We put this article in a 1989 ISKCON Communications Brief- ings (ICB) to alert Hare Krishna boomers that a new generation, with a different style of Krishna consciousness, was springing up in their midst. They had their own vocabulary, literature, music, em- blems, and "underground" status. Part of the punk scene, they were a new corps of followers, referred to as the "straight edge," denoting a lifestyle that forswore drug use, excessive recreational sex, gam- bling, and - for many - meat-eating. A modicum of fame attended these new followers of Krishna as some of their leaders' straight- edge recordings became popular, and a network subculture began to grow throughout the world. The Cro-Mags and Shelter bands gained global Popularity. Tattoos, stage dives, body piercing, slam dancing, shaven heads, racy "zines" (magazines), and many other symbols were all part of the new scene.

ISKCON Communications Briefings, October 1989

If you don't know the meaning of a large "X" on the back of teenagers' hands or the meaning of the words zine, crusty, pos, or bro, you may be dangerously out of touch with today's youth (see glossary at end of story).

A growing new generation of punk-oriented youth in America and Britain (the trend is said to be spreading to many other coun- tries) are drug-free, vegetarian-oriented, averse to casual sex, and often shaven-headed. According to a recent story in British rock zine '[he Pure Issue, "They don't drink or have casual sex; they call themselves Straight Edge, and their cry is getting louder."

You may have read about Kalki Prabhu's recent benefit concert in SanYsidro, California. A leading straight-edge band called Youth of Today was featured at the concert, which Kalki organized to support his popular zine, The Razor's Edge (see "Dancing on the Razor's Edge, " ISKCON World Review, Vol. 8, No. 10).

After the passing of more than a generation and a half since ISKCON's inception, we tend to forget that the new generation talks differently, wears different clothes, likes different music, and thinks much differently than alternative USA cultures of' the late sixties where it all began.

If the up-and-coming punk group Cro-Mags sounds like people you'd rather avoid, think again. The band's members, especially lead singer Harley, openly and strongly preach Krishna-conscious phi- losophy and behavior in published interviews and personal one-on- one exchanges. The famous Jadurani painting of Lord Nrsimhadeva killing Hiranyakasipu is on the cover of their latest LP, Best Wishes (with full credits to the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust).

Just as the Mantra Rock Dance captivated the hippies of San Francisco in 1967, Kalki's program has become a fact of life for the straight-edge generation and its followers.

The following excerpt is from a report by Gunagrahi Swami on Kalki in action in Fort Worth, Texas. Kalki is part of the traveling KrishnaFest program headed by Gunagrahidasa Goswami and Danavira dasa Vanacari.

It's 9:00 PM. Saturday. We're at the parking lot of The Axis in Fort Worth, Texas. The club is a hangout for local youth, punks, and skinheads. We're on a mission from God.

It's our first time in Fort Worth. As we pull into the parking lot, we do a vibe check and devise a plan of action. Kalki gets out of the van and starts walking toward the crowd of fifty or sixty kids at the other end of the lot. They spot him.

Some begin chanting in a joking way, others poke fun, while others seem visibly disturbed by the oncoming intruder. Kalki quickens his pace and walks right into the middle of the crowd. They stare at him. He stares back. No one can imagine what's going to happen next. Then Kalki breaks the chilling silence: "Hey, what bands are playing tonight?" Their jaws drop open. They can't believe it: "HE'S ONE OF US!!!"

After talking with him for a while about the hard-core scene, one of the kids notices the Razor~ Edge magazine that Kalki just happened to be carrying under his arm.

"What's that?" they ask.

"Oh, just a little zine I put together," says Kalki nonchalantly. want to check it out?"

"Sure," says a boy. "Hey! Youth of Today! I know them. They're great. Hey fells! Check out this zine!"

The KrishnaFest band set up and started kirtana in the parking lot. By the end of the night, even the club owner had purchased a Bhagavad-gita. The kids all loved our music, the prasadam, and the books. And that Sunday, eight of them came to the Dallas temple for the feast!

Fort Worth is known in these parts as a "cow town," and it's not because they love cows. If they can take to Krishna consciousness here, they can take to it anywhere.

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Straight-Edge Words, Phrases, Identification:

crusties - grubby punks who never wash or change their clothes

zine - magazine

pos - positive

bro - pal

large black "X" on the back of both hands - straight-edge fashion and identification

edge it! - a common straight edge slogan