Veronica Sawyer Smokes

Oh my story is not the oldest of it's kind.
I was too touched to see you clearly,
Far too young to realize I had loved so dearly you,
Who's world I had designed,
But the sweet smoke came with mirrors
And it brought tears to my wide eyes.
Dying just to see you...
Dying since I misconstrued your blue heart,
Black eyes, feigning falling, words I won't forget.
I died right when I saw you while you shared that cigarette.

Oh I saw you every time I closed my eyes,
In the Hughes film I had scored,
Produced and starred in, in my mind.
I could recite you, well, I'd written every line...
But you strayed far from my flawless script
On which I'd spent a lifetime!
Falling over dead.
Dying since I had misread your blue heart,
Black eyes, feigning falling, words I won't forget.
I died right when I saw you while you shared that cigarette.

"Veronica Sawyer Smokes" ~ AFI - Crash Love

Reclaiming Edge, Reclaiming Life

Claiming Straight Edge is a important and non-trivial thing. And yet sometimes life throws you a curveball and your Edge can be broken. I think that consciously going against Edge with the forethought to re-claim is crap, but if you mess up and realize your mistakes then you should re-claim Edge to further your own strength and confidence in your self.

I regularly post a question at the top of this blog; the current question right now is "Have you ever lost friends because you claimed Edge?" and I just received an inspiring story by GIPrice who fell into a bad situation and picked himself back up, reclaimed Edge and "started being a real straight edger".

Something like this kind of happened to me. Well I was always drug and alcohol free but it wasnt until the summer break before my senior year in high school that I claimed to sXe. Well my best friend introduced me to a bunch of new people and they seemed to be pretty fun and cool people. But they all turned out to be fucking druggies and my best friend was falling for one of them and got into drugs and drinking too. Then I started to really like this one bitch that said she really didn't even smoke pot but oh was that a lie. So being the pretty nice guy I am I didn't immediately tell them to fuck off. I tried talking to them and reasoning with them but no all they did was lie lie lie and smoke smoke smoke so finally it got to the point to where I was depressed and starting drinking and I would wake up and try to get wasted. Thankfully one day I woke up and realized what I was doing and had a life change. I kicked everyone that isn't sXe out of my life and stopped drinking. And started being a real straight edger. So I started dealing with my depression like a man and I slowly got over it. So now I don't even talk to people that do drugs and my life has been drama free and fucking great. I love actually being real straight edge because I know the people I called "friends" could never be. And even though I feel pain and depression and I don't like it, I still find good in it because I know it is real and I am real and alive and able to cope.

Claiming Edge isn't something done lightly, it's not simply about being drug free, it's about committing to yourself to live this way forever. But if you make a mistake, and you realize that mistake and accept your mistakes then you might be able to claim edge again with stronger conviction and live a more fulfilled life.

You Can Be Straight Edge At Any Age

I hate when I hear people bashing kids that are under 21 or under 18 and say that they can't be Straight Edge because they aren't legal enough to buy cigarettes or alcohol. Sadly there are plenty of kids that drink and smoke, do drugs and have promiscuous sex when they are still young teenagers. So if you choose to claim edge at 15 (or whatever age) then good for you.

But at the same time, if you choose to claim Straight Edge, make sure you plan to be Edge for life, it's not a simple weekend thing or a "till 21" thing. Straight Edge is a commitment.

To everyone that thinks Straight Edge isn't for kids, stop hating someone for having better choices in life than you, live your own life.

Straight Edge Documentary in Theatres Now

Edge the movie is out now in theatres. Check the schedule on their site to see if it's playing in a theatre near you. It's playing this Saturday, October 3rd, in NYC. I'm hoping to make it out, I just moved to Long Island so it's a bit further of a trek than previously.

Have Heart Call it Quits

I'm pretty saddened to hear that Have Heart have decided to call it quits. They are one of today's best Straight Edge bands with profound lyrics and a great hardcore sound. I hope that some of the members decide to form other Straight Edge bands in the future. They plan to have one last show on Edge Day (October 17) in Boston along with Bane and other bands, some edge and non-edge.

The song "Something More Than Ink" was always special to me and made me feel a connection to the SxE community. It will continue to be an important song to me. If you don't have the album "The Things We Carry" then I suggest that you get it now, it is amazing and really speaks to what it means to be committed to Straight Edge and to live a posi life.

Back to School

It's that time again when kids head back to school. It's a time that can be quite stressful for kids whether your in middle school or college. Everyone wants to fit in somewhere, even if you say you don't you probably do. Not that fitting in is the most important thing but having the right group of friends is important. They have more of an effect on what you do than you could ever imagine.

