[Politics] Were you a Skinhead

[mune ni kamome]

Just reminiscing. Congratulations if you were an original skinhead. To be an original skinhead you would now be around 65 years old. I know this because I am 63 and was just a bit too young at the start. I was 15 and worked the school holidays in Joe Lyons, St James's Street when we had trouble with skinheads coming in looking menacing and asking for free cakes/sandwiches etc. Then I would see the said skinheads at the back of the North Stand with their braces and no shirt and wish I could be like them.

 

[boik]

No.

 

[Goldstone1976]

No; but I am now.

 

[Jack Straw]

I fell in love with the original Skinhead cult at Woodingdean Carnival in the late 1960's. There was always a fair on the grass opposite the houses at the top end of Bexhill Road. All the local lads one year appeared dressed in Leon Patou checked shirts, braces, Levis, Doc Martin boots. The Reggae beats of the time boomed out. I want to be like them I thought. I bought my first pair of Levis, the "Shrink to Fit" type where the instructions were to sit in the bath with them on to make them fit correctly! I actually really loved the beat of Reggae and remain a big fan to this day. I didn't have a Skinhead hair cut, but as short as I could get away with due to a very strict dad.
As the fashion slowly changed, my school uniform consisted of black DMs, black Sta-prest trousers, braces, plain colour Ben Sherman shirt and school blazer! I once turned up wearing my tartan check shirt, and received the rollicking of all rollickings from the Head Master. It wasn't what was expected at a Grammar School!
Yes, I'm now approaching 62 years' old!!

 

[AmexRuislip]

I fell in love with the original Skinhead cult at Woodingdean Carnival in the late 1960's. There was always a fair on the grass opposite the houses at the top end of Bexhill Road. All the local lads one year appeared dressed in Leon Patou checked shirts, braces, Levis, Doc Martin boots. The Reggae beats of the time boomed out. I want to be like them I thought. I bought my first pair of Levis, the "Shrink to Fit" type where the instructions were to sit in the bath with them on to make them fit correctly! I actually really loved the beat of Reggae and remain a big fan to this day. I didn't have a Skinhead hair cut, but as short as I could get away with due to a very strict dad.
As the fashion slowly changed, my school uniform consisted of black DMs, black Sta-prest trousers, braces, plain colour Ben Sherman shirt and school blazer! I once turned up wearing my tartan check shirt, and received the rollicking of all rollickings from the Head Master. It wasn't what was expected at a Grammar School!
Yes, I'm now approaching 62 years' old!!

 

[mune ni kamome]

I fell in love with the original Skinhead cult at Woodingdean Carnival in the late 1960's. There was always a fair on the grass opposite the houses at the top end of Bexhill Road. All the local lads one year appeared dressed in Leon Patou checked shirts, braces, Levis, Doc Martin boots. The Reggae beats of the time boomed out. I want to be like them I thought. I bought my first pair of Levis, the "Shrink to Fit" type where the instructions were to sit in the bath with them on to make them fit correctly! I actually really loved the beat of Reggae and remain a big fan to this day. I didn't have a Skinhead hair cut, but as short as I could get away with due to a very strict dad.
As the fashion slowly changed, my school uniform consisted of black DMs, black Sta-prest trousers, braces, plain colour Ben Sherman shirt and school blazer! I once turned up wearing my tartan check shirt, and received the rollicking of all rollickings from the Head Master. It wasn't what was expected at a Grammar School!
Yes, I'm now approaching 62 years' old!!

I had the sit-in-the-bath Levi's and black "bovver" boots with an arrow design on the toe area. I dressed all in green. Olive sta-prest, green check shirt and green cardigan. Mum and dad likewise wouldn't have allowed the skinhead hair cut lol

 

[timbha]

I didn't have a Skinhead hair cut, but as short as I could get away with
Yes, I'm now approaching 62 years' old!!

