World-famous street artist Banksy has been "embroiled in a tit-for-tat row with another street artist after deliberately spraying over a 24-year-old work.
The elusive aerosol painter has caused outrage by covering up a piece of graffiti that had remained untouched since it was painted in 1985." More here.
Here's the original piece.
And here's Banksy's cover up.
But I bet no-one else has brought up about the masterpiece hidden away in the bottom right of the wall!
On November 16th, another Russian antifascist skinhead was murdered by neo-nazis. The scum first tried killing him in 2005 with a sharpened screwdriver, stabbing him six times in the neck. He lived. Earlier this year, he was stabbed in the stomache. They have finally managed to kill him, by shooting him. Ivan was a well known figure and deeply respected by traditional skinheads, R.A.S.H, punks, and left activists. He had completed his diploma in juridicial studies, and had done work as a lawyer for an institution which helps homeless and disadvantaged children. Solidarity, brother. The world is a lesser place without you.
1. 'They wanted to look working-class: some factory workers and dock workers at the time had shaved heads.' Probably – looking working-class was also the motivation for wearing boots and braces.
2. 'As they loved ska and reggae, they were imitating afro-Caribbeans.' Possibly. One thing skinheads definitely copied from Caribbean immigrants was the fake side parting shaved into their hair. Cropping your jeans and sta-prest short was copied from reggae star Desmond Dekker, who wore a suit with the pants cut short when he toured the U.K. His hardcore fans started copying the short-trousers look.
3. 'They were factory workers – long hair got in the way.' No, most of them were school kids.
4. 'They were dockers, Jamaican and white.' Nope, see above.
5. 'They were always getting into fights – long hair got in the way.' Maybe.
6. 'It was a reaction against long hippie hair.' Nope, mod haircuts were getting shorter before hippies even hit the U.K.
7. 'It was a reaction against the latest elaborate, expensive haircuts of the 'peacock mods'.' Maybe.
8. 'It was something mods had started from copying French fashions: it was known at the time as the ‘French crew-cut’.' There is some truth to this – in the mid-sixties some mods used to watch the latest French films and sketch the clothes to try to get imitations tailor-made.
9. 'They wanted to look ‘hard as nails’.' Yep.
10. 'They were copying the look of American 'Ivy League' college students.' That’s not punk rock!
The only country outside of the U.K where the skinhead cult spread to during the first generation of skins was Australia. The images of skins in sunny, laid-back and unfashionable Australian cities make a stark contrast to the grey council estates of England, and London, full of the latest, cutting-edge fashions.
Skinhead was brought to Oz at the end of the sixties/start of the seventies by English immigrants, who came over as part of the ten-pound-pom scheme, an assisted immigration plan where it was cheap for people from the U.K to come here, but expensive for them to leave. This was part of the racist 'White Australia' policy, which encouraged immigration from white countries.
Skinhead reggae never reached Australia, but 'skanking' (reggae dancing) was brought over by the poms, and taken up by fashionable kids. Most of what was skinhead fashion in the U.K was unavailable over here. Aussie skins were skins in the basic look and attitude: trouble-making kids with cropped hair, boots, braces and Levi's jeans.
Like in the U.K, there was plenty of media hysteria over skinhead violence. The article below describes how a girl falling over and injuring her head was elevated by the media into evidence of an epic skinhead brawl.
By the mid-seventies, most skinheads had become sharpies. It is generally believed that sharpies were a development of skinheads, in the same way as skins in the U.K became suedeheads then smoothies. I don't think this is the case. There is oral evidence - but no photos - that sharpies started as far back as 1968, before the skinhead cult had even reached Oz. Someone wrote on the Skins 'n' Sharps website:
IN EARLY 1968, WHEN I WAS A 16-YEAR-OLD “MOD” WORKING AT THE MELBOURNE GPO (POST OFFICE), I BECAME MATES WITH A YOUNG LOUT FROM PRESTON. HE HAD SHORT HAIR AND ATTITUDE! ONE LUNCHTIME, HE ASKED ME IF I WANTED TO COME OVER TO THE “SEVEN LITTLE TAILORS” SHOP ON ELIZABETH STREET. HE WAS GETTING SOME “FLAGS” MADE.
“FLAGS?” I THOUGHT. “WHAT THE HELL!”
