roddy
Global Moderator
STRAIGHT OUTTA CARDIFF
Posts: 172
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Post by roddy on Aug 29, 2005 16:53:20 GMT
It seems R.A.C. (Rock Against Communism) is all the rage these days in the skinhead scene in North America. Bands like SKREWDRIVER, BRUTAL ATTACK, NO REMORSE, SKULLHEAD, PUBLIC ENEMY (UK), etc.
Well, it’s time to set the record straight. For those who are not aware, we’re here to fill you in. R.A.C. = racist, white supremacist bullshit!
Where the fuck did this term R.A.C. come from?
It’s use dates back to the UK in the early 80’s, originating with bands based around SKREWDRIVER and the neo-nazi NATIONAL FRONT. R.A.C. was an organizing tool that was supposed to counter the success of the Anti-Nazi League’s ROCK AGAINST RACISM (R.A.R.). You know, the one that attracted all the GOOD skinhead, punk and reggae bands like the CLASH, SHAM 69, THE RUTS, X-RAY SPEX, STEEL PULSE, etc.?
While ROCK AGAINST RACISM succeeded in uniting hundreds of thousands of black and white music fans, R.A.C. failed miserably and was quickly heard from no more. People figured out it was a front for neo-nazism, and all those left in the R.A.C. camp were the same pathetic boneheads that always liked crap music and homoerotic Third Reich regalia. The term died then and there.
Fast forward to 1986 when we first came around the skinhead scene- we NEVER heard the term “R.A.C.” used back then. That’s because we called that music what it was: white-power bullshit! If you liked SKREWDRIVER you said “I like white power music”. At least spineless middle-of-the-road skinheads back then were honest about their musical tastes.
True, there were always stupid motherfuckers like the editors of BOOT PARTY zine out of Chicago that use to run interviews with white-power bands even though the editor was black! Can’t explain that one…we’ll leave it up to you.
We did see the R.A.C. logo used twice back in the late 80’s. The first time was in 1987 on YOUTH DEFENSE LEAGUE’s page of the “New York Hardcore: The Way It Is” comp. The graphic was also used on a CB’s matinee flier for a YDL, WARZONE and REST IN PIECES show. It’s no wonder that YDL used that graphic. They were also interviewed in the white-supremacist BLOOD AND HONOUR magazine (UK) and they thank Ian Stuart, SKREWDRIVER and BRUTAL ATTACK in their write-up. It’s obvious. YDL were stupid fucking boneheads.
We then remember hearing the term R.A.C. used again in New York sometime around 1993 or 1994. If we’re not mistaken, we first saw it used in the zine NO ESCAPE out of Bayshore, Long Island. Apparently, the term R.A.C. was all the rage in France at the time, used by groups like BRUTAL COMBAT and the dodgy skinhead shop “LONDON STYLE”. No wonder French boneheads had to disguise what they were into, considering that France has always had a strong anti-fascist skinhead scene that used to beat the shit out of nazis (anyone remember the RED WARRIORS? Big ups!).
Then the term ran wild. Within a year, it became the in skinhead thing to admit you liked COMBAT 84, CONDEMNED 84, SKREWDRIVER, CELTIC WARRIOR, ENGLISH ROSE, early ULTIMA THULE, early BOHSE ONKELZ, all those crappy German ROCK-A-RAMA bands we can’t pronounce, etc.
The worst part about it is that MOST OF THE SKINHEADS LISTENING TO R.A.C. AT THE TIME WERE BLACK, HISPANIC OR ASIAN!!! How fucking stupid is that! Some skinhead bands with black members even started covering white-power bands like SKREWDRIVER and NO REMORSE!
We think that’s why a lot of white skinheads started getting comfortable listening to R.A.C. again (“if they’re doing it, why can’t we?”). But when white skinheads start listening to SKREWDRIVER, you know what comes next…(insert goose-stepping here)
Now R.A.C. is a fucking cancer in our scene, dulling the line between true skinheads and boneheads. The public still thinks all skinheads are nazis, everyone still disses SHARP and yells “no politics”, and instead of skinhead being a way for tens of thousands of multi-racial working-class kids to “have a laugh and have a say”, the scene has become a fucking joke about nothing more than expensive imported beers and designer clothes. It’s sad, but it’s the fucking truth.
Well, it’s time for real skinheads to take a stand. If you love skinhead reggae, soul, street hardcore and real Oi!, then stop using the term R.A.C. and call it what it is: racist, white-supremacist bullshit!
Every time you hear some dumb-ass say “I like R.A.C.” say “No, you like racist, white-supremacist bullshit”. Then dump a beer over their head.
