American writing a negative book/expose on Ian Stuart/S*rewdriver

[Septic98]

How are y'all doing? I'm Dre, and like the title says, I'm writing a book, "Wasted Life" about a certain bonehead band and its late, weird frontman. Hope I'm not imposing, but I remember reading thru the large thread on AFA and was hoping I could quote it and maybe interview a few ppl who were around during that time. All his biographies are far-right trash and I want to write one on the other side of the spectrum.

When I was a kid, I saw some really crude racist graffiti and swastikas near my house for the first time. I was confused for two reasons: I thought the nazis lost and this was a mixed neighborhood here in Miami.

The next day I went to the library and found books about neo-nazis, those anti-hate ones for kids. One band that kept getting mentioned was Skrewdriver, youtube was still the west and had all their albums, it was awful but I couldn't stop listening.

Now, I'm mixed myself, Black and hispanic, so that launched me into a rabbit hole of, "Why did this grown man make shitty music about people like me?" over the years and the pandemic back then gave me time to do actual research.

I read more into the guy and his story is just pathetic and disturbing: he launched a violent gang, he may have done some things to his younger brother, and hung around 20-somethings and teenagers for the bulk of his 30s, and more.

You can see some graphics I've done for the book so far here

 

[Septic98]

Ian Stuart Donaldson was the son of a factory owner from a Blackpool suburb who played in a generic Rolling Stones cover/blues rock band, Tumbling Dice

He saw the Sex Pistols the second time they played in Manchester and turned TD into Skrewdriver, who were now based in London

They were rivals with Sham 69 at the time, who I never listened to until recently

The dead Nazi would always make it seemed like they were "commie sellouts" but Sham 69 makes Skrewdriver sound like Genesis

An anti-racist, vegetarian, lefty made better "white working class music" with a better sound than a public school office worker, go figure



This is Skrewdriver mk1's most political track, which is just them asking for more dole money

 

[Septic98]

If you want a rich boy punk, might I suggest Auntie Pus

Sweet guy, though he never got back to me on an interview

 

[Griff]

Saw Skrewdriver a couple of times in the early '80s when there were Punk and Skinhead nights on Tuesdays and Thursdays at the 100 Club in Oxford Street. I'm using youth as an excuse as I was only 15 at the time.
Skrewdriver and their support bands like London Branch, The Ovalteenies and Brutal Attack were a bit more extreme and shocking than say Combat 84 who were more just up for a ruck. Another late singer coincidently in 'Chubby' Chris Henderson.

The skinhead nights didn't last very long so I have very little knowledge apart from seeing them a couple of times probably before they got deep into their Blood & Honour shit which looked decidely horrible.

Strange times going along to see Crass, The Anti-Nowhere League, Infa -Riot, Discharge in the same weeks as Skrewdriver or London Branch. On school nights.

 

[Magnus McGinty]

How are y'all doing? I'm Dre, and like the title says, I'm writing a book, "Wasted Life" about a certain bonehead band and its late, weird frontman. Hope I'm not imposing, but I remember reading thru the large thread on AFA and was hoping I could quote it and maybe interview a few ppl who were around during that time.

You might want to mention it on that thread then.

 

[editor]

Those fuckers supported my band in the south Wales valleys but happily for their health it was before they'd gone all right wing.

Not sure who'd want to read about this non entity, apart from a handful of Nazi fuckwits.

 

[Monkeygrinder's Organ]

Not sure who'd want to read about this non entity, apart from a handful of Nazi fuckwits.

Yeah, I mean it could be interesting tied in to something wider around the culture of the time but just a pure autobiography?

 

[Silas Loom]

Yeah, I mean it could be interesting tied in to something wider around the culture of the time but just a pure autobiography?

Biography. Unless he is posting in bad faith from beyond the grave.

 

[Monkeygrinder's Organ]

Biography. Unless he is posting in bad faith from beyond the grave.

Fair point, in this particular instance probably best that he stays dead.

 

[hitmouse]

Tbf, accusing new posters of being banned returners was getting old, accusing new posters of being Ian Stuart seems like an exciting new twist.

 

[JimW]

Tbf, accusing new posters of being banned returners was getting old, accusing new posters of being Ian Stuart seems like an exciting new twist.

He'd need a medium to exploit this medium

 

[Septic98]

Skrewdriver and their support bands like London Branch, The Ovalteenies and Brutal Attack were a bit more extreme and shocking than say Combat 84 who were more just up for a ruck. Another late singer coincidently in 'Chubby' Chris Henderson.

When I was 15 I was listening to dodgy stuff too, all of those bands but London Branch got played, the musical novelty got boring after awhile though

I grew up around trap music, which was what we had before Chicago drill just ruined everything for a minute; all young people fighting over absolutely nothing, same as the nazi garbage

Ian Stuart was basically a c-list rapper in that regard, he was a rich kid who ended up being a violent asshole, he also ended up living off of dole for the rest of his sad life

Chubby Chris was a right-wing skin, he was even in that attack on a Redskins concert, just had slightly more gray matter and kept it hidden

 

[Septic98]

Those fuckers supported my band in the south Wales valleys but happily for their health it was before they'd gone all right wing.

Not sure who'd want to read about this non entity, apart from a handful of Nazi fuckwits.

I would love to hear how the show went

I'm not a nazi, fuckwit part's up in the air though

I want to get everyone else's perspective: anti-fash, queer, Black, alive-at-the-time, as a musician, etc.

His story is funny in a, "wow, look at this loser pretending to be Hitler" type way, it's weird as hell too

Tbf, accusing new posters of being banned returners was getting old, accusing new posters of being Ian Stuart seems like an exciting new twist.

I can't sing, but I'm not a bald asshole!

Biography. Unless he is posting in bad faith from beyond the grave.

The only bad thing about his passing is that I can't harass him Facebook, he'd prolly be buddies with John Lydon and Morrissey come to think of it

 

[Nigel]

It may be worth contacting Tim Wright/Scargil (AKA Tim V Man) about I an Stuart!
When he was involved with far right in England, he came in contact with Him and had a few stories about him and others involved in W hite N oise, Bl ood & H onour that were pretty negative; such as bullying, purposefully screwing other fellow fascists girlfriends to screw them over possible embezzlement regarding merchandise etc.

He's also taken over being vocalist from Jimmy Pursey (although there was two Sham69's in their relative come back), so might be able to give you some come back regarding them; being attacked by fash at that time.

SHAM 69 - Tim V

SHAM 69 - Tim V. 17,469 likes · 4 talking about this. This is the OFFICIAL SHAM 69 line up Facebook featuring: Tim V, Ian Whitewood, Al Campbell,and Neil Harris(RIP).

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