WHEN WE GOT THERE, I FOUND OUT THAT “FLAGS” WERE A NECESSARY ITEM OF CLOTHING WORN BY A MELBOURNE-BASED GANG SUBCULTURE CALLED “SHARPIES”. THEY WERE TROUSERS–BAGGY TROUSERS–MADE OF WOOLEN MATERIAL IN “HOUNDSTOOTH” OR CHECK DESIGN WITH DULL COLOURS AND REAR POCKET FLAPS. I WAS INTRIGUED. I WANTED TO KNOW MORE!
MY NEW MATE INFORMED ME THAT ALONG WITH FLAGS, THEY WORE ITALIAN FINE KNIT CARDIGANS AND JUMPERS MADE BY COMPANIES LIKE “VENITO”, NO STRIPES, JUST PLAIN COLOURS USUALLY MAROON OR BOTTLE GREEN. MODS WERE STARTING TO SOUNDS A BIT “OLD HAT” NOW. I WAS HOOKED! ITALIAN LEATHER SHOES, CHISEL TOE, CUBAN HEEL, WERE THE OTHER REQUIRED ITEMS OF CLOTHING AND A “CRESTKNIT” POLO SHIRT TO TOP IT OFF! SHARPIE GIRLS WERE CALLED “BRUSH” AND WORE FAIRLY DRAB OUTFITS COMPARED TO THE BOYS: TWIN SETS, PLAINT SKIRTS, FLAT SHOES, ETC.
A FEW MONTHS LATER, I WENT TO A DANCE ON FLINDERS LANE CALLED “TRAFFIK” TO SEE “THE LOVED ONES”. AND WHO WERE HANGING AROUND OUTSIDE, LEANING ON LOWERED “HD” AND “EH” HOLDENS WITH “TASMAN” MAGS? SHARPIES! I LATER FOUND OUT THAT MOST DANCES HAD “SHARPIE BANS” SO THEY WOULD STAY OUT THE FRONT “PICKING” THE LONG HAIRS OR TRYING TO CHAT UP SOME MOD “CHICKS”. FUN!
The same as in the U.K, Aussie kids were reacting against fancy mod haircuts and fashion and developed a more simple, tough look. As sharpies and skins had similiarities in fashion and attitude the styles influenced each other, and basically merged. Sharpies wore braces, and skins wore the sharpies' famous tailor made cardigans. The sharpies' dance style was influenced by skanking. Sharpies' main difference was their proto-mullets: hair cropped all over except at the bottom of the back of the head, where they grew it long.
Male sharpies were the first male, western, youth to have pierced ears. They were the first Australian subculture based around a uniquely Australian fashion style. Apart from the braces, they were not trying to emulate the fashion of another country. The most interesting aspect of sharpies was the level of creativity: cardigans, shoes, t-shirts, and sweaters were tailor-made, while jeans were store-bought but taken to the tailor for alterations. The cardigans and t-shirts often featured patterns designed by sharpies.
Due to violence between sharpie gangs, and changes in fashion, the sharpie subculture gradually faded and dissappeared by the eighties.
Time and time again, it comes down to recognising the true and original roots of skinhead culture...
Skinhead culture was born out of racial harmony and socialisation between black and white youth, in and out of early ska and reggae dancehalls in London during the 1960's. Skinheads were an offshoot culture from the mods, who appreciated black soul music (mainly northern soul), mod rock and Jamaican ska and rocksteady. Skinheads were a mainly more working class group of the mods, who broke away from strict mod culture, becoming a splinter group called the 'Hard Mods', then calling themselves skinheads, sometime during the mid 60's. But they have always remained somewhat distant cousins.
Skinheads became more noticeable from their even shorter cropped hair, than their old counterparts.
Also from their boots and braces, and more dressed down working class look as opposed to the mods' dressed up look. Signifying they were more working class in a sense, and more rough and ready, than their mod cousins, who liked to strut about town and be seen in all the flashy latest fashions.
The traditional skinheads fron the 60's - 70's had the priviledge of remaining pretty much completely unpoliticised within their music and clothes based culture.
All skinhead culture had remained interracial, and the music had all been of black origin or influence. In 1969, 'skinhead reggae' (Trojan label reggae artists, that had been highly popular with skinheads), reached a pinnacle in sales, popularity and influence, in a resurgent skinhead movement. Hence the catchcry with a lot of traditional skinheads, 'Spirit of 69' - to symbolise biracial unity, and to pay respect and recognise skinheads early roots and influences.
