70s English Youth Culture and the Labour Party and the Unions

Max B. Sawicky sawicky at epinet.org
Sun Aug 1 20:24:32 PDT 1999


. . . Yeah, and often all of this gets combined in one very confused entity. Several years ago I saw a Fugazi (who are descended from one of hardcore's brightest lights, Minor Threat) show at which one of the singers said, This song is about people who dare to take welfare from the immoral state (or some such). The strange thing is that this is a band that sells its records for eight bucks, charges no more than five to get into their shows, and hasn't played a payed gig in their hometown for a decade because they donate all the money to soup kitchens and charities. How they reconcile ranting at people who take welfare but play benefit shows for the same people is a contradiction that's quite puzzling, even irreconcilable. To me at least. . . .
>>

I stopped paying close attention after Jefferson Airplane turned into Jefferson Starship, but in one case (the band's), voluntary contributions to the community are involved. In the other (the indigent), the party in question is taking, rather than giving. You may not agree w/the sentiment, but it is not entirely without logic.

mbs



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