“I’ve Got the Straight Edge”

by Danny R. Phillips

What is straight-edge? Besides of course a tool used in geometry or the sharp, thin line of a shiny razor blade? Webster’s Dictionary defines a straight edge as “a bar or piece of material with a straight edge for testing lines and surfaces or cutting along or drawing straight lines.” Yes, this is a straight edge, but Straight-edge is also a way of life. It is a violent, extremist gang to some, salvation to others.

Depending on whom you ask and what source you reference, the term “straight-edge” as it relates to the lifestyle either comes from a song by the late 1970’s protopunk band The Modern Lovers entitled “I’m Straight.” In it, lead singer Jonathan Richman spoke of his staunch disapproval of the drug lifestyle that was prevalent in the rock music circles of the time. But it was most likely borrowed from the song “Straight Edge” by Washington, D.C., hardcore punk groundbreakers Minor Threat.

Minor Threat featured Ian MacKaye. After Minor Threat disbanded, MacKaye would go on to underground prominence as a member of the DIY (Do It Yourself) punk legends, Fugazi. The Do It Yourself movement emphasized independent record labels as a opposed to mainstream music industry. MacKaye, with Minor Threat, is credited with laying the groundwork for Straight-edge philosophy. The lyrics of the song, “Straight Edge” speak of not drinking, not smoking and not having sex.

Straight-edge is a movement of sorts that is centered on the early hardcore punk scene and groups that turned their backs on what they deemed to be self-destructive behavior. These groups (The Teen Idles, Minor Threat and Strife, to name a few) denied the use of alcohol, drugs, and tobacco, began practicing veganism, supported animal rights and, for reasons that I can not even begin to fathom, stopped having sex; ironically, there are currently sixty-nine Straight-edge related discussion group sites on Yahoo!.
 
Fans of these straight-edge champions soon got on board with the message, taking the straight-edge mantra to heart and, in some cases, to great extremes. Followers of the movement even took to tattooing themselves (most popularly with the now adopted X symbol) as a way of showing lifelong dedication to the cause while further widening the gap between themselves and the people in everyday society.

Straight-edge had its heyday in the early 80’s, riding on the tsunami that hardcore punk rock briefly created. Then, Straight-edge as well as the hardcore scene that helped spawn it began to wane, going from a giant entity to a mere ripple in the pond. Now, with many of the music world’s stars falling by the wayside at the hands of drugs, straight-edge and the ideals it is based upon seem to be making a comeback.
 
The attention given in the music press to newer Straight-edge bands like Comeback Kid and Stretch Arm Strong, combined with a much needed return of a “hardcore punk” scene, Straight-edge ethos is once again a topic of discussion with young people both locally and word-wide. However, for at least one St. Joseph resident this is not news. For him, Straight-edge never has and never will go away.

Drew Ellis is a well-traveled musician with many bands around St. Joe and an ever-present feature as the doorman for the downtown all-ages club, The Scallywag. He talked to me via the all-powerful media that is MySpace about what straight-edge means to him.

“I’ve pretty much always been straight-edge, even before I knew that was the way to describe it. I’d go to parties, and friends would ask me if I wanted to drink or smoke and I always turned them down. I even chose not to have sex.”

Now that The Scallywag, an alcohol-free venue, has cultivated a large, loyal following for its ability to bring quality rock bands to St. Joe from all over the Midwest, I wondered if the all-ages “place to be” was the new Straight-edge hangout in town.

“I don’t want to give The Scallywag a label of any sort because we don‘t discriminate.” Ellis replied. “We want everyone of every sort to come here. Yes, most of my straight-edge friends do come here, but that doesn’t make it a straight-edge hangout. It’s been rumored that The Wag is the new emo hangout. This is not true; we want everyone of every different musical and cultural background to come here and feel comfortable. Emo kids, straight-edge kids, Goths, punks, metal-heads, the list goes on… everyone is welcome here.”
 
Being the Doubting Thomas that I am, I had to ask Drew about the pros and cons of living the life of a straight-edge devotee. “Well, for those persons who know what Straight-edge means, it can give you a good image, such as with parents, knowing that you don’t drink or smoke or do any drugs.” He continues, “But, a lot of my friends who smoke and whatnot like to give me crap about it. And there are other “Straight-edge” kids that have ruined it for the ones who stay true to it, ya know, the kids that claim it but don’t uphold it very well. Occasionally you see one drinking, smoking, or whatever. It gives the label a bad name.”

Some would say that it is not just the part timer Straight-edge kids who give the label a bad name. Though there are many positive elements to the Straight-edge scene, there are also some very negative aspects within it that some wish not to discuss. Some activities of more hardline Straight-edge followers have caused some cities in the U.S., like Reno and Salt Lake, to categorize Straight-edge as a gang.

In a 1999 interview with the ABC news program, 20/20, then Salt Lake County Deputy Sheriff Brad Harmon called militant Straight-edge members “rebels with passionate beliefs” and even went so far as to refer to them as “suburban terrorists.” He went on to say, “Anyone that says they (hardline Straight-edge affiliates) are non-violent has not looked at them as a whole.”

Some straight-edgers have reportedly taken the aggression that drives hardcore and squeezed it to the point of inflicting violence on those who choose not to follow the doctrine. There have been several reports in the past of hardline Straight-edge militants beating people senseless at concerts for such passive acts as smoking a cigarette, drinking a warm, over-priced beer or burning a joint.

Actions such as these, inflicting harm on others because of conflicting principles or beliefs, put these extremists on the same level, in my mind, as many of the supremacist hate groups. It brings these misguided few to the rank of common thug. Instead of living through tolerance and understanding, these mistaken ones have chosen to hurt and destroy those who they deem different for any pitiful reason they can think of.

Yes, Straight-edge can be the same as any group that is “non-conformist.” It has many of the same pitfalls, such as extreme judgments to the point of physical violence. For those interested in becoming Straight-edge, go ahead and do it wholeheartedly while being careful to follow the good points that make up the Straight-edge ideology.
 
Some would say the line between being Straight-edge and being little more than an extremist thug is not straight; it is a wavy, blurry line that leaves the individual to his/her self to decide by their actions.

This writer’s opinion is that you should turn your backs on those who wish to twist and distort the root beliefs of the movement. Straight-edge originated as a positive lifestyle, not one of inflicting pain and despair on those in the world whose beliefs deviate from your own. Better yet, don’t pigeonhole yourself by becoming part of ANY group; be yourself, do what makes you happy, be who you want and find the joy and serenity in who you are.

In today’s world, that is how you find the true “edge.” That is how you truly become a non-conformist.