A little off topic, but a political rant about S.H.A.R.P.

Ugh... wrong wrong wrong!

I'm not even sure where to start with this photo. So I'll just rant for a bit and see what comes out...

Anyone who knows me knows that while I'm a funny happy kind blah blah blah guy, I can't stand bullies. Neo-Nazis fall under my definition of what a bully is. If you want to have white babies, have white babies. If you wand to have black babies, have black babies. If you want to have mixed children, have mixed children. Unless I am directly involved in the baby making, I don't care. All babies look like Winston Churchill to me anyways. Just promise me that you will be a good parent to your baby and I have nothing bad to say...

I was A.R.A. (anti-racist action) for a while in the early 1990's. There were a lot of problems in the area... fire bombings, beatings, rapes, gay bashing, murders, cemeteries being damaged and more. Eventually I left the A.R.A. (long story, better saved for another date. Went on my own for a time just being me, and then a bunch of my friends in Toronto started getting targeted by Neo-Nazi goons. I decided fuck this noise, and stood with my friends. Became one of the founders of the current incarnation of Toronto SHARP (Skinheads Against Racial Prejudice). Wolfgang got shot over a coke deal gone bad... Zundel is trying not to drop the soap in prison, Paul Fromm has a ,for girls 30 years younger than him, and Scrotumhead and Puddles are not worth mentioning by real name. Toronto, aside from drunk dumb bar talk is more or less free from organized idiots...

The beauty of S.H.A.R.P. is that other than saying "fuck you" to bigots in the skinhead scene, it is not political. YES there are Red S.H.A.R.P. There are left leaning S.H.A.R.P. But there are also right wing leaning S.H.A.R.P. (I fall into this category).

I have Red friends, who I love. I will always find time for my Red friends. I might not agree with them on some issues, but I respect their opinions, just like they respect mine. I've never heard of Redskins marching down the streets attacking skinheads who are not hard left. I will ALWAYS stand with my Red friends against racist bullies. I will also always make jokes about "the people's beer" and such. Fuck everyone, get enough pints in me and I find that joke funny as hell.

When it comes to religion, S.H.A.R.P. is not pro or anti any religion. I WISH S.H.A.R.P. was funded by the Jews, or the Muslims, or anyone. More money in my pocket for beer and gin. The truth is individual S.H.A.R.P. have their own opinions. And I for one am glad that they do.

this photo is of the Anti-Nazi League (ANL). A group formed in the U.K. The fact that the caption under the photo says S.H.A.R.P. support "monkeys and jews" is rather telling in itself. How the Trojan Reggae logo that S.H.A.R.P. uses is suddenly considered Jewish is beyond me. Music is music, and calling Trojan reggae Jewish is as stupid as calling it Muslim, Christian, Hindu or Atheist.

Individuals in S.H.A.R.P. are free to have their own opinions on anything and everything. Provided they are "Against Racial Prejudice." As far as I am concerned, ANY skinhead who tells a nazi to fuck off is a S.H.A.R.P. Claim S.H.A.R.P. or not. Join a crew or not. If in your heart you think boneheads are idiots, you qualify.

Anyways, while things might eventually piss me off enough that I WILL stand up and make my opinion known, 9 out of 10 times I really don't want to talk politics. But until the day I die, I will not suffer a bully. Believe what you want. Follow whatever path you feel is right. It's your right. Mine too. And right or wrong, we will all answer for it in the end.

Skinhead girl interviews

Keep those interviews coming in all you skinhead girls and former skinhead girls from all over the world... the more I get the better the book will be. If you need the questions, please get in contact with me.

Cheers!

Hot damn!

Stoked.... one of the ska artists I've loved for years is considering letting me use some of the lyrics to one of his songs to open a chapter in the book about skinhead girls I'm writing! King of the world baby! 

No hints yet, but if you happen to follow me on Facebook, and know my love of Judge Dread (that's a hint, but it's not a silly song... so okay, ONE hint) then there is a chance that you might know who I'm talking about if you have read some of my music reviews.

On a side note, if you are a new ska, reggae, punk or oi band and happen to have a song that you'd like to have promoted through this book, get in touch with me. Anything to help the scene...

Moving this weekend

So I'm moving this weekend, and will not have the internet for about a week. There will be no new postings until I get the net hooked up. Unless I got crazy without having the net and run off to some internet cafe and jump on there.

Please feel free to spread the word about this book along, and any skinhead girls, or former skinhead girls please feel free to answer the questions posted  in the earlier post, or just e-mail me and I'll send them to you. Yes I DO want to hear from you!

