It’s hard to explain how important punk, krisna-core, ray cappo and straight edge meant to me as a weird kid growing up in Ballarat. It wasn’t that bad, i never got beaten up or abused, but daily was called gay and freak because i hated sport and thought elves were angels without wings.
i didn’t know i believed til way later, but the fact some angry guy could say, no drinking is dumb, don’t eat meat sucks,don’t commit sexual assault and brag about, it is wrong. I was like, finally, someone with a thought. I know now i’m a christian, i know i was different because of the holy spirit, i was folllowing the path of Jesus and the Bhavid Gita , trying to be good. JC was straight edge too, mostly, i started drinking when i could control it, but drunkenness is still shit. He’s not afraid to say “you’re wrong that’s shit.”
Most men are idiots so i needed role models who were good people and trying to be better. Imagine hearing shelter when you’re 16? it was such a breath of thoughtful air. I don’t think anyone in Ballarat could imagine why a kid would want or need to be straight edge at 16 but i was, and happy. screw normal. I woke up at 6am did yoga, went to the asharam in Daylesford and was pretty weird but it was good to be able to choose my own morals and rule.