted to go skateboarding, but I wasn't going to go on my own, so I went to the pub and joined in. Anyway, we were into some underground music from watching skateboard videos, and this made me check out more and more bands, which eventually led to stuff like Burn, Inside Out, Youth Of Today, GB... and then somehow I found out what sXe and X's meant, and it changed everything. I decided that I was going to not drink any more. Not because (like a lot of young kids) I wanted to draw X's on my hands or look like Ray Cappo or hang out with my crew or whatever... but more because I just liked how these bands had the confidence to not be embarrassed about doing something that most people would find 'weird'. So I stopped drinking when I was 19 and I haven't had a drop since. In September this year, it will have been 20 years... which seems crazy to think about. The passing of time never ceases to amaze me.

Being with and around people who drink does not, and never has, bothered me UNLESS they are people who completely change their behaviour or personality when they are drunk. I can't stand aggressive or abusive drunks. But I work in an office environment with 'normal' people and regularly go to the pub. Also, I spent the best part of a year circa 2001 working in a bar on a Saturday night, which some people found weird at the time. Overall though, like geoff said, it's just a personal thing. I don't like drinking so I don't do it, but it doesn't mean I'm anti-social. Far from it.

At the age I am now at, heading towards 40, I'm kinda glad about my choice though, for health reasons. So I think that, if anything, becoming straight edge in your mid 30s makes a lot more sense than when you are 18. It's definitely something to be commended, Jeff. So good on you!

[chungking48]

Apr 24, 2014 16:25:44 GMT xreganx said:

One question I do have is for the dudes who aren't straight edge. Why collect records for bands that sing almost every song about being straight edge. It's something I've never really understood.

Looking at it the other way round, I love Black Sabbath. I have never smoked anything in my life, but it doesn't stop me singing along to 'Sweet Leaf'!

[lordxhumungus]

Thanks for putting in your 2 cents Marcus. And thanks for opening up like that. Like I said at the beginning, this can be quite personal for people. But you raised a great point here too - none of us are getting any younger and the health benefits alone are worth the decision. In fact, I could stand to be a lot healthier in many other aspects of my life as well. Cheers Marcus!

[lordxhumungus]

I'm really enjoying reading everyone's responses. Thanks for sharing your perspectives.

[wscottyg]

Love the stories. Thank you.

Respect to all you guys.

I was straight edge in high school in the late 80's. It didn't last too long. I was a skater. All my friends were skaters, skinheads, punks, etc. We had a lot of fun. Drinking and smoking weed was a part of our lives. I started listening to straight edge hardcore because it's great music played by talented people. I still do. I'll drink a beer while listening to Chain of Strength. It's fun to collect as well. I love all music. There's good and bad music in every genre.

I still drink now (Harpoon IPA is my favorite!). I believe marijuana has health benefits. I don't understand cigarettes.

I'm 40 years old with a beautiful wife and daughter in a beautiful house with a great job. I'm doing alright.

[colintappe]

32 now, SXE since I was 14. I dabbled with drugs and booze, and actually liked them a lot, which scared the shit out of me since my mom was an alcoholic/drug adict and I saw where that all lead. I kinda figured early on I wouldn't be able to handle casual partying on the weekend (I have an addictive personality and bad impulse contol), so I gave it up entirely and never found a good reason to go back. Of course finding a community that felt the same way as I did only reinforced that choice.

I still make a point to call myself straight edge, as opposed to just living the life sans label, because I'm very grateful for having older sxe dudes to look up to when I was younger. Obviously I don't need those larger than life style theatrics and ideological chest thumpings ("true til death!," and all that) to stay on point as an adult, but I feel if the movement is to have any relevance to future generations, there needs to be a dedicated sect who walk the walk, and show that it really isn't a "passing phase." Plus I just think youth crew and SEHC is a cool style. Beats growing a beard and getting into "Americana" or neo-folk or whatever bogus shit 30 somethings get into when searching for their post-hardcore personal brand.

As for non-edge dudes collecting SEHC rex, IDK, seems fine to me. I listen to way more reggae than HC rex as of late. The deep reggae collectors I know have never given me shit for not following Rastafari, so what do I care if someone wants to enjoy a beer while spinning Bringin It Down on green? At this point I'm way more into the idea of "positive hardcore" than straight edge, per se, anyways.