It's even more difficult at times if your going away to college. I remember my first semester away and making friends was a little hard for me, I'm not the most outgoing guy. When I was in college I did drink, I hadn't claimed Edge at that point, and I did it to mostly fit in. So what I would like to say here is that if you are Edge or not (but you don't want to get caught up in the whole drinking to fit in thing) then you need to make sure to find friends that either don't drink or respect your choices. Sure that might sound not so easy, but there are definitely enough kids at any school for you find those that are like minded. Do a search on the internet and look for groups at your school. Many colleges have groups now that aim to create alternatives to drinking. If you are the outgoing kind of person, maybe you can start your own group.

I'd like to start a list of groups at schools and colleges that support non-drinking events if they have links and stuff. If you belong to such a a group or find one please comment here with their info.

And if you're Edge then show your pride with merch and maybe you'll find some other Edge kids around when they see XXXs on your hoodie or shirt. I always speak to other Straight Edge people at hardcore shows when I see them wearing a SxE shirt cause it gives me something to start off the conversation with easily, so I'm sure it would work just as well on any campus.

Stay Posi.

Bleeding Through - On Tour

Bleeding Through are going on tour this year and will play in NY just 3 days before my birthday! I'm very excited about this. I think it should be an awesome show as I'm impressed with how they've grown and the fact they are still all Straight Edge. Over on Straight Edge Lifestyle is a good interview with Brandon, the lead singer.

Tour Dates:

8.21.09 – Tucson, AZ – The Rock

8.22.09 – Farmington, NM – Gators

8.23.09 – Las Vegas, NV – Red Electric

8.24.09 – San Luis Obispo, CA – Downtown Brew

8.25.09 – San Jose, CA – The Urgency

8.26.09 – Roseburg, OR – Riversdale Grange

8.27.09 – Sparks, NV – New Oasis

8.28.09 – Orangevale, CA – The Boardwalk

8.29.09 – San Diego, CA – Epicenter

8.30.09 – Anaheim, CA – Chain Reaction

9.25.09 - Baltimore, MD - Sonar

9.26.09 - Norfolk, VA- Norva

9.28.09 - Atlanta, GA - The Masquerade

9.29.09 - Orlando, FL - The Club

10.1.09 - Houston, TX - Warehouse Live

10.2.09 - Dallas, TX - The Door

10.3.09 - San Antonio, TX - White Rabbit

10.5.09 - Albuquerque, NM - Sunshine Theater

10.6.09 - Tempe, AZ - Marquee Theater

10.7.09 - Pomona, CA - Glasshouse

10.8.09 - West Hollywood, CA - Key Club

10.10.09 - San Francisco, CA - Slim's

10.12.09 - Portland, OR - Hawthorne Theater

10.13.09 - Seattle, WA - El Corazon

10.14.09 - Vancouver, British Columbia - Rickshaw Theater

10.16.09 - Salt Lake City, UT- Club Sound

10.17.09 - Englewood, CO - Gothic Theater

10.19.09 - Mokena, IL - The Pearl Room

10.20.09 - Cleveland, OH - Peabody's

10.21.09 - Toronto, Ontario - Opera House

10.23.09 - Worcester, MA - The Palladium

10.24.09 - Philadelphia, PA - Trocadero

10.25.09 - New York, NY - The Fillmore @ Irving

10.27.09 - Montreal, Quebec - Club Soda

Edge the Movie

A new documentary about Straight Edge called "Edge the Movie" is circulating the film festival circuit mailings. So it might appear at a local film festival near you soon. I do want to see this one as it appears that will at least have a more positive look at SxE despite the fact that they mention they will talk about the negative aspects as well. I do feel though that it isn't that necessary to even discuss these aspects at all. Enough has been documented about those that claim Edge and are violent and ruin the scene and name for the rest of us. That would be like doing a movie about Christianity and saying well we have to talk about the Crusades and the Spanish Inquistion, not if you focus on the positive aspects as your documentary. I feel like the iea of doing an unbiased balanced documentary can be lame as a proper focus on the positive aspects can be just as important and fullfilling in a documentary. I'll keep my official judgement quiet until I see the film though.

They do plan to do a DVD release so even if you can't catch it at a film fest or local independent theatre, you can still watch it at home.

Doing Too Much at Once

I find myself sometimes doing way too much at once and never getting anything done. At work this seems like a boon and since I'm constantly getting tasked by other's to get things done on pretty crazy schedules I find it easy to switch gears from one task to work on another. But at home I see myself skipping around a lot with out schedules and getting very little done.

