Crusties

Crusties ( in the singular a Crustie in Germany colloquially crust ) refers to members of a subculture that originated from the British anarcho- punk scene and from about the mid 1980s, the squatters and ecology and anti - nuclear movement as well as parts the music festival culture helped shape.

Origin

The origin of the Crusties is in the British protest movement of the 1980s, the political climate of Thatcherism itself influences of hardcore punk, new-age traveler, Metal, Rocker and hippie subcultures to a new politically shaped movement mixed. As a precursor, including the anarcho- collective band Crass is considered.

From United Kingdom from the Crustie movement spread to Europe, North and South America, and joined in the United States with ideas of Hobo and tramp culture and in Germany and Scandinavia with ideas of the Autonomous.

In different form, the Crustie culture to this day. A usually perceived as negative expression of Crusties is the cheesy " bum - punk with dog" other homeless Crusties their livelihood earning often as a street musician or juggler.

Philosophy

The Crusties took the DIY ethic of anarcho- punk and hardcore and combine them with a radical dropout lifestyle. Much like the hippie movement they tried from consumption and capitalism critique of mainstream society new forms of life such as local authorities or living in squats, warehouses and trailer courts to oppose with little or no own possession. In addition to this form of lived- anarchism, they lobbied against deforestation and for animal liberation and ate mostly vegetarian or vegan. Many Crusties were radikalfemististisch and rejected the typical gender roles. In the 1980s, many Crusties gave nihilistic and practiced their way of life in the extreme, often to self-destruction by unhealthy lifestyles such as hunger strikes, refusal of personal hygiene, drug abuse and alcoholism. Later sat at many Crusties a more positive attitude by many and took the straight-edge lifestyle. Religious tend to Crusties many New Age ideas and Shamanism, Buddhism, and neo-paganism an open mind, especially as can be well compatible with a natural, anarchist and anti-capitalist way of life these forms of spirituality according to their understanding. In contrast, radical atheism is widespread among followers of the Crustcore scene.

Culture

Crusties are often externally identifiable by a mix of the clothing elements of punk, hard rock and hippie culture. They often wear their hair in the form of brightly colored dreadlocks, mohawk, mullet hairstyles or as so-called Skullet. Clothing is often self- made ​​or assembled from vegans or fair trade clothing and army or camouflage clothing. Many Crusties wear extreme tattoos and piercings. Esoteric interested Crusties wear their spirituality often by Celtic, Indian or Indian finery. General tendency, in the 1980s, many Crusties to wear in protest against mainstream society, dirtiness and untidiness particularly striking outward, now this outfit a particularly militaristic or martial appearance but is often given way.

Music

The subculture of Crusties is often associated with post-punk and folk - punk bands such as New Model Army or the Levellers. Was named after them a style of hardcore punk, Crustcore. In the 1990s, more and more Crusties at raves and in the freetekno scene found again while latter, in turn, derives its origin from the environment of the hippie culture and the Autonomous. While the term Crusties usually the subculture referred to in England as such, the word in Germany and the United States is now mostly used primarily in reference to followers of Crustcore, or crust punks in the narrower sense.