Post by saturdaysheros on Sept 3, 2006 16:53:52 GMT -5
The relationship between football and drugs is only a reflection of a much wider set of issues and relationships concerned with youth culture and drugs. But British football grounds have provided a focus for all the most significant British youth cultures for almost 30 years.
Northern Soul in the 1970s was borne out of mod culture in the 1960s. 'Wigan Casino 'and 'The Torch' in Stoke on Trent 'Kept the Faith'. The 'faith' was dancing all night on stimulant drugs to soul music. Only the drugs had changed slightly. Supplies of pills diverted from doctors and chemists could no longer satisfy the demand for amphetamines so the back street chemists got busy and started producing amphetamine sulphate powder by the ton. At the same time it was argued that the football violence buzz was fading. It wasn't as much fun. It got boring. It was also getting more and more dangerous. Strict policing meant that you had to do as much damage in as small a time as possible- hence the Stanley knife and CS gas - literally a quick in and out and off!
And then along came that Smiley Matey Acid House and the boys found a new buzz. Acid House and then Rave came along at just the right time with a pocketful of herbs and chemicals. Before Rave there were only two kinds of clubs. Those where you dressed up in smart clothes, got incredibly drunk to nutsty chart music then looked for a casual sexual encounter, a fight and a kebab (not in any particular order 1 might add). The other kinds of clubs were the really trendy ones and they
wouldn't let you in anyway.
Northern Soul in the 1970s was borne out of mod culture in the 1960s. 'Wigan Casino 'and 'The Torch' in Stoke on Trent 'Kept the Faith'. The 'faith' was dancing all night on stimulant drugs to soul music. Only the drugs had changed slightly. Supplies of pills diverted from doctors and chemists could no longer satisfy the demand for amphetamines so the back street chemists got busy and started producing amphetamine sulphate powder by the ton. At the same time it was argued that the football violence buzz was fading. It wasn't as much fun. It got boring. It was also getting more and more dangerous. Strict policing meant that you had to do as much damage in as small a time as possible- hence the Stanley knife and CS gas - literally a quick in and out and off!
And then along came that Smiley Matey Acid House and the boys found a new buzz. Acid House and then Rave came along at just the right time with a pocketful of herbs and chemicals. Before Rave there were only two kinds of clubs. Those where you dressed up in smart clothes, got incredibly drunk to nutsty chart music then looked for a casual sexual encounter, a fight and a kebab (not in any particular order 1 might add). The other kinds of clubs were the really trendy ones and they
wouldn't let you in anyway.