I'll start to fold laundry, then remember I needed to take out the trash so I'll do that, then I'll rearange somethings that were cluttered and then realize I forgot to finish folding the laundry and go back to that, get bored and do something else, etc... It goes on like that a lot.

Lately I keep feeling like I may have ADD (Atention Deficit Disorder) but I'm 32 so I'm not sure what can really be done at this stage in my life. I want to be a little more sane when it comes to getting things done instead of switching around all the time and not comleting a lot of tasks that should really have my full attention. Surprisingly I can sit still and write a blog post without much internal distraction, although from what I've read about ADD and ADHD that's common as well. You can hyper-focus on things you truly enjoy or find important. That leaves other things to flounder that have less importance.

In the end it's helped my career, I think my ability to jump from task to task works to my advantage there well. So I wonder if I ever did anything to affect how I am would it make me less productive at work?

The Past The Present 1982-2007: A History of 25 Years of European Straight Edge

Another cool book is out about Straight Edge over a 25 year period in Europe. I'm actually quite interested in this book as it follows five Dutch bands through the various periods of SxE. I am quite amazed at how worldwide Straight Edge is and that it has become something that can bring people from all over together with a single philosophy. I'm very excited about all the books that are coming out lately that cover Straight Edge.

You can check out more info on the book from this blog and you can order the book from Refuse Records. I realize I'm a tad late on this news, but better late than never.

Burning Fight: The Nineties Hardcore Revolution in Ethics, Politics, Spirit, and Sound

I recently found out about a new book about hardcore culture. I haven't picked it up yet, so as soon as I get it I'll post a review. The book is called "Burning Fight: The Nineties Hardcore Revolution in Ethics, Politics, Spirit, and Sound" and it's by Brian Peterson. The book is supposed to cover where 80s hardcore left off and discuss the culture that embraced straight edge, animal rights, D.I.Y., and spirituality into their lives and hardcore.

I find the concept of this book rather interesting by the fact that the author was into hardcore in his teens in the 90s and now is a writer and high school English teacher. Just because you're a punk as a kid or even listen to hardcore as an adult does not mean that you can't become whatever you want in life. Hardcore isn't a barrier to life and you can live your life as an adult outside of the scene and still enjoy the music and culture.

I think that too many people see subcultures like hardcore as a dead end. It's whatever you make it, it's not a beginning or and end, it's part of life and a means to get some enjoyment from the world around.

HATEBREED: For The Lions

The new Hatebreed album For the Lions is out in stores now. They have some wicked covers on there. I love the Judge cover! Here's the Track Listing:

1. SLAYER - Ghosts of War


2. CRO-MAGS - It's The Limit


3. SUICIDAL TENDENCIES - Suicidal Maniac


4. SEPULTURA - Refuse/Resist


5. METALLICA - Escape


6. BAD BRAINS - Supertouch/Shitfit


7. MISFITS - Hatebreeders


8. D.R.I. - Evil Minds


9. MADBALL - Set It Off


10. SICK OF IT ALL - Shut Me Out


11. BLACK FLAG - Thirsty


12. NEGATIVE APPROACH - Sick Of Talk


13. CROWBAR - All I Had I Gave


14. MERAUDER - Life Is Pain


15. AGNOSTIC FRONT - Your Mistake


16. JUDGE - Hear Me


17. OBITUARY - I'm In Pain


18. SUBZERO - Boxed In

Question? Have you ever lost friends because you claimed Edge?

Let us know and tell us why, post your answer.

Thanxxx.

Straight Edge and Stress

I feel like being Straight Edge gives me an advantage when dealing with stress and anger. Often we are faced with problems and people that are very difficult to handle, people that only care about themselves. Having Edge forces me to face those issues head on. Quite often people hit the bottle or pop some pills to forget their troubles, but they don't go away. Before I claimed Edge I drank to ignore the crap in my life, and nothing got better. The only way things got solved is when I talked it out with people, when we figured out the real problem. Stress can tear you apart. But for me having faith in myself to stay Straight Edge is what gets me through the stress.

xTRUE TILL DEATHx

Birds X Of A Feather

Just found out about a great Straight Edge band called Birds X Of A Feather. Here's a nice interview with the band from @xroldx.

"To me hardcore and the edge are no passing phase. ...I've never been fed up with hardcore and you know why? Because I don't care about what other people do, how other people dress and how other people interpret hardcore. I'm just doing this for myself"

You can find Birds on myspace.

