For those of you who weren’t all over twitter or facebook this weekend, Ben Weasel made headlines this weekend by punching two girls at a show his band Screeching Weasel was playing. Ben apparently riled up the crowd a variety of different ways including him ripping on the very fest he chose to come and play. Seems to me if you hate something so much you could always choose not to show the event support by playing it. Regardless the video is here for you to see for yourself. If you plan on attending their upcoming string of shows here in Chicago for “Weasel Fest” (that is if it is still happening as two bands allegedly dropped off of the show in light of this debacle) you may want to wear a hockey mask if you plan on being up front and heckling Mr. Weasel.
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I was punched in the eye by G.G. Allen just because I was standing up front at a show….he never aimed for any of the numerous dudes all around me, just me, & he sucker punched me, cut my eye & broke my glasses. this kind of behaviour really sucks & is abusive & wrong. just like when Dinah Cancer got sucker punched in San Francisco by some asswipe from the opening band. congratulations, ben weasel, for joining the ranks of the women beaters.
Please review the first line of your story…. you were at a GG Allin show!!! If you don’t wanna run the risk of being hurt, don’t go to punk shows! You’re living up the stereotype of women being oblivious and stupid WHILE signifying some sort of special treatment that you think women deserve. Either you’re with gender equality or not. If you’re not and can’t take the responsibility of yourself, bring your “night in shining armor” next time
-Alex / Black America
There is nothing punk or acceptable about anyone punching another person at a punk show or anywhere else. It would have been equally wrong of Ben to have punched a guy, it was worse though that he chose to hit two girls who were clearly smaller than him. Trying to excuse stupid behavior or violence at a show because “it is a punk rock show” is perhaps the most asinine attempt at justification ever. Punk rock was never about violence despite what the skinheads and thugs would have you believe. It was boneheads like that who brought violence to the shows and ruined them and it is sad that some people still hold onto that and think it’s “punk” and “cool”.
GG Allin was an idiot and being an idiot didn’t entitle him to punch anyone in the crowd. Thankfully he did himself in and the world is less one violent moron.
GG Allin was an idiot, and no, it didn’t entitle him to punch anyone in the crowd, but he was known for it. For years, there was speculation that Allin would kill himself onstage, taking members of the audience with him. The fact that Insane Jane got away with a cut and some broken glasses seems perfectly acceptable to me.
Only an idiot would stand in the front row of a GG Allin concert, and only an idiot would defend that idiot’s “right” to do so without fear of injury.
MXV nailed it. Being an abusive asshole is not punk rock. It’s abusive. Save the straw man “it’s inherent in the scene/lifestyle/music” strawman argument for another time.
Ironically, every misogynist dude I’ve ever known has loved Screeching Weasel. Folks hang out with others who support and justify their beliefs, no matter what those beliefs are. Sadly, plenty of men and women are ‘down with’ Ben and his hate, and have been for years.
before that night, i had never heard of G.G.Allin…it was a friend who asked me to go…..if i would’ve known what he was about i never would’ve set foot in there, much less been in front…when i first started playing in punk bands in San Francisco in 1977, the scene was really fun & we had great bands & shows and in 1979 when my band The Cosmetics opened up for black flag at the Mabuhay Gardens (with Keith Morris) we had a great time hanging out with the L.A. kids who were doing this backwards circling kind of “dance” they called the huntington beach shuffle…the next year in 1980 when they came back to SF with their new front man Henry Rollins it was hateful & hurtful….they came in, were rude & mean, my latest band was again opening for them & they proceeded to try to kick, punch & otherwise “fuck up” the SF kids on & on all night long…i even saw Henry bragging about this incident in the film American Hardcore….poseurs like him were the same as the jocks who came to the Mab to “mess up some punk kids”….it ruined the scene for me & alot of the original punks….it was no fun to get injured when you’re out for a good time….no matter who you are, a guy or a girl….it was idiots that read in the media that punks like to hurt each other that came into the club to hurt us & get away with it….it was a real drag when other people we thought were our friends started doing it too….