Cheers
KTM

Brass Knuckles & Lace on Facebook

You can now "like" and follow Brass Knuckles & Lace on Facebook. Click HERE and enjoy!

Don't worry, it's not going to be the actual book cover

Sadly this took more time to make than I'd really care to admit.

A post for the ladies, or anyone who knows any skinhead girls

So as some of you know, I'm writing a book. A book about skinhead girls, and their 40 some odd years of history. Seems to me that most times you see or read about skinhead girls they are background characters, fuck toys, or pin-ups. what I am working on, titled 'Brass Knuckles & Lace' is a book about skinhead girls opinions, thoughts etc about being a skinhead.

Are you a skinhead girl? Were you a skinhead girl? Well then I'm interested in talking to you. Do you know any skinhead girls, or women who used to be a skinhead? Was your older sister or mother a skinhead? Well then please feel free to pass this on to them.

Any pics used in this book will be of scooter runs, crews or concerts. This is not a pin-up book. It is meant to show how skinhead has grown from it's roots, what life is like today, and where skinhead might go into the future.

Some of you also know that I am moving into a sweet little apartment with my girlfriend. Those that know me know my life is always 'interesting', and to that effect I have managed to pack some of the things I needed to work on this book. Sigh. So I'm going to publish some of the questions I'm asking here, and now I'm asking anyone who wants to to answer them, or pass them on to anyone you know who might want to answer them.

Feel free to e-mail them around, repost them on Facebook, Twitter and anything else that you might use. I can be reached on Facebook, Twitter ( http://twitter.com/BrassKnucknLace ) or at the Brass Knuckles & Lace blog ( http://brassknucklesandlace.blogspot.com/ )

Thanks to anyone who answers these questions. Thanks to anyone who reposts these questions. I promise to not cook you anything for Christmas (those that know me, or read my normal rants know that my cooking is a crime). 

1, How long have you been a skinhead?

2, What made you decide/how did you become a skinhead?

3, How would you describe the scene in your area?

4, What are your thoughts on ska/skinhead reggae/soul/punk/oi music? Which are your favorite bands?

5, How do you view being a skinhead girl in what is seen as a very masculine subculture?

6, Lace/braces colours, what are your thoughts on them?

7, How does skinhead girl fashion differ from skinhead guy fashion?

8, Are there any brands you are loyal to?

9, Why do you think politics is so heavy in the skinhead scene, compared to other scenes that are supposed to be more political in nature (Hippies and their civil rights protests, punks and anarchy for example)?

10, How did your family react to you becoming a skinhead?

11, How have you changed from when you first became a skinhead?

12, What was the scene like when you became a skinhead?

13, What is the scene like today?

14, Where do you see the scene going in the future?

15, Your thoughts on S.H.A.R.P.?

16, Your thoughts on R.A.S.H.?

17, Your thoughts on nationalism?

18, Your thoughts on Boneheads?

19, Are skinhead girls as violent as skinhead guys?

20, How do you feel about how skinheads are portrayed in the media?

21, Do you have any tattoos, and if so, are there any stories behind them?

22, I've heard some people argue that to be a skinhead girl takes strength, and is a strong feminist stance. I've heard others say that being a skinhead just makes girls “oi toys” to be passed around and tossed aside. What are your thoughts on this?

23, Has being a skinhead affected your work?

24, What to you does it mean to be a skinhead?

25, Do you think that the internet has helped or hurt the skinhead scene?

Angry Birds (byrds?)

Just a quick update. I haven't made one in a little while it seems. So I've been hard at work interviewing people for Brass Knuckles & Lace. Collecting some cool stories, meeting interesting people and such. So that is good.

My girlfriend and I are getting a place together in June (2 weeks) so a chunk of my writing time has been spent packing (I own a LOT of music... Lord help me, I mean a LOT). So after the move, and the unpacking is done, and my office is put back together and set, I'll be making a lot more blog posts updating everything and everyone.

Except.....

I asked a question on Facebook, "WTF are Angry Birds?". Big mistake. I learned that it is a game for iPods, iPads, iPhones, iReallydon'thavemuchofalifeanymores.... and a friend of mine sent me a link to play it for free on Google Chrome. So I thought "Meh, what the hell? Let's check it out."

I am no longer writing this book. I am no longer going to work. I am no longer eating or bathing. I am consumed with killing that laughing pig by flinging pissed off birds at it. Why these birds can't fly is beyond me, but there is something amusing about flinging them from a slingshot at rocks, glass and wood.