[xmichelx]

Very nice thread!
POSITIVE is the word! Be fair to each other, respect each other.
A POSITIVE MENTAL ATTITUDE is what I always try to reach and keep since I first listened to THE CREW in 1989!
THE CREW and START TODAY changed my life forever! I really think that records give life a meaning,
wheather you're confronted with sadness, pain, a useless relationship or (as a skateboarder I used to be) RAINY WEATHER ;-)
It's good to see how personal this board gets after the firestorm last week!

[Raven X Army]

I still X-up regularly.

[xleighdrugfreex]

Great posts. I love hearing about individuals stories of how they found out about straight edge, and Its all been great !

I never really get to tell my story, and just like my friend Regan I'm self-involved and I enjoy sharing my stories.

I tried to keep it short.... but that was impossible.

I'm 30 years old. Ive been drug free my whole life. No Cigarettes, no nothing. I drank a little between the ages of 13 and 15, I never drank enough alcohol to get intoxicated. It always seemed like a bad idea too me and I never wanted too feel like I was out of control, so when I was 15 I just stopped drinking.

A year later when I was 16 I bought the VHS documentary Release, I found out about Straight Edge through the documentary and Karl Buechner. Karl talked about living a drug and alcohol free lifestyle. And he also touched on the subjects of veganisim, pacifism and sexual abstinence. It was a lot for me to take in at the time. And I couldn't believe that half way around the world there where guys older than me that also didn't want to drink or do drugs. And they where also into punk and hardcore ! What a small world country Australia was and still is :-)

I remained strictly drug and alcohol free through my teen years and early 20's then claimed edge in my mid 20's. I never wanted to label myself with something like straight edge if I couldn't back it up for life, I'm now a 30 year old responsible adult, I know what I want to do and I fully understand who I am and I'm happy to be Straight Edge. And I believe that I'm A positive example of a individual who lives the Straight Edge lifestyle.

For thousands of years millions of people have been living their lives free of drugs and alcohol. Some by religious rule, others just don't drink or do drugs and some people are Straight Edge. Common sense comes in different shapes and sizes. At the end of the day im just happy to be alive and enjoying my life.

Now................ LETS MOSH !

[minoratheart]

The only time I tried alcohol was when I was maybe 12. One sip of sparkling wine at New Year's Eve. Didn't like the taste much, but there are other reasons why I've never been drinking after that. When I was a teenager everyone around me told me that drinking alcohol was the normal thing to do. I've always hated it when people tell me what to do. Also, many of my classmates used to brag about how much they had been drinking on the weekend on Monday mornings and I hated that shit. I never understood that attitude and I still hate who-has-the-biggest-dick-contests. What's more, I'm from a rural area: farms, fields, tractors, the whole nine yards. Drinking alcohol is just so accepted here. Everybody does it, and from a really early age too. I never wanted to fit in with that whole lifestyle. By not drinking and thus negating this social standard, I pissed off a lot of people. Not drinking was kind of my way of rebellion and to be honest the feeling I got from the hostile reactions towards me because of that felt strangely satisfying, haha. Probably the most important reason why I've never been drinking though is that I've never seen the upsides of being a grown up. I always had the feeling that people around me wanted to grow up as quickly as possible and I never understood why. When I was a teenager there were two things that made a grown up a grown up for me: drinking alcohol and drinking coffee. So what better way to postpone growing up than not doing these things? Yeah, not the best logic here, but tell that to my 14-year old self... I just got so used to not doing that and I've never looked back.
Anyway, I didn't start listening to punk/hardcore until I was about 18 and I'd never heard of straight edge before I was maybe 19 or 20. At that point I had a deep aversion towards all kinds of labels. So, labeling myself as straight edge wouldn't have appealed to me then. I also met a lot of people around that time who were SXE and took themselves and SXE waaaaay too seriously, which further turned me off of the whole idea. It seemed way to cliquey and like this exclusive club to me, which is always a big turn off for me. I know that it isn't like that at all, but that's how I experienced it then. I wasn't averse to the whole 'fuck around' idea when I was younger either. Not doing that sounded a little too Christian for me, haha. Over the years I found out for myself that one-night-stands are not for me though. I also smoked occassionally at that time, but quitting woulnd't have been an obstacle. I stopped that shit from one day to the next when I was 22 anyways. Probably because I listend to a lot of bands that were straight edge.
Looking back, I would have loved to know about straight edge when I was a teenager, because knowing there were other people thinking and feeling like myself would have helped me a lot at that age and most likely I'd have associated myself with that idea. But it didn't work out that way. I'm about to turn 32 soon, have been drug free for close to 10 years now, but I still don't call myself straight edge. Not sure if I ever will, but it'd be the only label I could ever imagine attaching myself to.



