Health-nut hoodlums

[Jon Fine]

>>Straight Edgers blend the punk-rock style of the early 1980s with
>militant
>>health standards. They do not drink, smoke, or take drugs, and some are
>>known to enforce their moral standards on strangers by beating them
>>severely.
>
>The Straight Edge thing originates in the indie/punk rock scene in DC,
>with the band Fugazi (uh, "leader", Ian Mackaye runs the Dischord
>label).  But Fugazi was never so militant and I think has backed away
>from straight edge.  Besides, I knew things were bad when I saw the
>cover of a zine, on which Fugazi took second billing to "the man who
>spent a year on acid."

Actually, it was Ian Mackaye's hardcore band of the early eighties Minor
Threat (who I vastly prefer to Fugazi) that had the song called "Straight
Edge," which outlined the pro's of not drinking/drugging and ended up being
adopted as an umbrella tag for a movement. I'd be willing to bet big that
other members of Fugazi, if not Mackaye himself, enjoy the occassional
beer/what-have-you.

Straight edge excesses date back to the '80's as well. Certain militant
straight-edgers in Boston, for instance, were notorious for walking around
at punk rock shows knocking beers out of other people's hands. (I am not
making this up.) Of course, this is a far cry from all the bullshit
happening in Utah that Louis re-posted, which has been documented fairly
extensively in Salt Lake City's dailies.

jf