I may have lost 40 pounds. I may stink. I may have bottles of my own urine all around me... but damn it I will beat this game or die trying.

The ONLY reason I am writing this is because I got mad at my computer that I can't seem to kill a laughing pig with a bowl on it's head and needed a break, because I am still sane(ish) enough to know that attempting to strangle my computer will not help my game one bit. 

Okay. I've calmed down. Time to slaughter some green bacon with flightless exploding birds... see you all next week!

Music to read by.

I was reading an interview with Neil Gaiman, where he went on to list what he listens to while he writes. Mostly Tori Amos it seems. To each their own I guess, the man still writes some killer stuff.

Here are 5 albums I've been listening to while writing today, just because I love them so much, and think you lot should give them a listen too.

1, The Slackers - Waisted Days

2, Flogging Molly - Within A Mile Of Home

3, The Business - Suburban Rebels

4, Judge Dread - Bedtime Stories

5, The Aggrolites -Reggae Hit L.A.

What Can I Say, skinheads love our music!

Nice um... "tan"?

This picture was sent to me today. It will not be used in "Brass Knuckles & Lace". I'll let everyone reading this try to figure out why.

I have decided that I will use a few photos in the book. BUT... and here is the thing... I would like pics of scooter runs, shows, parties and older pics from the 80's and before... no pin up styles. 

Soundtrack to a book?

There has been a few people asking if there will be a CD released with Brass Knuckles & Lace.

An album of songs about skinhead girls, or sung by skinhead girls sounds like a cool idea. BUT... that would be months down the road. At the moment I'm still writing, and will be for a while. So for those who want a CD to come with the book, remind me at the end of the summer, and if it seems like it's possible, who knows... maybe it will happen.

For the moment, check out my friend Sharon Woodword's fantastic documentary "Thank You Skinhead Girl". Here is a clip of a Q & A after one of the screenings.

Jenny Woo - Canadian skinhead acoustic oi

Just a quick little post bringing you some music from Jenny Woo, Canadian skinhead girl who does acoustic oi music (no, really... and it's good too!). Give herr her a listen on her myspace page, go to her gigs (book her if you're a promoter), buy her merch, and tell her how fantastic she is for doing something different and new!

I'm getting back to writing now... enjoy!

Spending the weekend editing

Spending the weekend editing some of the interviews I've had finished. Nothing major, just correcting spelling, grammar etc etc. Listening to the Arrgolites helps keep me from going insane and killing everyone what with my being stuck inside working on such a nice day.

Nothing to do with white power or hate

I had a an e-mail come in from some individual going on about how she is "white pride."

Just for the record, this book has NOTHING to do with hate. Black, white, brown, Asian, Native, mixed... Skinhead is about what is in your head and your heart, not the colour of your skin.

Any and all submissions that have anything to do with hate in any form will just be binned. We all bleed red after all.

Pics... Interesting Idea, but not what most people are thinking

I have been asked by quite a few interested skins if there will be pictures in Brass Knuckles & Lace. Yes and no is the answer. Let me try to explain a little better.

There are many many different websites and magazines out there dedicated to skinhead girls, filled with pictures of them, with contests looking for the best looking one, etc etc etc. Suicide Girls and Oitomboy have more adult pictures for those looking to...well, looking for more adult pictures. What I'm looking for would be old pictures from the 1960's, 1970's, and even the 1980's. Crew pictures, scooter run / club pictures, band and gig pictures. Even modern pictures are good, so long as they are pictures of you and your mates, and not glammed up sexy photo shoot pictures. Real and having fun are good, not the kind you'd tack to the ceiling to keep you warm on those cold lonely nights.

Remember... your mum might one day flip through this book. Let's try not to give her a heart attack.

King Hammond - Rudest Girl in Town

A fantastic little song about the better half of skinhead buy the legendary King Hammond. Bit of boss reggae. Enjoy

Brass Knuckles & Lace

Brass Knuckles & Lace is a little book I'm working on all about skinhead girls. This is not your normal book filled with pics of tattooed skinhead girls in their undies... there are enough websites and calenders and magazines where you can find that (not that there is anything wrong with that). What Brass Knuckles & Lace is more interested in is stories from skinhead girls from the 1960's to today. Sort of a "Spirit Of 69" but all about an important part of skinhead that is too often overlooked.

Anyone interested in sharing stories, pics of crews, scooters, bands, jackets and the likes get in touch.

Cheers!