Oh, Those Angry Little Hardcore Kids
I posted the NYC Hardcore video yesterday to show just how silly media can be when they latch onto the latest hot topic. Hardcore kids were just more intelligent and slightly more aggressive punks that enjoyed hanging out together and looking different. Twenty years later, same shit different bands. The latest issue of Rolling Stone features a massive story about the death of an Iraqi vet at the hands of an FSU member (allegedly). The article has already caused a blitzkrieg of coverage in the punk rock and mainstream press, and everyone is wondering where these hardcore kids came from.
Maybe they should search Youtube, because there is a ton of newscasts talking about this dangerous “new” movement. Same as the Peter Blauner article that lead to the Donahue episode, Rolling Stone has latched onto a subset of hardcore and has basically damned the whole movement as a gang of potential murders. This group in particular, FSU (Fuck Shit Up/Friends Stand United), is located in the Jersey, Boston, Philly area and from the look of some of the players, they aren’t exactly former Korn fans who started listening to Hatebreed. These guys are old school punks that are talked up like all they do is go to shows to beat people up.
I’ve been in the New Jersey punk scene for the better part of the last decade and a half, and have shared floor space with hundreds of “gang” members—From DMS to Atlantic City Skinheads to Syracuse Earth Crisis fans—and I have never been in fear of my life. I’ve seen countless dumb fights at hardcore shows, but almost everyone of them have been incited by inebriated morons and dumb jocks. The Birch Hill Nightclub in Birch Hill, New Jersey was a breeding ground for fights, but I never saw anyone get their ass kick that didn’t started the fight to begin with.
That said, someone did die at a show in Asbury Park, and some one is to blame. But to paint an entire music scene as violent, and plaster the words “Fight Club” all over a magazine like all these guys do is have organized beatdown sessions is just silly. The Donahue video just reminded me of this whole situation. Many of these FSU guys are in hardcore bands, just like most of the dudes in that segment: They preach the same message of brotherhood and unity, and many claim to be straightedge. Last I checked a good half of those NYC hardcore guys ended up on major labels, making decent coin, and becoming legends. Who’s to say the same won’t happen to the current hardcore scene?
Chris said,
Wrote on August 23, 2007 @ 2:25 pm
Anyone who has been to a hardcore show in the last 3 or 4 years in Jersey know that FSU generally means no good. I can’t really blame all the guys associated with it, but there are a select few who make the shows miserable to go to. Call me crazy, but I don’t go to shows to see a billion fights with a bunch of people I don’t know or care about. I go to see the bands…Gee what a novel idea.
The incident at Deep while so unfortunate, was something that was honestly bound to happen. I wasn’t at the show at Club Deep mentioned in the Rolling Stone article, so I don’t know what exactly happened. But the fact is, someone who was at the show died at the hands of someone in that club.
Its no wonder that touring bands in the scene routinely skip coming to New Jersey now, because of all the bullshit that comes with playing here. They’d rather play the Church in Philly or somewhere in NYC now. Gone are the days of shows at the Princeton Arts Council, Middlesex County College(A few shows still happen here and there), Manville Elks Lodge, The Pipeline and City Gardens. Halls won’t rent out their space for shows anymore, because of the nonsense that has comes with doing a hardcore show. Kids wanting to act tough in front of their friends is more important than keeping venues open. While Jersey still has a ton of hardworking bands putting out awesome music, there are few venues to see them in. And we can only blame ourselves, we let it get to this point. Its no wonder that people become so jaded with hardcore music and the scene. It has become everything it spoke out against.
Its also been no secret that Hardcore has cycles that it goes through. I feel this might be another cycle of it going downhill. Who the hell knows what will make it really fun and good again. I’m waiting, and so are a bunch of other people. The amount of shows I go to now has dwindled to next to nothing. And i’m not really losing any sleep over it.
Obeyourchi said,
Wrote on October 6, 2007 @ 2:39 am
Every single sub-culture comes under attack by people who don’t understand…
This is exactly how ecstacy was attached to the “rave” scene. Not everyone who went to these shows did E. Leave it to the media to sensationalize and sell…
MHHC said,
Wrote on February 26, 2008 @ 3:33 pm
You all are dumb faggots.
How do you guys know that the Iraqi wasnt starting fights???
Not all FSU kids are “bad”. Yah sure there negitive but they also are positive i mean take look at what they go through. so dont start talking shit unless you know what the fuck you are talking about but take a good look around you. we live in a cold world. I have no clue why people feel the need to dawg on our scene. but they have no clue what Hardcore means to us. Its something you have to be appart of to understand.
so fuck you lay off our scene. (not saying shit to any of you below me.)
society VS xxx said,
Wrote on March 3, 2008 @ 8:44 pm
All I see is a group of ugly to half decent looking guys being put up on undeserved pedestals by beautiful girls with horrible self-esteem. Not to forget the ugly girls willing to whore themselves out for a little taste of this “cool life” and the more attractive guys up for some free ass.
Boys well into their 20’s still acting out their 16-yr old, teenage rage and rebellion through bad music, “unique” mismatched homeless guy style, and forged egos. And somehow they’re multiplying and expanding in packs despite the amount of two-faced, back stabbing, and shit talk that seems to explode from their crooked mouths.
When did the desire to represent oneself as an over-the-top fan of redundant music and brotherly allegiance turn into this CRAP? The hardcore scene, the scene-scene – really, it is all the same. It’s a bullshit attempt by a bunch of kids to go run as far away from normality and a similar America. But on their endeavor to a new, helicopter-kicking, air-punching, and almost ostentatiously unique fad, they’ve crawled their grungy ass’s into another extremist “group” called hardcore. There is nothing distinctive or special about their so-called way of life. Their alleged loyalty can be defined as who’s the cooler “gang” (and yes, they CALL THEMSELVES GANGS HERE IN RICHMOND) with the ability to turn the newer, younger, fresh out of high-school with their strong ethics and recently healing straightedge tattoos into their bitches. A bunch of short-man syndrome, daddy didn’t love me enough, my only chance to have a family assholes. And no, this isn’t hate, it’s simply an opinion. And, of course, we all know we can have an opinion. Hell, if we didn’t, we all know you’d have no crappy scene to call your own. =)
regjoeschmo said,
Wrote on April 10, 2008 @ 3:14 pm
I know what the fuck im talking about and this murder was a pointless hate crime aimed at a man who wasn’t even racist at all. James NEVER started fights, and was the best friend anyone couldve asked for. I would have been at that show if not for having to work. It is widespread corruption within Asbury Partners, the police, and Monmouth ocunty that let these gang members still do security at venues in the area.