In the early 80's in the UK, a new kind of skinhead music/movement was formed: 'Oi' music, of which Garry Bushell, (singer of the oi band, The Gonads), first coined the phrase.
Oi music, also known as, and best described as 'skinhead rock n roll' became the new skinhead music, for a new generation of younger skins and punk alike. Highly influenced by punk rock of the time, to the point where some would argue that there was no difference between punk and oi in sound. But there was - and is now - some subtle, to major, differences in style and sound. It's just that you need a knowledgable ear to tell the difference.
Oi music was 'a' political for the most part. And some was more left of centre, The Blood for instance, and the mostly notable of all, The Oppressed.
With the ultra-nationalist N.F (National Front), and B.M (British Movement) slowly taking hold, and influencing more and more impressionable younger, mostly uneducated, lower working class skinheads, the skinhead movement began to split. Those of the more traditionalist 'reggae skinheads' and ska skins mostly, and those 'oiskins' who were more musically and idealogically fans of such bands as The Oppressed, The Blood and the Angelic Upstarts, began segregating between the newer breed of skinheads - the more nationalist, aggressive and more often than not outwardly racist 'NF skins' or 'NF bootboys' and or 'Bovverboys'.
Ian Stuart, the singer of Skrewdriver, the first openly racist 'skinhead' band, became almost overnight, the hero/figurehead of ultra-nationalist skinheads every where, when Skrewdriver's first far right and white supremacist album was released - White Noise.
This was the begining of a new era, and was what to soon after become the progenitor of the neo-nazi 'skinhead' movement, namely 'Blood and Honour' and the 'Hammerskins'.
And the rest is history, and also still ongoing. The neo-nazi/white supremacist 'skinhead' movement is a complete hijacking, bastardisation and antithesis of the original and true skinhead movement.
This is not a singular or minority opinion based on personal bias,this is the reality and matter of fact.
In 1987 Marcus Pacheco, a hispanic traditional skinhead in New York, decided to draw a line in the sand. Sick and frustrated with all the media attention on the controversial 'nazi skinheads', he and a few close freinds formed the first Skinheads Against Racial Prejudice chapter in N.Y and the world.
His and their main aim was to try and form a movement that would preserve the ideology and culture of the original skinhead movement, in a more obvious and more public and prominent way. This was the primary aim of the original SHARP movement. Not to inject and force far left and extremist politics into the scene.
SHARP was formed to try and dismantle the stigma and demonisation of the original skinhead culture, nurtured by sensationalist media frenzy, and the far right and 'nazi skinheads.'
Roddy Moreno of The Oppressed, met up with sharp skins in NY in 1989 and took some SHARP flyers back to the UK. He promoted SHARP along with Anti-Fascist Action, a collective of punx, skins and others opposed to the far right infiltrating the UK scene and gaining more influence overall.
Soon after Moreno promoted SHARP in the Cardiff scene in Wales, where he and the band where based. The meaning and influence of SHARP spread throughout the rest of Europe and the rest of the world. Despite the media focus on nazi skins, or more rightly termed 'boneheads', which is the term used for nazi skins, amongst proper traditional skinheads, SHARP, anarchist skins, and redskins alike.
The number of SHARP greatly outnumber the population of nazi skins, world over. Some apolitical skins, or more rightly termed 'fencewalkers', think supporting SHARP is a pointless exercise, and choosing sides is just a hassle. And that some SHARP are just as militant and violent as the boneheads.
Maybe so, but gone are the days of the simple life of the skinhead. Political extremism and stigma have stained the skin culture forever, or so it seems for now.
Far right politics, racism and bigotry can not be confronted, or at the very least diffused with ambiguity or apathy.
By remaining apolitical and completely apathetic at all times, a person thereby indirectly gives way to such far right and extremist beliefs and actions to take their course, and condones such beliefs and even casual sentiment and influence to fester and grow.
Thereby giving a free pass for such things to continue.
SHARP is self explanatory, it represents only what is described within its title. Nothing more and nothing less, other than stating it is a traditional skinhead movement, with an emphasis on anti-racism.
So therefore there can never be any confusion as to what side of the fence a sharp skinhead stands on. This is the original and primary focus of SHARP.
There are some right-wing conservative sharp. But more often than not, sharp tend to to harbour more left-of-centre views, naturally.
