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1992

NO SANCTUARY #2 (CHE) - January 1992

Just like I used to do at the time of our fanzine, I still write an article sometimes, apart from the publications concerning THE DIRTY SCUMS. This is a translated article of mine that appeared in June 1990 in the Belgian fanzine DE NAR (The Jester).

Although we always criticize (positively) on the lock, stock and barrel in the punkscene in our yearly info-booklets (from which we only publish an abbreviated version in English) based upon our own bad experiences, there are nevertheless only a very small number of people on who we can count on some solidarity as to that. Even on less people than on the four who were vexed by the lyrics of our last album, haha. Apathy everywhere ? And as we're talkin' about apathy, you probably know the compilation-album APATHY NEVER from the American label OVER THE TOP ? In 1985 that guy approached us too for delivering some contributions for a second issue. We went to the studio to make a professional copy of previously recorded songs, and sent the tape as a fragile packet with the air-mail. So this did cost us a pretty penny, but you riddle our riddle: we never heard anything no more from mister KARL ETTER, even not after repeatedly writing. Don't say you're not warned. This was thus a bit aside, but a lot of people really don't care a bit of everything what's going wrong. Nevertheless there shouldn't be so much going wrong: punx do form a kind of an elite of people who have seen the light, of people who all are meaning well, of examples, ... . Alas reality is so different: punk isn't but a reflection of society, and you find as well cheats, liars, hypocrites, swindlers, egoists, ..., as in every part of the population.

Do I have to give examples ? In every fanzine you find those advertisements where one asks for tapes from bands with the intention to put together a compilation-tape. I don't know how many bands react on that, but I used to do that regularly. Well, not even a fourth part of those persons really releases something. From the rest, you never hear anything no more, even not after a demand for information. I understand very well that not everybody can be selected, but it isn't but polite to send back a little answer after a question, and this has nothing to do with punk. What do these people with those tapes ? It is pure swindle to place such advertisements. Is there nothing that can be done against it ? Can't a fanzine that includes such an advertisement publish for example a year after the publication an article of how things are going: "look here the review of the tape that mister X has put together after advertisement in issue Y of our fanzine", or: "look here what mister X has been doing with the tapes that are sent to him on account of his advertisement in our fanzine issue Y". When there can be taken care of the pugnacious skinheads on punkgigs (this may be the only positive thing in this article), according to me there can as well be taken care of the placing of honest advertisements in fanzines. Maybe even better would be to send the tapes to the fanzine itself (in the supposition that they have some more credibility), who send them on its turn to the collector, so the fanzine knows exactly how many tapes were sent.

In our info-booklets we published also our criticism concerning persons who send letters to bands for an interview. It cries to heaven to answer interviews that are never published. And the people who received already interviews from us, know that we answer them decently serious, or better answered them, because now we're somehow fed up with it. What possesses people to ask for an interview and never publish it, what are they doing with it ? This is simply gross, lack of respect, perverse, to fritter away someone's time like that, and again this has nothing to do with punk. You're welcome to write us to receive a copy of earlier interviews (you receive the name and the address of the original applicant with it), we hope you can publish them, although they are in fact no more up to date now.

Did you see already the sale-list of DIRTY RECORDS ? Really alternative, and cheap, and conveniently arranged. Sad to say almost noone buys something. Sometimes I ask myself why I still do it, but I continue to find it one of the honest ways of doing business: trading records (tapes, fanzines) (by preference abroad) against ours and then sell these ones. Apparently some are saddled up with the conscience of the world (I even think I'm saddled up with a complex of honesty), while others have not a single notion of morality. On almost every gig of us I'm there with a small stand, which I may wrap up almost integrally at the end of the evening. Is there no more money left apart from that which is destined for the drinking-bout (and then there are people who dare criticize my consumption of drinks) ? And then we don't talk about the plastic beercups that are placed without respect and dangerously close to the displayed articles, or are even suffused with it, and we don't talk at all about the (indeed rare) times there's something stolen. And again this has nothing to do with punk, but simply with elementary politeness. Yes, a little bit of respect for others wouldn't be so bad for some guys.

