Reply #32: It's been around a long time.

[Withywindle]

DC punk scene from the early 80s, Minor Threat. (Great band. Ian MacKaye started Fugazi later).

I never was but had friends who were. basically it started as a reaction against seeing too many people completely destroy their lives with drugs and alcohol. It was tied to aggressive punk sound too - there was something of the ascetic athlete mentality to it: you could devote yourself to your music better if you didn't do drugs. Some people took it to a weird extreme - no sex, for some, and since most of the scene was male, there was a misogynistic undercurrent to it. Sounds like your son is too smart for that part, though!

Seems to have mellowed a lot. Straight edge and non-straight-edge used to look down on each other and it could get pretty hostile.

Your son sounds like a great kid - I don't think anyone so busy with his music can be said to be missing out on life!