Sober Living for the Revolution: Hardcore Punk, Straight Edge, and Radical Politics

Examining the multigenerational impact of punk rock music, this international survey of the political-punk straight edge movement—which has persisted as a drug-free, hardcore subculture for more than 25 years—traces its history from 1980s Washington, DC, to today. Asserting that drugs are not necessarily rebellious and that not all rebels do them, the record also defies common conceptions of straight edge's political legacy as being associated with self-righteous, macho posturing and conservative Puritanism. On the contrary, the movement has been linked to radical thought and action by the countless individuals, bands, and entire scenes profiled throughout the discussion. Lively and exhaustive, this dynamic overview includes contributions from famed straight edge punk rockers Ian MacKaye of Minor Threat and Fugazi, Dennis Lyxzén of Refused and the International Noise Conspiracy, and Andy Hurley of Fall Out Boy; legendary bands ManLiftingBanner and Point of No Return; radical collectives such as CrimethInc. and Alpine Anarchist Productions; and numerous other artists and activists dedicated as much to sober living as to the fight for a better world.

• Straight Edge: A Clear-Headed Hardcore Punk History
• Straight Edge: Hardcore Punk, Clean Living Youth, and Social Change
• All Ages: Reflections on Straight Edge
• My Riot: Agnostic Front, Grit, Guts & Glory
• American Skin: A Novel
• Igniting a Revolution: Voices in Defense of the Earth
• Burning Fight: The Nineties Hardcore Revolution in Ethics, Politics, Spirit, and Sound
• For The Sake of Heaviness: The History of Metal Blade Records
• Our Band Could Be Your Life: Scenes from the American Indie Underground 1981-1991
• Why Be Something That You're Not: Detroit Hardcore 1979-1985