Better yet, every time you see someone wearing an R.A.C. patch, go over to the biggest black guy you can find and let them know “R.A.C. = racist, supremacist bullshit”. Then join in the ass-kicking.
It’s fine for a person to not like authoritarian Communism. We’re no fans of dictators ourselves, whatever their political affiliation. But it’s a sad day when skinheads disguise what they’re into to hide the fact that they like crappy white-power rock ‘n’ roll.
We are going to change the public’s mind about skinheads and reclaim our good name if it’s the last thing we do! Laurel Aitken, Judge Dread and Clancy Eccles would have wanted it that way!
Smash, Smash, Smash R.A.C.!
-RASH Northeast- Summer 2005
(Any skinhead crew or band interested in joining this campaign should get in touch. Punks, mods, rudies and hardcore kids, too!)
-------------------------------------------------------- R.A.C. = Racist, White Supremacist Bullshit!
Don’t buy it! Don’t cover it! Don’t DJ it! Don’t wear it! Don’t listen to it! RASH-NYC PO Box 364 Canal St. Station New York, NY 10013-0364
"The original is still the best"
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Post by Steve DIY on Aug 29, 2005 18:18:08 GMT
I have to question the intelligence of the fash. This nazi twat tried converting a non white European to white mans cause in London the other night at where? Guess? A Ska show! - What fucking tool ;D
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Post by pogue mahone on Aug 31, 2005 15:10:25 GMT
i had no clue combat 84 were R.A.C...damnit they had a couple good songs. i'm glad we dont aheva lotta this shit here. hahaha there was this bonehead gang from the suburbs for a month or so then about a week ago for some retarded reason they ventured downtown, got the shit kicked out outta them by SHARPS and the last anyone heard they trying to be gangsta now!
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Post by OiMartin on Sept 1, 2005 4:11:27 GMT
i had no clue combat 84 were R.A.C...damnit they had a couple good songs. i'm glad we dont aheva lotta this shit here. hahaha there was this bonehead gang from the suburbs for a month or so then about a week ago for some retarded reason they ventured downtown, got the shit kicked out outta them by SHARPS and the last anyone heard they trying to be gangsta now! Haha, that's great to hear!
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Post by Alley Cracker on Sept 1, 2005 19:47:23 GMT
combat 84? ive never seen any evidance to support that maybe roddy or steve or someone whos been around a bit longer might clarify. i know their singer lives in thailand now and has a thai wife hardly turd reich material
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Post by Steve DIY on Sept 1, 2005 20:46:12 GMT
Its fair to say that Combat 84 did the Anti Communist stuff as a bit of a wind up. yes Chubby Brown was NF but the rest of the band weren't. One of them was Greek. Yes it's true that Chubby married a Thai woman and they have kids. I don't think they were no worse than the 4-Skins or any of the other Oi bands around at the time.
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Post by anarcho on Sept 1, 2005 21:40:55 GMT
Its fair to say that Combat 84 did the Anti Communist stuff as a bit of a wind up. yes Chubby Brown was NF but the rest of the band weren't. One of them was Greek. Yes it's true that Chubby married a Thai woman and they have kids. I don't think they were no worse than the 4-Skins or any of the other Oi bands around at the time. agreed wouldn't say combat 84 was a rac band
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Post by Royston on Sept 11, 2005 16:27:08 GMT
Its fair to say that Combat 84 did the Anti Communist stuff as a bit of a wind up. yes Chubby Brown was NF . Who's this 'Chubby Brown' you speak of? Sounds like a bit of a comedian! ;D
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Post by Nick UF on Sept 14, 2005 20:35:26 GMT
ha ha! ;D I read that more than once and never noticed - shows how much attention i was paying
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Post by Skinbin on Nov 3, 2005 6:45:04 GMT
Whoever wrote that article is an idiot that has not done their homework. First of all I don't see where they get off telling us what we can and cannot listen to. If I only listened to bands that I politically agreed with I would have like a whole 10 cds in my collection.
Secondly a lot of the bands mentioned there are not RAC at all. Ultima Thule has taken a hard anti-nazi stance and is a metalish band that sings about pagan mythology and fantasy. They are not RAC at all. Bohse Onkelz are a mainstream german band..hell the opened for the Rolling Stones. They have no white power links at all. Who is the dipshit that came up with these bands we are suppose to shit list? Some self rightous little hippy that doesn't know their head from their ass?
Oh and Skullhead is now a reformed band and have no links to anything white power. Update your list of RAC bands and spare us the stupid lecture.
Roddy if you have a problem with these people why don't you take it up in person with them instead of doing it on a forum. Its a cheap shot, especially when you are doing it to tradskin bands. I like your stuff and I like what you stand for...but this is bull.