There is no one political platform or designation of sharp. Only that of the SHARP individual.
The reality is these days, is that every skinhead will come into contact with, or be in a situation now and again, where they are in some way confronted by a mainstream member of the public who asks them, 'What do they stand for, and are they a racist?'
Also sometimes skinheads are put in a situtation, where they are witness to, or confronted by varying degrees of race hate activities, if they are in the company of of ultra-nationalist or neo-nazi "skinheads."
The question is, is it not the moral obligation as an ordinary citizen at the very least, or the responsiblity of any true skinhead, to at least show some kind of objection to racism and racial hate based violence? (More often than not perpetrated by boneheads.)
Where does the ordinary skinhead draw the line, at what place and time?
In this regard, surely it makes sense to already have drawn a line in the sand previously. Hence it would be highly unlikely to be drawn into such a situation in the first place. Its no doubt a lot easier to prove you're not a racist bonehead, if you're already wearing a SHARP t-shirt, polo shirt, or patch or pin badge at the very least.
To think that not ever having to show any solidarity or alignment with anti/non-racism as a skinhead, because of some naive and belligerent idea that the public should already know what you stand for as a skinhead, and that it's their fault that they might be ignorant of what a skin stands for, is contemptable, unrealistic, unthoughtful and ridiculous...
The longer the general population are kept/left in the dark, about the true meaning of the skinhead biracial roots and culture, the longer real skinheads worldover are going to suffer public condemnation and disdain...
The longer skinheads are going to have to look over their shoulders in areas of an ethnic majority. The longer skinheads are going to be verbally abused, and sometimes physically abused and spat on, just for looking like a skin and walking down the street. The longer skinheads are going to suffer hateful looks from passers by, and misguided prejudice from people in their jobs, and in other everyday situations..
I for one do not want to wear the crucified skin for the rest of my life, whether it be on a t-shirt or a tattoo, or whatever, like some fashion accessory and some self pitying symbol of martyrdom. When I have, WE have the opportunity and power as a collective culture, SHARP and real traditional skins alike, to change the way we are perceived as a global movement. With one united, solidified lasting effort we can change the way REAL skins are percieved.
Then finally one day soon we will have truly reclaimed our stolen culture back from the boneheads, our pride and dignity, and will regain respect from the public at large. If only through a globally unified and concerted effort through a campaign of SHARP and traditional skinhead awareness. I'm talking about, mass production of flyers, awareness benefit gigs, getting involved with mainstream community projects, while making the general population understand who you are and what you stand for as a skinhead. Rallies, speeches, blogs, and any other way you can think of how to make people aware of what the fuck a real skin is. If such a campaign were successfull, it would basically mean a lot less hassle for skinheads, to dress like and be skinheads in their daily lives for the rest of their lives.
I dont know about you, but that sounds like a real skinhead shangrilah to me, a proper skinhead utopia..
The true and original SHARP is basically just a traditional skinhead that has drawn a line in the sand. Not a political extremist, or overzealous PC thug. Just a skinhead that has the balls to take a real and lasting stand. And one that does not bow to fencewalker peer-group pressure, and or quiet their beliefs, just to fit in nicely into a group so as to not rock the boat. The sharp is unafraid and unashamed to show freindship and solidarity with other cultures and races, is proud of where skinhead came from and its Jamaican and West Indian roots and influences.
To marginalise, overlook and deny these facts, is to deny skinhead culture itself. This is not an idle opinion, this is fact. To be a real skinhead, you must respect and honour the origins and influences from where it started.
The true sharp does not start or partake in violence for the hell of it. Only when they are given no choice, and in defence of themselves, or friends and loved ones.
Some sharp might have 'apolitical' freinds, who might socialise with people on the other side of the fence. The thoughtful sharp knows where to draw the line, and avoid awkward situations and trouble. Not to run from a fight, just not to start one.
It's not the duty of a SHARP to lecture and bully people who might not care about sides and politics, but to let themselves make their own decisions, and hope they make the right ones. If they are not interested then that's their perogative, and its their right not to be pressured into decisions they dont want to make or feel comfortable with.
Aside from some of the bad rep and hype, some militant sharp have got in the past, most sharp would much prefer to just to live normal mostly peaceful lives. And much prefer not to have to go to war every time they would step out of the front door in the morning.
