The Promise - What Does Straight Edge Mean?

I came across a great interview with the promise while trying to find the lyrics for my last post. You can find the interview at Quebec Hardcore, but here is the part that stuck with me:

The Promise proudly declares itself to be a Straight Edge band. How do you (as a band or individually) define Straight Edge? What does Straight Edge mean to you and what has kept you unfazed over the years in the face of change and adversity? Also what's your opinion on longtime Straight Edge bands who have changed their course of action and no longer believe in it? Are there any bands you know of, for that matter, who are still keeping it real?
Buske: For all of us, Straight Edge is a lifetime commitment we have made with ourselves to live free from substance abuse. Everyone, aside from Derrick, has had their share of abuse or usage and we have seen that this (being Straight Edge) is the most productive and the healthiest path to take. I've watched people rot away and I've lost friends to suicide due to their drug usage. I have close friends that are alcoholics and I've watched, first hand, these people go from rags to somewhat ruin and it's fucking horrible. Those instances, the ones that hit home the most, are the ones that keep me clean and clinging to Straight Edge. Times change, people change, that's all good. Straight Edge isn't meant for everybody and if you fail, you fail. I have no problems with people who "sell out", I have best friends who are notorious for their edge that are no longer Straight Edge. When it becomes a problem is when people fall off and the shit talking begins. People make mistakes, it's human nature, but to bad mouth one of the best decisions anyone could make to better themselves and to down play those of us who still care, that's where the problem begins. As for bands, there's actually quite a few that are keeping it real. Our War, Impact, Champion, Downpour, First Blood to name just a few.

Anderson: Bands are no different than kids selling out. That’s what a band is made of, kids. The only problem is that there is documented proof of their Straight Edge “phase”. Naturally, everyone’s first instinct is to belittle their past. It’s disheartening to watch that happen. I’m all for a person doing what’s right and true to them, that’s what hardcore is about. However, they have to realize life does not start and stop at their leisure. You may have moved on but many of us haven’t. We’re still here and we’re staying.

Eyes Wide Shut

Everything we hold so dear,
it turns to dust.
We take and take give nothing back,
except no cost.
Too caught up in ourselves.
And where we're at.
Complacency to hostility,
we can't turn back.
Our eyes wide shut.
Our eyes are now wide shut.
Everything we hold so dear,
it turns to dust,
we take and take,
give nothing back,
all hope is lost.
I know it's not all easy,
and I know at times we're scared.
But I know what we can achieve,
if we really dare.
Just take the time to look beyond.
Our eyes wide shut.

"Eyes Wide Shut" - The Promise ~ Believer

Posers

Just when I was having a fine day I come across shit like this:

F*cking C*nts!

SxE Link of the Week

straight-edge.net

Straight Edge Link of the Week

Straight edge [from Belgium]

Breaking Edge

What does breaking edge really mean? Can you drink once or smoke pot once or have a one night stand and still be straight edge? What if you slip up, something sets you off, you make a bad judgment, fall to peer pressure, something really bad happens to you or someone close to you?

A bit ago I was talking with some friends, some SxE and some not, and we discussed this point. I originally felt that you couldn't claim edge again if you broke edge. But I think now that breaking edge is a more deliberate and conscious decision. Failing at staying Straight Edge shouldn't be looked at as a strict declaration of un-claiming edge. If you did something un-edge with the thought that you can re-claim afterwards then you broke edge. Life throws A LOT of crap at us, and being perfect is impossible, so expecting yourself to never fall prey to something that drives you over the edge (no pun intended) would be way to pious of anyone.

So I think as long as understand why you failed to stay edge for that moment in time and make a re-commitment to being Straight Edge then you can continue to claim and still be TRUExTILLxDEATH.

Straight Edge Revenge

Straight Edge Link of the Week

Straight Edge Videos on YouTube

Brain Damage is a Cure for Smoking

Now don't take this news the wrong way and go around smashing smokers with baseball bats. But it seems that brain damage is a cure for smoking addiction. Now I'm sure brain damage is a cure for a lot of things like stress (imagine how less stressful life would be if your brain was damaged and you didn't understand anything anymore.)

Hopefully this will lead to figuring out how inhibiting a certain part of the brain can lead to ending nicotine addiction. Now we just need a cure for ignorance and the vile evil that is the tobacco industry and their devil worshiping lobbyists.

free sxe chat

So I've been looking at the logs for my blog over the last few month, nicely provided by statcounter.com. Typically these logs can give you insight to your visitors, help you provide what people are looking for and get an idea as to what people seem to like most. Some interesting things are that people quite often look for SxE tattoos and AIM icons. And the most commonly searched for lyrics that hit my site are those for Something More Than Ink.

But the most interesting and funny thing is the amount of hits I get from the Middle East. It seems that they are most likely not interested in Straight Edge and are too hurried to spell check. Some of the best search terms are: free sxe chat, hot sxe, sxe tv, live sxe, sxe zoo free.

So be sure to spell check when you search for sxe and i guess not to search on xxx unless you have google's filters on if you actually want to look for Straight Edge info.