Being of the age-group that eagerly passed the original Skinhead/suedehead books around the school yard whilst smoking a menthol bifta 'round the back of the bikesheds ( anyone else first bifta a consulate menthol ? )and of a now sufficiently middle-aged mindset to be amazed how much an original copy of skinhead can set the more nostalgic back! Also I came of a legal drinking age just before the third wave of popular skin culture hit the streets circa 82/83, so it's with some sadness/trepidation that I await the inevitable backlash from the Daily Mail/Express/Telegraph axis. Sadness because I believe that Shane Meadows is one of our most gifted filmakers/storytellers and his film ( This is England )is an examination on a movement whose first incarnation is rooted in the rude-boys,soul,ska and reggae, and to some extent Northern soul of my own youth, and how this movement had some sections politicised by the far right. This to all intents and purposes hijacked the movement,the flag and the look itself becoming linked in a worried publics eye as the ugly face of racism.
So, will the ensuing debate be reasoned or hysterical ? are we any further on from Skin=racist ? I already see echoes of the football matches of my youth in recent events, though ( and I dont know if this is an age thing )it does seem more sinister, back in the day I was a part of the Scoreboard paddock at Old Trafford and a ruck was over colours and some notion of pride, I relate this with neither shame or pride, it was part of my growing up,part and parcel of belonging to a gang... we could debate the pro's and cons of belonging to a gang some other time, but for now I'll take an old fella's option and say on record that events; and the undercurrent to them, in Europe worry me.
And after all, how much of the skinhead look has filtered into mainstream popular culture, Ben Shermans and number one buzzcuts, DM's a popular/sensible footwear choice etc ? Most of my mates and their grown up kids have what could be described as a skinhead, I myself sport what used to be a suedehead,from office culture to the blue collar sector,a fella with a shaven head,a number one or two is a common sight, a haircut is no longer seen as a threatening thing... is it ?
So just as it seems the flag has been reclaimed post England world cup/Euro cup, will the meedja hype set us back years again? Remember perceived fears sell newspapers. Does middle England suspect that under each Hoody there lurks a skin?
Comments please on Shane Meadows, Richard allen, Alan Clarke, Morrissey at Finsbury, Madness et al. And was 'This is England' the last great Strummer/Clash song? Jones had long gone but lyricaly the song is up there with the best, the parent album though.....
For myself I hope that the film isn't lost or hijacked in these times of a rising political right, the immigration debate etc. Or perhaps you feel it should be, or even deserves to be.
Apologies if this, or any of the post's content subject has been debated recently' I missed it, I nipped out for a spanner like Benny all those years ago ( a midlands reference for ya ) For you young folk and oldies alike, some suggested reading/listening and viewing: Alan clarke's Made in Britain Jubilee by Jarman The last of England by Jarman The Skinhead books by Richard Allen Steel Pulse, Toots and the Maytals Don Letts and Strummer biogs.
please post some/add some films,music and books to the above list.
GaryMac re-dux