Most sharp would prefer to live the ordinary life of a skinhead, appreciating and contributing positively to skinhead culture.
A SHARP is just another skinhead that enjoys skinhead music, clothes and lifestyle, and celebrating good times with friends.
A REAL SHARP is a REAL SKINHEAD, no more and no less than any REAL traditional skinhead.
The Velvetones' version of Symarip's 'Skinhead Girl', which was released as a single with a video featuring a girl with a shaved head, is the only version of the song to ever have a music video. It's also, as far as I know, the only version to add in new verses. Pretty cool for a band that weren't skinheads, and didn't even play skinhead related music: they were a swing band.
'Skinhead Girl' is one of the most-covered skinhead anthems. Here are links to covers by Bad Manners and The Oppressed. The other skinhead girl, reggae classic is Lloyd and Claudette's 'Queen of the World', one of my favourite reggae songs.
"The National Front has been trying to recruit disaffected young kids. If I can bring up a historical thing here: I’ve read a book called The Classic Slum by Robert Roberts and it dealt with one man’s memories of this slum area in Warrington, northern England between 1895 and 1910. It was a very oppressive time for workers. You had a job for two years and then you were out of it for another two years. Robert Roberts in that book describes groups and youths, unemployed, hanging around street corners with working boots on, working trousers, short cropped hair, men and women, and this was 1905! There were skinheads in 1905. Really it is a symbol of frustrated, angry, disenfranchised youth and it’s never actually been solely a uniform of the right wing youth. Skinheads are a phenomenon but they ain’t new."
During the skinhead revival of the eighties, it wasn't unusual for skinhead girls to crop or shave their heads. It was more common in the American hardcore scene, leading the RastafarianBad Brains singer, H.R, to wail at the gay frontman of Big Boys "We're in Babylon! This is holy Hell! San Francisco is Babylon! All these faggots and these bald-headed women running around!"
On the dvd Bad Brains Live at CBGB 1982 female skins with shaved heads can be seen in the audience.
[H.R] cursed them [Big Boys] and called Jah down to have their heads for being 'bloodclot faggots.' The next day, in the front yard of the house where we were staying, Darryl got into it with the female skinhead roadie ofMDC, Tammy, saying her 'womb was barren,' that the Bible said she wasn't supposed to shave her head. (From American Hardcore: A Tribal History by Steven Blush.)
Bloodclot is a Jamaican swear-word. Jamaican culture is notoriously homophobic - at the time the members of Bad Brains believed that to be proper Rastas they had to be homophobic. They have since apologised for and renounced their infamous homophobia of the early eighties.
Skinhead girls unfortunately (or fortunately) no longer shave their heads. If anyone has any photos of skinbyrds with shaved or cropped hair, please email them to me and I'll stick them on the blog. Today they usually stick to cropped short with fringe and bangs, or just neck or shoulder-length hair.
Bloodclot Faggots is also the name of an Adelaide hardcore band.
The Currency are a folk-punk band from Melbourne that formed three years ago but have just released their first album. I saw them live a couple of weeks ago, and it was the best show I've seen in months. They're typical folk-punk - catchy, sing-a-long songs that are great to dance or mosh to.
Greg Stainsby from Mutinyplays the instruments he played with his old band - mandolin and electric guitar.
Most of the band were wearing Ben Shermans and Fred Perrys, and one of them is bald, giving them a quasi-skinhead look. They even have a song about an ex-skin, 'Victoria Rose':
Well guess who's out of the nick? / And he's asking of you and Vic / Talking over a game / Just like back in the old days / Of the bomber jacket and black boots parade / And he's laughing at the new skins / Wearing thier pressed denims / Ours were always filthy / Like the lives we lived in them
Filthy jeans and a bomber jacket? Never!
The Currency were so entertaining live I bought a copy of their self-titled album, but it was dissapointing. On cd they sound a bit bland and cliche. They sound similiar to Mutiny but without the humour or strong aussie vibe that makes Mutiny so fun. It's still a solid collection of good tunes.
The title of their first single '888'is a reference to the struggle for the eight hour work day. Eight hours work, eight hours play, eight hours rest. The video has old footage from rallies donated by the MUA, CFMEU and ACTU. The song itself is completely apolitical - the reference to 888just shows how folky and working class the band supposedly are - which is a shame as many people today do not have an eight hour day.
They are great live so check out their myspace page for tour dates.