Twitter

So I've had a defunct twitter account for a while and finally got around to using it. I'm going to be posting new and different content all with the same pessimistic angry outlook on the world around us -- along with links back to the blog and some music using blip.fm and pics using twitpic.com and whatever else is worthy of twitter.

So please follow me on twitter: @phreekk

I also listed myself on wefollow with #straightedge #punk and #hardcore

And NO, this is not a result of Ashton Kutcher or Oprah.

Katamari is Straight Edge

From joystiq.com:

Although it's hard to believe that the ideas for Katamari Damacy and Noby Noby Boy weren't birthed from some serious drug use, Keita Takahashi stated at GDC that he's completely straight-edge when it comes to partaking in the chemical vices of man. In the same session where he revealed Noby Noby Boy for iPhone, he also claimed, "I don't use drugs at all, I don't drink at all. Please don't worry about me."

Hot Straightedge Punks

I just found these lyrics for a song about Hot Straightedge Punks and thought I'd share cause hey I'm a hot straight edge punk (at least I think so):

chourus: you may not be like Kurt Cobain,but with you i cannot complain. I know all you guys are hard to find,Hot straightedge punks you make my love life rock out loud!
1rst verse: hey! i'm just a plain punk girl, trapped in a huge messed up world, full of gangstas, preps & wrist cutting emo kids. just unique with my own style & yet it has to make me smile,because i know that i am not alone
2nd verse: i see him walking down,turning frowns upside down. my heart beats faster with every step he takes. a punk with no booze or drugs unlike those other thugs. oh why cant there much more guys just like you?
(chorus)
3rd verse: i just think its so damn brave. another ones life saved. you're not weak just very cautious. i just think it's so fly that ur not drunk or high. Hey straightedge punk, don't ever change that habit please!
(chorus)

Written by Selenalunarox

You Can't Be Straight Edge "For Now"

I love when I search the net for Straight Edge news and come across articles in local newspapers that cover Straight Edge kids in their area.  It's always a nice feeling to see a positive news story that shows how SxE is a lifestyle choice for making one's life better.  I just came across the article I Am ... Straight Edge in the Hartford Courant about a 16 year old boy that found out about Straight Edge from a band he liked.

However I would like there to be more positive and uplifting stories about SxE that involve older people that are past the age of 21, people such as myself, that have chosen to be Straight Edge to improve their lives.   Because when you read about a 16 year old kid saying he's Straight Edge people always think that they'll break edge when they are 21.  Sadly this kid even says "I'm not saying I'm never going to drink or to try stuff, but for now, never, I have no desire to." which to me shows that he's not commited to being Straight Edge.  I think that if you don't want to drink or smoke, that's fine, but don't claim to be SxE without making that claim something you truly mean.

Saying "I'm going to be Straight Edge this weekend" or anything that's limited is a lie and a slap in the face to everyone that claims to be SxE for life.  SxE is a lifestyle that shouldn't be seen as a temporary decision.  Now I'm not saying that you can't chose to no longer be Edge at a later time in your life, but it's not something you should go into by saying "for now."  If you don't want to drink, just don't drink, but don't label yourself something you truly aren't.  It's liek saying I'm going to be Vegan this month.  Being Vegan is a lifestyle chosen for a reason, often chosen based on views about animal cruelty.  So how do you say I'll be Vegan and be against eating the flesh of animals cause it's wrong for a month and then go back to being a carnivore, it's silly.

Happy St. Drunky Day!

Seems like St. Patricks Day is simply another reaosn to get trashed and like an idiot.

Claiming Straight Edge is an Wise Economic Choice

In these extremely tough economic times, it's hard to find money, a job or even a little help sometimes. And it seems that with less money to go around people are actually spending more money on the things they don't actually need. Americans are spending more money on cigarettes and alcohol than before and the numbers are rising. As a nation we are driven to vices that we think will make us feel better rather than logically trying to find ways to actually make our lives better. Basic math will tell anyone that giving up smoking and drinking will put so much more money into your savings that you won't need to live paycheck to paycheck, which is all to common these days. Even looking at really old data on spending for cigarettes it's so obvious that you can retire on the money you'd save in 30 years.

In the end, not only would you be saving money, but you'd be saving your self from all the harmful effects if you claimed Edge.

Shai Hulud - Misanthropy Pure

Understood,
This will read as a plea to vindicate intolerance as surely as it is written.

Understand,
Contempt born of clear perception is a birthright to those who channel it toward progression.

Preserve life without loathing.
Awaken hope within hatred.
Wrest insight from outrage.

