I really dislike what xrepresentx stand for. Many of my best friends are sxe (i’m not as you can tell) and some of my favourite bands (Youth of Today, Gorilla Biscuits, Coke Bust etc.) sing about that kind of thing. What i don’t care for though is when a band make boring music, say the same thing on the same subject over and over, and come across as though they think they are better than you for what is essentially a fairly arbitary lifestyle decision. If people want to be straight edge, i’m all for that, why wouldnt i be? its a fairly healthy way to live, but i dont think i’m a worse person for drinking alcohol, and sxe is definitely not for me as i need the release of going out for a drink and having fun otherwise i’d end up getting more angry than i already do. Like i said already, sxe or not, i’m not bothered and i realise the part it plays in hardcore, although less so in the kind of stuff i really like, where bands go beyond just saying not drinking is good. That for me gets boring, and project x, judge, and some other bands have already said everything any other band could say on the subject, and theyve done it with better music.

I guess i’m trying to say, i’m all for the choice and exchange of ideas, and if people don’t want to drink or take drugs, good for them. But i resent the idea that some viewpoints on sxe cannot be criticised, and i dislike when sxe strays into some kind of right wing prohibition orientated movement. Punk and hardcore is cool because people can discuss these kind of things, and i’m not going to stop criticisng people when i think they are wrong. Interestingly, xrepresentx are in favour of the death penalty.

If it’s a case of being a drinking arsehole, or a sxe jock who believes in corporal punishment, i know which one i would rather be.

I generally didn’t like the negative way you talked about certain groups of people and certain bands though. It’s ok not to like a band or some people, but bringing up that negativity on the table is nothing you should be proud of, showing some respect and not laughing out would be more appropriate.

That said, I am not SxE, have never heard of xRepresentx or whatever xXx, but I would respect them as a band for standing up for something. And although singing about SxE might be sooo cliche, it’s sometimes good to see bands singing about it, because SxE was and always will be part of hardcore, wether you like it or not.
And this is also a huge part of the scene, and something that makes hardcore/punk whatever stand out as a subculture. Whereas all other subcultures not only tolerate doing drugs and alcohol, but are also encouraging such a lifestyle, which in my opinion is bad, hardcore stands against this. So hardcore in the form of SxE gives the youth another perspective of life, gives them a CHOICE and shows them that to not drink is also ok. So if no band ever sings about SxE, talks about SxE, stands behind SxE , one day there might not even be SxE.
And that said too, I really like the approach bands like Champion or Bane or Have Heart are taking on the topic, but that’s a whole other story.

when you said true til death, do you know what you meant
the edge is lifetime commitment, no it can not be bent
your edge was once so strong, like Magnus Ver Magnuson
but now that it is broken, can we ever be friends again?

you break edge, now change your ways
you break edge, you are disgrace
you break edge, i break your face
edgebreak, facebreak!!!!

your first edge break was shmidt’s beer, second you did cocaine
when straight crew finds you, you will suffer pain
we had doubts about you, your edge was in question
now we know you broke, its time for edge retribution

you break edge, now change your ways
you break edge, you are disgrace
you brake edge, i break your face
edgebreak, facebreake!!!!

not that funny really…

2) I’ll concede that i did not know that. But surely the fact that i assumed it was your song might indicate that the way you conduct yourselves as a band might lead to people thinking you were to an extent ‘hardline’ or whatever.

3) I thought that bit was awesome… i said that. I’m a big fan of fun at hardcore shows, but i didn’t find fun in anything else you did.

Basically, fair enough to you for answering my criticisms. I still don’t like your band, and the way you conduct yourselves on stage etc. isn’t exactly what i look for and enjoy in hardcore by any stretch of the imagination. Maybe i went overboard and you are all a nice bunch of guys, but seeing your band live isn’t the kind of thing i’d want to do again.

1. I didn’t cram straight edge down anyones throat, but to not speak about it as an edge band is missing the point.

2. Edgebreak, Facebreak is NOT our song. It’s a funny cover of a fake “german straight edge” band called xheadwalkx. If you could hear the words, you’d know why it’s funny.

3. So we played wayne’s world. So what, can you not have fun at a hardcore show?

4. I’ll give you my email address if you want. You can keep in touch with me over the years, and see that i’ll still be straight edge, no matter how much of a twat you feel I am.

Like i said, can’t please ‘em all, but you can have people complain on the internet! Luckily we have you.

See ya next time around!

Derek Ski