SKINHEADS Written by Kodi Mason for S.H.A.R.P. – Wheeling, WV Chapter Introduction: I’m writing this because I want to have a history of the skinhead youth cult as whole (but not write a book) for the SHARP Chapter’s homepage. So anyone referred there can get an idea of the backdrop (so to speak) for the scene today, that is, if you (the reader) don’t already know. I’ve noticed that some shorter histories on small pages like this one leave out certain details, making them seem “sugar coated.” I’m trying to keep as much of the important details without writing a book. So, without further ado, here it is. The skinheads are the grandchildren of the Mod and Rude Boy(Girl) youth cults. The Mods were products of post war England in the 60’s. They were, as their name denotes, modernists. Their bit was to have more fun and be more smart and fashionable than their generations before them. They dressed in the latest fashions to give themselves a smart look. The Mods’ interest in the new sounds of reggae and ska coming from the West Indian communities put them in contact with the black youths of the time (known as Rude Boys or Girls in the case of lady). The “Rudies” wore similar suits, with the sleeves and legs cut a few inches about the wrists and ankles, and wrap-around sunglasses. The Mods’ exposure to the Rudies catalyzed the birth of the “Hard Mod” after the (orginal) Mods’ decline in the latter part of the 60’s. The Hard Mod was the child of the Mod and Rude Boy mingling. They sported shorter hair, boots, and kept their suits and wingtips for nights on the town. They still dressed smart, but smart hardened with a rough working class look. Your average Hard Mod was a pretty big fan of soccer (football to them) and the ol’ bovver. You know, aggro. Ass kicking. *Oh yes, and a few sore heads courtesy of 200 shaven-headed bootboys in Millwall colors, running along behind, chanting “Enoch! Enoch!” and generally causing enough trouble to make the papers the next day. Forget your wars in South-East Asia and your acid trips to nowhere. Skinheads had arrived! (Marshall, 8) They were avid fans of the ska and reggae the Mods and Rudies listened to as well as the aggro and the soccer. (Jamaican artists like Desmond Dekker, Laurel Aitken, Max Romeo, Derrick Morgan, Symarip, and many others; such as Judge Dread, who is very popular when it comes to skinhead reggae) And because of the abundance of jobs at the time these working class kids were able to afford the street-smart, hard look they’re known for. Often, skinheads would square off with fans of rival soccer teams giving the police and the (unfortunately) the innocent bystander, from time to time. These skins weren’t concerned with politics in the least. They were too busy keeping their turf protected from rival skinhead gangs, or the occasional grease or hippie. (and in some cases, gays…or anyone that looked like them. Mainly because they couldn’t fight very well and made for a good chase.) The in the height of the movement’s success (in the summer of 1969) there was a large amount of Pakistani and Asian immigrants in England the skinheads didn’t like all the strangers in their neighborhoods taking their jobs and seeming like the first choice in priorities to their own government. The skins lashed out violently against the immigrants, in what was called the “Anti-Paki League.” White, Black and mixed gangs often went out “Paki bashing”, most popular in London’s east end. The fact that black youths (some being skinheads, some being Rude Boys, and some normals), and Greek youths also had their fair share of Paki bashing disproves the claim that it was based purely on racial animosity. 1969 came and went and so did the skins. Most grew out their hair to about an inch and parting it, reverting more towards the Mod style of dress and came to be called suedeheads. And soon the suedeheads were growing their hair out longer and taking a more casual look. Revival: With the birth of street punk bands like Cock Sparrer, Menace, and namely Sham 69 (who’s singer Jimmy Pursey was before and later a skin) came a revival of skinheads. These skins took a more rough around the edges look, not quite as smart their older brothers but just as hard. The original skins didn’t take well to them and usually gave them all quite a beating, calling them “bald punks.” The constant rioting at shows ruined bands like Sham 69 and eventually screwed the 2nd wave skins over in a way. The skinheads were attracting attention of ultra-right wing, racist groups like the National Front and the British Movement. Namely, because of their taste for aggro and their Paki Bashing in the late 60’s. Many skins were converted and brought politics into the scene… dividing it right down the middle. A new batch of ska started off the The Specials on the infamous 2-Tone label brought about a large rivival of traditonal skinheads, many of which wanted to nothing to do with the street punk their younger brothers were kicking heads in to. Because of the black artists in many of the 2 Tone bands there was violence from the NF, and BM skins. But not as much as you’d expect. Many of them were doing the NF thing because it gave them something they thought would impress the ladies. We’re dealing with minds in high gear, here folks… (It should be added that most of the BM and NF “skinheads” were avid glue sniffers. ‘Nuff said.) The 2 Tone days came and went with a minimal amount of seig heiling. The real trouble came around when the new street punk bands gave birth to Oi! A name taken from the Cockney slang term for “Hey!” Also, front man for the Cockney Rejects, Stinky Geggus, insisted that the chant of “Oi! Oi! Oi!” replace the usual “1, 2, 3”. It stuck. Because of the sound of the music, the glue- sniffing Boneheads (the name real skins gave to the NF and BM following skins in attempt to distance themselves.) were attracted to Oi! So you bet your last dime that they were always showing up and causing trouble. Not to say that ALL violence and trouble at shows was ALL their fault. One example was Southall. Southall was a town that was home to a large Asian community. Because of the NF and BM exploiting the skinheads and the media exploiting the exploitation people were already starting to associate skinheads with “white power” and racism. The Asian youths were expecting trouble from the skins, and were well prepared for it. Halfway through the show they rioted, smashing in the windows and the like. The decision was then made to evacuate the bar. Even after the bar the show was being held in had been evacuated, the Asian crowds rioted into the night, giving the police much trouble and eventually burning the bar to the ground. If the NF had left skins alone, and if the skins had been smart enough not to get involved with political organizations this wouldn’t have happened. Here’s why: Because of some skinheads involvement with NF/BM and the media’s knack for blowing things out of proportion the Asian youths at Southall felt their community was being threatened. However, they did not have to react in the way that they did. There’s no one person or group at fault. and Oi! in the UK wasn’t getting much help, because of the media blaming Oi! and the skins for the entire thing. By about this time skinhead was enjoying some success in other countries, namely the United States and Australia. Sadly, the Boneheads were more plentiful in the U.S. than your true Skins. The same was the case in the U.K. Bands like Skrewdriver, Brutal Attack and Skullhead didn’t help, either. Skrewdriver formed R.A.C. (Rock Against Communism – a name to parody Rock Against Racism), and later Blood And Honour. RAC is today the Bonehead’s own brand of Oi! How fitting; wannabe Oi for wannabe skinheads. Towards the end of the 80’s groups like SHARP (and in the early 90’s – Red & Anarchist Skinheads [RASH]) helped to lower the Bonehead population. This new crop of skinheads made for a mixture of the first 2 waves. You now have your TradSkins, Oi! Skins, Punk skins, Redskins, and some other variaties. And from the current strength of skinheads and Oi! From all over the world, it looks as if skinhead wont be going anywhere any time soon. Oi! Oi! Oi!