old haunts

"Even the first shows at CBGB's I went to, where I knew that someone could beat the shit out of me just because, I felt safe. I mean, at school everyone hates you and wants to kick your ass, or skateboarding down the street everyone hates you and wants to kick your ass. At CBGB's they might feel the same way towards you but ultimately there was this sense of community. There was a sense of "us against the world" even though the scene was so diverse and in many ways somewhat divided.

For example, I sincerely doubt many of the Sunset Park Skins wanted to hang out with me and they may very well have decided at any moment to pummel me - yet there was still a sense of belonging because if I were standing outside of CB's and someone from outside the scene were to say something, anything to me, those same kids would have reacted as if to protect their own. So while the scene may have been somewhat violent you still felt like you were a part of something and protected against the backdrop of a world where you felt like an outsider."

-Rob Fish (taken from Tim McMahon's DoublexCross blog)