where did it start who started it and what are the rules of it
Hi not1, welcome to the board. You will probably be treated better around here if you take the time to use capital letters and punctuation. That’s just a suggestion, so take that FWIW.
Now, for your question. This is all coming from my head, and assumptions are being made here, so don’t take this as the gospel.
You can’t really say for sure who started it (because, I’m sure as long as there have been drugs/alcohol around, there have been people who decided against using them), but Ian Mackaye(sp?), then of Minor Threat, and now of Fugazi, was one of the first people to really incorporate it as a strong message/lifestyle. Minor Threat was based out of Washington DC. On Minor Threat’s self titled record (that came out in 1982 or 1983 IIRC) they had a song called “straight edge”.
Basically, it means “don’t drink, do drugs, smoke, or have promiscuous sex.”.
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I’m not too sure about the origins of the term “straight edge”, but the general practices aren’t really all that new. I’ve known plenty of straight edgers, and it pretty much boils down to an abstinence from drugs (including cigarettes) and alcohol. Some go so far as to include celibacy and/or vegetarianism into the mix, but I guess it depends on the person or the culture/sub-culture involved.
There are a few punk bands (Minor Threat springs to mind) that popularized the term itself.
Hope this helps.
Ian McKaye created the term. Go to Dischord Records and pick up Minor Threat Complete Discography. That’s pretty much your sXe bible right there my friend.
Dont forget Youth of Today. Although Minor Threat definetly are the ‘godfathers’ of straight edge, Youth of Today definetly helped it along. Of course Ray Cappo took straight edge a step further and got into Krishna Consciousness starting the band Shelter.
I suppose I can add some more info on sXe for you, as pezpunk brings to mind different bands and different beliefs on what being sXe “really” means.
Even the man who created sXe has distanced himself from the scene. Ian pretty much left when he realized the scene was becoming elitist (which a lot of people believe it still is today). If you take a band like say, Earth Crisis and compare them to Minor Threat in terms of sXe there’s a huge difference. Whereas Minor Threat was merely trying to speak their minds and get some new ideas in the channel, Earth Crisis takes a more “we’re right, fuck you if you disagree” approach.
I refer anyone to the Straight Edge FAQ who’d like a good introduction on sXe. It also has some good quotes from Ian and others on how sXe has come to be interpereted.
I’m not into anything straight edge but Shelter’s Mantra kicks ass and is really sort of an uplifting disk. Definitely worth the purchase price.
Mantra is actually one of their worst disks next to beyond planet earth. If you want to hear a great disk try attaining the supreme. It’s one of my favorites. I am not a big sXe fan (give up beer and sex? yea right) but shelter is awesome.
Sorry…lil off topic but necessary.
huh. anybody else find it somehow fitting that a question about Straight Edge was asked in the Straight Dope? Now only if Mr MacKaye were gay…
jb