i used to be straight edge.

people always ask if i'm going to be straight edge forever. i guess i can't answer that. and i think thats okay. but i do know that i dont care about drinking a glass of wine at my wedding. so stop asking. IUTBSE is here for you to tell your story to anyone who wants to hear it.

if you want your story to be heard, send it , along with a picture of yourself, to iusedtobestraightedge@gmail.com

despite what it may seem, this site is not only for people who USED to be straight edge. its for anyone who has ever had something positive to say about the lifestyle.



-IUTBSE

Apr 16th, 2009 @ 12:45 pm

Sean Farris For me it all started roughly 15 or 16 years ago. Around that time I was first exposed to the likes of Bad Brains, Supertouch, Up Front, Token Entry, Warzone, Cockney Rejects, etc. I was 11 or 12 years old and at that point for me it was all about fun and something a little different than what I’d been exposed to prior. Having grown up primarily on Motown, early Sun Records, and a little Deep Purple here and there… I was always drawn to music with guts, with an edge, with soul. I suppose in that way, punk rock and hardcore weren’t a big jump. I was always lucky in that regardless of whether or not my parents enjoyed what I listened to, they always supported my right to do so. Now, I’m sure some of you are familiar with the highly politicized early-mid 90’s. It was the age of the “Hardline” movement and though I became familiar with (and even enjoyed) a few of the bands, it would be a couple years before I had the mindset to tackle such issues. As time wore on, truth be told… I had my ups and downs with it. Though I never had any interest in alcohol or drug culture, my attitude towards it hit peaks and valleys for a few years. I had my moments of intensity though at root, I stuck by the idea that a good person is a good person, edge or not. I believe the first time I claimed edge was my 18th birthday, and the last was my 24th. It wasn’t a matter of “growing out of it”… even now, I very rarely drink and I have still never smoked or touched any sort of drug (though truthfully, I’ve always been an advocate for the legalization of marijuana). I still respect straight edge, what it taught me, and the strength it gave me to get through some things that I’m quite confident I wouldn’t have survived otherwise. It was simply another step in life. Here I am, a decade and a half later… still listening to the bands that set me on a path to clarity (regardless of whether or not i adhere to the moniker I once did), still proud of the Minor Threat tattoo on my forearm, still loving and missing those that helped me on this path and were lost long before their time… and I wouldn’t change a thing. Life may have shifted in some form over the years, but the desire to live with an open heart and mind remains the same. In the words of the almighty (and not so edge) Bad Brains, “We’ve got that attitude!”

Sean Farris

For me it all started roughly 15 or 16 years ago. Around that time I was first exposed to the likes of Bad Brains, Supertouch, Up Front, Token Entry, Warzone, Cockney Rejects, etc. I was 11 or 12 years old and at that point for me it was all about fun and something a little different than what I’d been exposed to prior. Having grown up primarily on Motown, early Sun Records, and a little Deep Purple here and there… I was always drawn to music with guts, with an edge, with soul. I suppose in that way, punk rock and hardcore weren’t a big jump. I was always lucky in that regardless of whether or not my parents enjoyed what I listened to, they always supported my right to do so.

Now, I’m sure some of you are familiar with the highly politicized early-mid 90’s. It was the age of the “Hardline” movement and though I became familiar with (and even enjoyed) a few of the bands, it would be a couple years before I had the mindset to tackle such issues. As time wore on, truth be told… I had my ups and downs with it. Though I never had any interest in alcohol or drug culture, my attitude towards it hit peaks and valleys for a few years. I had my moments of intensity though at root, I stuck by the idea that a good person is a good person, edge or not. I believe the first time I claimed edge was my 18th birthday, and the last was my 24th. It wasn’t a matter of “growing out of it”… even now, I very rarely drink and I have still never smoked or touched any sort of drug (though truthfully, I’ve always been an advocate for the legalization of marijuana). I still respect straight edge, what it taught me, and the strength it gave me to get through some things that I’m quite confident I wouldn’t have survived otherwise. It was simply another step in life.

Here I am, a decade and a half later… still listening to the bands that set me on a path to clarity (regardless of whether or not i adhere to the moniker I once did), still proud of the Minor Threat tattoo on my forearm, still loving and missing those that helped me on this path and were lost long before their time… and I wouldn’t change a thing. Life may have shifted in some form over the years, but the desire to live with an open heart and mind remains the same. In the words of the almighty (and not so edge) Bad Brains, “We’ve got that attitude!”

Archive · RSS · Theme by Autumn