Page six r by Morris Ilyniak reprinted from the Canadian University Press Somewhere in Southall, England, several thousand demonstrators have — ga- thered for a concert. 4 Southall—a suburb near London’s Heathrow Airport —is heavily populated by Indians and Pakistanis. It is also where the stink of racism is most nauseating. The groups on_ stage begin to unwind. Pounding away at their instruments, they hurl vibes that shake the earth’s crust and sail as high as the ozone. They aim at the very viscera of Britain’s' malaise. Punks with cow-cud haircuts and ears pierced with safety pins chant ‘‘Pogo on a Nazi’’. Political punk. “‘Punk characterizes the emergence of an authentic new and important youth culture among sections of ‘working and lower-middle class youth,’’ — Paul Thompson, Radical Ame- rica. Various economic crises in recent years brought disillusionment for the young British working class who held some hope. of escaping the dustbins of society. One section of British youth saw _ their images of affluence at an impasse, and from their “youth as victim of the . images reality grew the mentality. Punk is the outlet for feelings of alienation. Its music is a chaotic jumble of and hyperactive musical forms which sub- vert conventional culture. Pogoing and a deliberate attempt at being out- landishly gauche was a reaction to the estrange- ment of rock music and its superstars from the audi- ence. Punk promotes one- ness of musicians and audience. Participation be- comes part of the total artistic expression. ““No Beatles, No Dylan, No Stones in 1977,’ was one punk slogan. Paul Thompson labels punk dress ‘‘inverted con- sumerism’’. He writes that it is an eclectic parody of consumer culture with odd bits and pieces (safety pins, zips and buckles, bin liners, ripped clothes, fetishistic sexual outfits, etc.)’’ Over tis brief lifespan punk has undergone certain cosmetic changes, — yet underlying the surface of its excess vitality is still a political message. It points a disillusioned finger at the bleak, stagnant lifestyle of the British working class. Capitalizing on its avant garde appeal, the music industry has turned some punk groups into million- dollar properties. Other groups, not wishing to join the chase for platinum, punk British status quo’’ view of HOT LUNCH ‘1.99 Regular Soft Drink KITTY CORNER TO N:W: CAMPUS The Other Press The brothers Karmalz ov have found’ themselves involved in a- youth movement called Rock Against Racism (RAR). RAR was founded after a spontaneous protest began against some _ off-the-cuff racist remarks blurted and later denied by _ Eric Clapton and David Bowie as far back as 1976. Since then, excellent promotional techniques and _ support from the musical press has made RAR much more than an outlet for musicians with a political message. It has become an__ institution firmly entrenched in youth culture. No ‘Beatles, no Stones, no Dylan in 1977 Over 56 RAR chapters operate in Britain, with new chapters being formed in Ireland, Holland, West Germany, Canada, and the United States. In the past year RAR organized nearly 400 gigs in Britain, including defence gigs for demonstrators arrested at anti-racist confrontations. In conjunction with the left-wing Anti-Nazi League, RAR also organizes major carnivals. England’s re- puted biggest anti-facist rally since the ’30’s took place on April 1978 when 5,000 marched and 80,000 came to a carnival featuring the Clash, Tom Robinson Band, X-Ray Specs and others. Ostensibly started to Rock againt racism: Part one mobilize white working- class youth to stamp out racism, RAR is now out to fight all forms of repression and _ intolerance. Tom Robinson Band (TRB), for example, is explicit in its defence of gay rights. Racism and the class structure still remain the main targets of political punk, however. Elvis Cos- tello’s Less Than Zero is an anti-Nazi song. White Riot by the Clash urges white kids to join their black brothers and sisters in dismantling Britain’s insti- tutions brick-by-brick. ‘Southall Jah Wars is a cut put out by the nefarious Ruts last fall. Calling for a holy war between _ black militants and white ‘‘hot- head’’’ racists, the song adopts its title from the Rastafarian | word for “god’’. It Dread Inna Inglan, written in Rasta- farian dialect by black poet and singer S. Lynton Kwesi Johnson ‘‘was so political,’’ wrote one Globe and Mail columnist, ‘‘that Records was reluctant to release the record during the British general election campaign for fear of retribution.’ On the ‘‘other side’’ are groups like the Dentists, Souixsie, and the Banshees (‘‘Too many Jews for my liking’’) and formerly Sham 69 (which now plays RAR concerts). Some are affili- ated with the Young National ‘Front—youth wing of the British facist movement. Not your’ average nar- cissistic stuff. “The basis of my conviction is neither gene- tic nor eugenic; it is not racial, because | can never discover what ‘‘race’’ ————EEoaaEaaEaEaEaEPEESEaE—E22>——E————————;—————————————————— Part two to be continued next week Island ° The truth is, that since March 17, 1980 * einer means and | have never arranged my fellow men on a scale of merit according to their origins. The basis is political. It is the belief that self-identification of each part with the whole is the essential precondition of being a_ parliamentary nation, and that the massive shift in the compo- sition of the population of the inner metropolis of major towns and cities of England will produce, not fortuitously or avoidably, ever-increasing and more dangerous _ alienation.’’— Enoch Powell, M.P. (speak- ing on his Britain for British Movement). emergence of an authentic new and important culture Britain has become a multi- racial society, it had better learn the meaning of coexistence. There are 1.9 million ‘‘immigrants’’ in a population of 56 million, and most of them are in the major urban centres. Near- ly one million of these ‘‘immigrants’’ are British born children of non-white immigrants. Unemployment queues lengthen. Strikes become a common-day crippling e- event. Many whites fear that their jobs, homes and even culture are threatened- by the coloured skins in their midst. The racial cauldron runneth over.