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Post by Brody Hooligan on Nov 3, 2005 7:38:34 GMT
Since you know so much about what bands are dodgy and what ones aren't, instead of moaning about other peoples mistakes why don't you do something about it and rewrite the article.
"Update your list of RAC bands and spare us the stupid lecture. " I don't why you are saying this here. None of us wrote the article. There is a contact address at the end, write to them.
I think the basic point of the article is totally valid. RAC is a front for white power bands. Always has been and always will be. The bands who initially participated in the RAC concerts were blatently nazi. Its not necessarily about being against communism, thats just a nice little phrase because it sounds alot better than 'rock with the white nationalists'. All this shit about who is reformed and what not - come on. It doesn't make any music they made whilst being nazis ok.
"If I only listened to bands that I politically agreed with I would have like a whole 10 cds in my collection." There is a huge difference between not agreeing with someone slightly then absolutely hating their politics but just liking that little guitar solo in the middle of it. I could never buy anything 'RAC'. Reason - the thought of funding that kind of thinking disgusts me. There are enough bands in the world to make it easier to find music that you find acceptable on all levels. You obviously have access to the internet - search around.
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Post by CHIP on Nov 3, 2005 11:24:16 GMT
While I accept the idea that not every band you listen to should 100% agree with your own politics (pretty well impossible really)...THERE ARE LIMITS! Plenty stuff I listen has little or no connection to my own beliefs, but I'd never listen to a band who's politics outright disgusts me - ie RAC crap.
Couple of questions arise here...
1) I've heard this 'Skullhead aren't dodgy anymore' line a few times recently - it might be a bit optimistic to expect them to try to make amends for past crimes, but if they have genuinely changed, why are they still trading under the same name? Why not make a clean break? Presumably so they don't alienate all their fans... who I doubt have changed THEIR opinions.
2) Can someone give me a definitive answer about Ultima Thule? I can't say I've heard of them taking a "taken a hard anti-nazi stance", and there's plenty of criticism directed at them. I was under the impression they were another of those flag-waving bands that cloaks their xenophobia in all this childish dragons-and-goblins bullshit. Have I been misadvised here?
3) I thought Bohse Onkels were just some crappy rock band now, but didn't some of their early stuff have some less-than-flattering opinions about Turkish immigrant workers? Or have I been misled there as well?
And if you want to talk about "cheap shots", then accusing someone of being "self rightous little hippy" because they speak out against moronic, right-wing, racist shite is about as cheap as it gets.
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Post by Wanker on Nov 5, 2005 2:05:25 GMT
Combat 84 and Onkelz RAC?haha...Specially Onkelz never sing about Communists or something,they had 2 Racists songs when they where Punks because Turks beat them up for being Punks.Tough they played the anti Turk song in a turkish club and nothing happened. When the Skinhead scene turned more and more political they left it...
Skullhead sayed in an Interview that they will still play for White Power wankers!
Ultima Thule hard anti nazi stance?When did they say this?Never heard of it,and I think the Nazi Bands that recorded CDs in their Studio will beat them up for it.But ofcourse they had no radical lyrics(so they can sell more CDs).
And to Rash,who needs it?And RED Warriors in France haha waht a joke.Did you ever see old pictures of them?They look with their fuckin Haircut like gays.(ANd if you talked about homoerotic third reich,the European RASHs will call you a Nazi beacause you make jokes about gays!)
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Post by Skyth on Nov 7, 2005 0:29:48 GMT
Ultima Thule walked off stage at a concert because someone was giving them the arm salute. It was during their skinhead song. And he said that this is a song about skinheads and not about nazis. He pissed off a lot of fans that day but his message was loud and clear about nazis. It took balls to do that and its bullshit when people turn around and shit list him.
Is anyone else sick of these RASH types that question every little thing you do? They jump on any little thing that might be interpreted as right winged, conservative or nationalist. You basically have to tattoo a fucking hammer and sickle on your forhead to get them off your ass. You sit down for a pint with them and all they do is bitch about boneheads.
Honestly I'll listen to whoever the fuck I want to listen to. If someone has a problem with that they can lick my ass.
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Post by Steve on Nov 8, 2005 22:15:11 GMT
Is anyone else sick of these RASH types that question every little thing you do? They jump on any little thing that might be interpreted as right winged, conservative or nationalist. You basically have to tattoo a fucking hammer and sickle on your forhead to get them off your ass. You sit down for a pint with them and all they do is bitch about boneheads. Honestly I'll listen to whoever the fuck I want to listen to. If someone has a problem with that they can lick my ass. Couldn't agree more chap, though not sure about the arse licking bit! lol
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