It’s not too late for a number 1/2

 

[Jack Straw]

Those were the days when landlines had just become in vogue, never mind mobile phones which took photos! I don't think there's any photos of me taken during that era, but how I wish there were.

 

[Jack Straw]

It’s not too late for a number 1/2

I'm hanging on to my "Silver Fox" look for as long as possible. Rather like seasonal floral displays, when it would look better out than in, I'll have a 10 all over!

 

[AmexRuislip]

Those were the days when landlines had just become in vogue, never mind mobile phones which took photos! I don't think there's any photos of me taken during that era, but how I wish there were.

Used to hang about with a couple of mates in Bexhill who were skinheads.
A bit of an oddity in the town, but it was cool.
I think if you have the physique to wear the clothes then it carries well, but for me no!

 

[SIMMO SAYS]

I fell in love with the original Skinhead cult at Woodingdean Carnival in the late 1960's. There was always a fair on the grass opposite the houses at the top end of Bexhill Road. All the local lads one year appeared dressed in Leon Patou checked shirts, braces, Levis, Doc Martin boots. The Reggae beats of the time boomed out. I want to be like them I thought. I bought my first pair of Levis, the "Shrink to Fit" type where the instructions were to sit in the bath with them on to make them fit correctly! I actually really loved the beat of Reggae and remain a big fan to this day. I didn't have a Skinhead hair cut, but as short as I could get away with due to a very strict dad.
As the fashion slowly changed, my school uniform consisted of black DMs, black Sta-prest trousers, braces, plain colour Ben Sherman shirt and school blazer! I once turned up wearing my tartan check shirt, and received the rollicking of all rollickings from the Head Master. It wasn't what was expected at a Grammar School!
Yes, I'm now approaching 62 years' old!!

Snap----62 in July next year fffsake!
I was never a skinhead but wore all the gear you describe.
In the early seventies I went to Switzerland with my school (Moulsescomb ) We hid bottles of beer in the town square horse trough only to be grassed up.
Our Maths teacher Mr Rex made us walk up into the mountains the following day without our braces as a punishment - the bar steward

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

No.

But I incorporated bits of the kit into my post punk attire 79-83.

And I love reggae of the 74-82 (dub style) era. Mind you, the lyrics were 110% bollocks (and racists and sexist in a large part, ten commandments etc).

I was crossing the main road at Great Portland Street in 1980. Two lanky skin heads crossing opposite way. "What do you think of the British Movement pal" says one. Then the other, behind my back, punched me in the back of the head. Then they ran away.

So the racist bully ***** rather spoiled it for the skin heads, in my experience. Who would have known?

 

[GT49er]

No way! Long haired hippy student to the core - and hated reggae! Desmond Decker, 'My Ears are Alight' - wtf was all that about.........

 

[catfish]

We used to fight with the boneheads. They were everything we hated.

 

[Deleted member 2719]

I wasn't an original, but in the 70's i had very short hair and wore DM's does that count?

I suppose if I could have named myself I would have said I was a Romantic Rude boy punk.

 

[The Clamp]

No. The chavs of their day.

 

[Bulldog]

Just too young to be a full part of it but who could help but get caught up in the fashion and music that was so important a part of it.
If you wanted to use the best places in Worthing, at least dressing like the skins made life a bit safer.

I say best places, I mean least crap such as the Marine, Cider bar and the famous Woodz bar.

 

[Questions]

Just too young to be a full part of it but who could help but get caught up in the fashion and music that was so important a part of it.
If you wanted to use the best places in Worthing, at least dressing like the skins made life a bit safer.

I say best places, I mean least crap such as the Marine, Cider bar and the famous Woodz bar.

Too young my arse, you were old enough to be a Teddy boy.

 

[OzMike]

No, but I was a bit of a mod though with a Lambretta and fish tail parka.

 

[Dolph Ins]

My elder sisters were both skinheads so tried to dress me in the gear, not totally successfully. Then went to a grebo council boarding school, they soon persuaded me of the error of my ways.