This is a birthright and obligation.

Spiteful and ill-tempered, I know the character well...
A maelstrom of weakness, and instability seething with viciousness.
I choose not to accept this;
Not into my life.
There is no hope of reform.
When pride is allied with hostility, all reason is denied.
I return the denial.

A glaring misconception of self-importance, I know the character well...
Heedless fool, so arrogant with no understanding of consequence.
I see this negligence.
I choose not to accept it;
Not into my life.
Absence of introspection neglects the outer world.
Let not the excess of lusts and comfort mislead you.
This world is not yours.

Feel the quarrel in just his presence, you know the character all too well...
A destructive man at war with his cowardice.
I detest belligerence, and choose not to accept it;
Not into my life.
Keep separate these hatreds.
Undefined animosity is a device of the spineless, the means of a fool.
Focused misanthropy is opposition for these dark hearts-
Downpours of disapproval no words could begin to express.

To distort the truth to serve itself,
To oppose understanding,
I believe in man.
Man will maintain its hostility.
Have this faith.

Conflict in the chest.
To be concerned for the needs of such heartless men.

Shai Hulud - "Misanthropy Pure" from Misanthropy Pure

Straight Edge Icons for IM (AIM, Yahoo, whatever)

I made a few Straight Edge IM icons for apps like AIM, Yahoo, Gmail Chat, MSN and others.  Use them as you'd like with one limitation: these icons can NOT be modified to contain anti Straight Edge messages, violence, or anything that would not be considered posi.

Addict

You know you're an addict when you have a ciggarette in your mouth before you even get out of the subway.

You know you're an addict when you have to have a drink before you go out to drink.

You know you're an addict when you read this and you hate me for being right.

Mega List of Straight Edge Bands

With lots and lots of effort this list of Straight Edge bands past and present is over 300 with album covers, web site links and years of existence (for some). It's an excellent resource for looking at history of Straight Edge through music. I don't know how accurate it is of course, but like wikipedia, it's a great place to start. I certainly wouldn't consider myself an expert on SxE music, so I foudn this list great for finding bands I hadn't discovered yet.

New York should learn a little something from Tokyo

I recently got back to NY from Tokyo, Japan. My wife and I went there for our honeymoon. I was amazed at how clean their city was, how respectful people were to others, and people (no matter what job they held) were courteous and helpful to everyone.

Tokyo is a very clean city, there are no cigarette butts on the ground, no gum on the sidewalks, and no trash anywhere. Surprisingly they have no trash cans on any street corners, like you find in NY. People just wait till they find a place with a trash can instead of throwing things on the street. Japanese people have respect for their city.

Almost no one in Tokyo smokes. And when they do, they follow the laws and smoke in designated areas. They don't throw cigarettes on the sidewalk or out their car windows. Japanese people don't blow smoke in your face, or walk with a lit cigarette (something that the oblivious and disrespectful europeans truly we saw didn't get.) We were eating on a bench along the sidewalk one day and these four european women came up sat down next to us and just blew their smoke right at us; exactly what I want when I'm eating.) The week I was back in New York, I was on the subway to work and this businessman in a decent looking suit pulled a cigar from his pocket, bit off the end and spit it on the subway car floor. I looked at him with a look of surprise and he responded with a gruff F-You in an abhorrent New York accent. I retorted with a request to him to pick it up and throw it out properly, to which he replied that it was biodegradable. Of course I then needed to remind him that biodegradation only works when your outside and you have a proper place for it to degrade into. He says F-You again, and asks me if I'm from New York, and that since he's from New York he has some (I can only assume) constitutional right to be a disgusting pig and throw sh!t on the ground. I told him he was disgusting and then he just tried to intimidatingly stare me down. Japanese people have respect for their city.

Employees of the Tokyo JR transit, employees of the post office, and every store we visited were very courteous. And it's obvious it's not just cause I'm a foreginer spending money there, you can see how they interact with their own people and even when they are just doing their normal jobs. JR transit employees were nice, neat uniforms with clean white gloves. Could you imagine if an MTA employee wore white gloves, they'd be black in a week if they even wore them. Everyone in every store we visited, even those we just were window shopping in, were very polite and helpful. In NY if you need help from people in a store, they often won't help you, or even know what your talking about or even speak English (granted there are exceptions.) In Tokyo many store clerks know enough English to help you (which is nice since my Japanese isn't the best, but I at least try and they appreciate that.) Japanese people have respect for their city.

It's just plain nice to go someplace and feel that you aren't going to be treated like crap because that person thinks that they deserve more.