We don't publish a fanzine no more now, but every year there's now our info-booklet. This is send for free to all people who honored us in the course of years with a letter. A graceful gesture, isn't it. And you may rest assured that there's put a damned lot of time (and money) in that booklet. In '89 we send two hundred and fifty booklets for free, plus a bit more than hundred in translation abroad. We printed some more, with the intention to sell them, to compensate a bit our loss in money. But what's the result, the youth of today can't read anymore ! Noone is interested in some lecture, also for the fanzines appearing on our sale-list there's no or only a few interest. Up to the image-culture ? You'd begin to believe it, we'll have to publish video-movies in stead of fanzines. For those who still want to read something: our (Dutch) info-booklets cost 25 BF. (+ 14 BF. if you want it to be send). In all probability however we won't continue these booklets anymore (with amongst others the names and addresses of people who still owe us money and who refuse to write us back even after several letters (but don't worry, we'll continue to publish these names !), the names and addresses of people who organized gigs for us, names and addresses of fanzines who published something on us, names and addresses of people who let us make an interview and who never published it, ...).

We also have people who order records through the post and who will pay when they've received the ordered articles. I then react with a letter that it would be desirable when they pay first. You guess it: we never receive a letter in return, their intention is clear ... .

Still more dejection ? Yes, amongst others about our experiences with gig-organizers. So it may for instance happen that you arrive somewhere and there's even not a sound-equipment to sing (while one can hardly pretend he thought we're an instrumental band). Or in case we can use a sound-equipment, then it's for instance only sufficient to play a bit in a practice-room, but certainly not for giving a gig in a hall. Some do also think that it isn't necessary to hear yourself when you're singing. Now for some musical forms like grindcore that's indeed maybe the case, but I prefer to hear myself when I'm singing. There are also people who think we can at the same time play guitar and hold a microphone in our hands, a standard isn't necessary they think. There are also organizers who want to let play for instance six bands in four hours, or organizers who don't make any publicity and who are then astonished that there are no people, and who then want to try to push off their financial defeat to the band by paying them less or not at all. How can such people ever be taken serious. We never refused a gig, but now we've however taken our precautions, adventures like that will no more be our share. This can't be good for noone: nor for the public who can hardly amuse themselves, nor for the band who simply plays bad in such circumstances, neither for the organizer who makes a loss of money.

And then I haven't talked about the terrible phenomenon jealousy yet. Everyone who already could reach something thanks to himself, is sooner or later exposed to criticism (you know those stupid statements like: DE NAR is too commercial, Tilt! (another Belgian fanzine) is too extreme, Eardamage (a Belgian band) sounds too heavy, ...). Just like there exist a whole lot of punx who are in fact only idlers, but who are nevertheless thinking the punk-movement only exists but by their contribution, or even only by themselves, there are also a lot of punx who think they are the speaking-tube of a movement, but are in fact only a bunch of pseudo-intellectuals, and most of the time this phenomenon goes together with a poignant lack of humor. If you formulate for instance a complaint against something, and after that you sing "Zulma was a bitch", they only remember of the existence of Zulma.

Is it astonishing that some people leave the scene ? I used to think it was, but now I can perfectly understand that someone leaves totally disillusioned the scene (if you can talk about a scene), because you have to be really crazy about that music and about the faith in your own possibilities. After all THE DIRTY SCUMS are about the only punkband (in Belgium) who already stand together all those years (followed by related minds like THE MUSHROOMS and the formers of FUNERAL DRESS). You can imagine our astonishment when we recently had to do with a bunch of nazi-punx on one of our gigs who succeeded to let us play not even one song ! The fact that nazi-punx prefer not to see us play isn't but normal, our vision against such people is totally unequivocal.

History has proved that the end of a culture is reached when that culture is capable to destroy itself. Well, it can't be denied that punx are destroying their own world, but stay true till the end on an imbecile way (but with sense for cynicism) to the "DESTROY"-slogan of the very beginning. Amen.

To this article I can still add that noone reacted on it when it appeared in DE NAR. So I propose the new slogan for the coming years: "Apathy forever !". No thanks. The pleasure is mine.

Dirty Pik

ALTERNATIVE CHOICE #2 (GRC) - October 1992

This is the same article as above, but in Greek language.

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