The Smiths & Morrissey Rarities / FB Group: Recent photo of "Have-A-Go Merchant" promo cover star

Cover star of Have-A-Go Merchant.
The image was first published in Nick Knight's 1982 book "Skinhead".
Said page:

Regards,
FWD.

 

[ZOOM FROM GLOOM]

The skinhead culture wasn't dead. It had become very fashionable in a corner of London.

I said in my initial post … ‘I always speculated the British skinhead culture represented an England to him that no longer exists. ’ I think he was more interested in what it represented, rather than
the sub-culture itself. I thought you understood this when I agreed with your comment about nostalgia.

I've been interviewing some skinheads who were around in the 80s/90s. I went back to university part time - so that's what I'm working on. I was surprised how under-reseached it is. There's vast archives that haven't been sorted.

I don’t think he’s really interested in the 80’s/90’s skinhead culture, or only interested in it as much that like he, they also are clinging to an England that no longer exists.

 

[Stephen Hofmann]

Maybe? I dunno....I'm not qualified.......never really investigated them.

 

[Stephen Hofmann]

I’m most definitely counting early ska and reggae. Absolutely magnificent music. But also bands like The Oppressed and The Angelic Upstarts. And the 2-Tone stuff. I don’t know how much of a puritan you are, but this is some great music associated with skinhead culture.

I would't go out of my way to listen to reggae music but I appreciate stuff like Lee Perry and also just the fact that it's melodically nice to listen to sonically, in terms of traditional things like melody and rhythm.

 

[Stephen Hofmann]

Yeah, that and, I always speculated the British skinhead culture represented an England to him that no longer exists. Around the same time he was singing of it’s ‘death’ and American cultures hand in that, with such songs as Glamorous Glue and We’ll Let You Know. Though being the contrarian he is, he would eventually move to L.A.

I remember going into a skinhead shop in Carnaby St, London in the late 80's.....just because it was there and I was always interested in English sub-cultures but I'm glad I didn't run into too many of them at that age.

 

[DagenhamDan]

There's no great skinhead music.........unless you're counting reggae.

 

[gashonthenail]

 

[Malarkey]

I said in my initial post … ‘I always speculated the British skinhead culture represented an England to him that no longer exists. ’ I think he was more interested in what it represented, rather than
the sub-culture itself. I thought you understood this when I agreed with your comment about nostalgia.



I don’t think he’s really interested in the 80’s/90’s skinhead culture, or only interested in it as much that like he, they also are clinging to an England that no longer exists.

He was part of that culture - & while there was a slightly camp clinging on element to it - it was vibrant & in its own way - revolutionary.

 

[Stephen Hofmann]

Before my time.....West Ham yobs? I'd rather listen to John Denver these days.

 

[Stephen Hofmann]

He was part of that culture - & while there was a slightly camp clinging on element to it - it was vibrant & in its own way - revolutionary.

There wasn't much camp seeing skinhead's in the 80's mooching about.

 

[Orange Crush]

I remember going into a skinhead shop in Carnaby St, London in the late 80's.....just because it was there and I was always interested in English sub-cultures but I'm glad I didn't run into too many of them at that age.

I hear what you're saying about not wanting to run into the skins. That's brought something to mind. My folks used to take me to get my hair cut at a barber's and it was often frequented by skins who were getting their heads' shaved. Sitting there in their crombies and dm's it was a bit nerve wracking. (I don't even know why my folks took me there!)

 

[ZOOM FROM GLOOM]

He was part of that culture -

Morrissey was part of the 80/90’s skinhead culture?

& while there was a slightly camp clinging on element to it - it was vibrant & in its own way - revolutionary.

in what sense?

 

[Malarkey]

There wasn't much camp seeing skinhead's in the 80's mooching about.

You should have gone into some of the clubs.

 

[gordyboy9]

There's no great skinhead music.........unless you're counting reggae.

i always thought bad manners were skinhead with buster bloodvessel singing,turns out they are two tone and ska.some good songs.bet buster got a gastric band and is now 10 stone.

 

[Orange Crush]

There wasn't much camp seeing skinhead's in the 80's mooching about.

I'm not trolling you, Mr H, but I agree - camp was not a word I'd utter regarding the skins: it was pretty frightening at times. These folk were best avoided.

 

[TheSmiths_1985]

i always thought bad manners were skinhead with buster bloodvessel singing,turns out they are two tone and ska.some good songs.bet buster got a gastric band and is now 10 stone.

Bloodvessel has struggled with morbid obesity and underwent laparoscopic gastric bypass surgery in 2004, with his weight dropping from 31 stone (196.86 kg; 434 lbs) to 13 stone (82.6 kg; 182 lbs).

 

[Gregor Samsa]

I would't go out of my way to listen to reggae music but I appreciate stuff like Lee Perry and also just the fact that it's melodically nice to listen to sonically, in terms of traditional things like melody and rhythm.

I’d warmly recommend Alton Ellis and Ken Boothe. Soulful, melodic, often melancholic. Oh, and Lee Perry is great!

 

[Stephen Hofmann]

i always thought bad manners were skinhead with buster bloodvessel singing,turns out they are two tone and ska.some good songs.bet buster got a gastric band and is now 10 stone.

Did skinhead's ever take Bad Manners seriously? I just remember them as a kid's band on the telly.

 

[Stephen Hofmann]

I'm not trolling you, Mr H, but I agree - camp was not a word I'd utter regarding the skins: it was pretty frightening at times. These folk were best avoided.

I agree. Punks...goth's...rocker's....mods ....they were all fur-babies compared.

 

[Malarkey]

Morrissey was part of the 80/90’s skinhead culture?


in what sense?

It was one of the first masculine gay subcultures that wasn't completely hidden. It was moving closer to the mainstream.

Rockabilly was on that frontier too - which I didn't know about at all before I was going through the archives.

By the late 80s the gay press was getting annoyed at Morrissey for not labelling himself. But there was (& still is) a lot of conformity to stereotypes - so I can see why Morrissey would insist that it's all just sexuality. The pressure to duet with Kylie would be high.

 

[gordyboy9]

Did skinhead's ever take Bad Manners seriously? I just remember them as a kid's band on the telly.

skinheads were never as bad as they were made out to be,anybody with their hair that short would always look menacing,i used to go to the same discos as them and they never gave me any trouble.
buster used to wear docs and braces,harrington jacket,they were skinhead lite,they used to have a good following and would sell out their concerts.