On a related note: I still don't wear shirts with any reference to straight edge in public cause I'd feel weird doing that.

[lordxhumungus]

Apr 25, 2014 15:13:04 GMT xleighdrugfreex said:

Now................ LETS MOSH !

I love that song Leigh!!!

[lordxhumungus]

Apr 25, 2014 17:12:24 GMT minoratheart said:

On a related note: I still don't wear shirts with any reference to straight edge in public cause I'd feel weird doing that.

I would never wear SXE shirts back in the day. I didn't want to be misconstrued as disrespectful. If I wasn't straight edge then it felt wrong wearing those X'es. I actually gave away an awesome Morning Again - Hand Of Hope shirt cuz it had X'es on it. It took me forever to find a Morning Again shirt and I gave it away! Luckily I got another one after Rev put out there record. 

[Raven X Army]

I know a lot of lads who came into straight edge from punk, rock or metal scenes. I always thought it was interesting how people progressed from Kiss, Jacksons5, Culture Club or whatever into HC.
My progression into SxE is probably the most common one. I have only known one thing in my entire life:

PUNK

0-6 years old:
70s punk (Pistols, Clash, Buzzcocks, Ruts, Adverts, Cockney Rejects etc..) my parents listened to all that at home 24/7 (along with a lot of reggae like Bob M. and Peter Tosh which I never got into until much later in life) so I was exposed to punk pretty much since birth. Add to that the fact that our next block neighbor and my parents' mate was the drummer of one of the first punk bands in the country and you have a perfect mix allowing you to grow up as fucked up as you possibly can.

6-10 years old:
Crass, Conflict + anything related and 80s+ punk like Discharge, Blitz etc. This is the phase was when I stopped eating meat, started going to gigs on my own (before that I'd go with my mom and my little sis) and got drunk for the first time. Strongest memory from this time: making belts from the shavers. Everyone wanted one then.

10-15 years old:
I discovered DOOM and ENT, dyed all my clothes black, put zippers on everything, bought/made A LOT of patches and stopped taking regular baths. Around 13 was when I first heard of straight edge as well. From 13 to 15 my interests shifted from Euro crust punk onto USHC. I already had Minor Threat tape around that time but it didn't stand out enough for the early teens me and got lost in the pile of MOB-47 and Anti-Cimex or some other post Discharge stuff. 1st HC records I ever listened to, that were marketed to me as "US hardcore" were AF Cause and MAGS Best Wishes and I thought they were "whatever". At the time I did. They did grow on me some 5-10 years later.
What sold me on straight edge (as lame as it is) was New Age Records and about a year later Victory Records. Chugga chugga vegan (I wish it was Minor Threat that at the time I thought was "just some US punk group" but it was ExC, Snapcase and Integrity early records that set the tone for my early 90s lol). My 1st straight edge vinyl record I ever bought was WORDS TO LIVE BY comp. I think I ordered it when I was 14 and received it when I was I think already 15. (In)famous NAR mailorder. I got the 1st press on black vinyl. I think it was still in 1991, maybe 1992? I was unaware of any other versions at the time. I have this record until today.

15-now:
Straight Edge

Interestingly, no matter how much time has passed if someone asks me about my favourite band of all time it will never be any band from my final phase.
I will probably almost always answer with either The Clash or Stiff Little Fingers or The Ruts or Cockney Rejects depending on the mood.
And as I get older I reach for the Clash vinyl a lot more often than for the YOT vinyl. It doesn't change the fact that all these bands hold some special place inside my head and I realise now that I never really completely abandoned one thing (like 77 UK punk) and replaced it with something else (Antidote, Mags, UW etc) but rather kept that punk base and just added more and more things on top of it.

[circlestorm69]

Cool story Dobek.
You were early into punk!

Talking about early, i see so many people here who were pretty young (< 15 years) when they started with alcohol!