It’s February 28 and I’ve been sober roughly nine months. People still ask how it’s going if it’s okay to sip a beer in my presence, and yes it is. I’m totally cool with it and I’ll have a coffee thanks, if you’re buying. I’m beyond the point where it’s hard to go to shows or hang out with friends, though I did go through that some at the beginning, the first show I went to was definately weird. It’s strange to think of myself as someone with any social anxiety but I found it difficult going out for a while. I hadn’t been out much in a year or more, I was anxious about people offering to buy me a drink, not realizing a simple “no thanks” would suffice or letting them buy me a Redbull…I’d a saved a ton of cash on Redbull letting other people buy them.

I was, however happy to see people. I wasn’t anxious about being in a bar, I had no desire to drink I just felt kinda off ya know? Kinda like when I first started going to shows. It gets easier every day and with each passing day I’ve found that I’m more motivated to go out and do something. I’m feeling a need to go out and create instead of sitting around the house and hopefully my actions will inspire others to act on their impulses and creative urges so I'm going to share with you one of my passions and I’ll start by talking about one of my biggest pet peeves.

“I’m a lazy sod” those four words nearly killed us. It drives me nuts every time someone talks about being lazy. I would argue that punks can’t be lazy. Anyone willing to spend hours embellishing a jacket or applying patches and straps to one’s jeans or perfect a hairdo has no right to say they’re lazy. So let’s knock that lazy talk off and remember that we’re punks and we need to be out doing punk things. We’re rebels after all; and as rebels we must rebel. Any little act of sedition is a step in the right direction. Fire bombing Walmart or erecting a barricade in your cities business district are great ideas but you’re likely to end up in prison for such activities and that will surely fuck anyone’s Friday night.

So why not start small. Flyers for shows are a step in the right direction but why stop there? How about spending some time making a flyer about another cause you care about? Making a flyer defending animal rights, immigrant rights or squatting and pasting them all over the place is a great way to get the word out. It’s also guaranteed to impress and annoy all the right people. Perhaps you’re more interested in art? Well then draw, write or paint something, duplicate it a few hundred times and get it on your town’s walls, bulletin boards and utility poles.

No artistic ability you say? P’shaw says I! For my money as long as it’s clever, smart or funny it’s good enough to share with your community. It doesn’t even have to be original. Why not take your favorite phrase from a book or song?

It can be as fancy or stark as you like. 

I’m a huge fan of stenciling and graffiti, (not that I’m endorsing this behavior) especially enhancing already standing advertisements with your own message. Yes, this is frowned upon by some but it’s also seen as high art and it’s an act of sedition which is punk as fuck. (legal disclaimer: remember that graffiti is vandalism and is definitely not art. It’s very naughty indeed and could get you in loads of trouble so don’t do it. Art is only found in museums and is safe and makes the baby jesus smile)

To start on a stenciling campaign one need look no further than the internet. Typing “Class War Stencil” or “Punk Stencil” in your favorite search engine will turn up a few things you can print out. Glue this sucker to a used cereal box cut out the image with an X-acto knife or similar tool and hit the streets. Afraid of getting caught with an aerosol can? You can copy the image several times at school, work or a copy shop and staple or paste them to utility poles all over town. Which brings me to wheat paste.

Wheat pasting is a fun way to spend an evening as opposed to a night in front of the box. It’s a little time consuming but if you’re willing to whip up a batch of knox gelatin for your hair, making some wheat paste to cause a real rucus in the hood shouldn’t come across as an outlandish idea. Again print some crap out or better yet create your own flyer/poster and plaster away. The following is a handy recipe from street artist Olive 47:

This is for a decent sized batch. Get a big pot.. those ones for cooking lobsters are good, cause it won’t bubble out and get everywhere.. pour in 6 cups of water, and 4 cups of flour …1.5:1 ratio water to flour…(preferably wheat flour, but white works just as good). Stir them up really well with a whisk, so there’s no lumps, etc. Heat this up til it boils on medium heat, but make sure you don’t burn it, and stir it every couple of minutes... it will boil quickly...

So it boils, now turn down the heat to low, and add more water until you have a clear thick mush, and cook this goopy ass mess for half an hour, stirring every 3 minutes or so.. you kinda just have to watch it so it doesn’t burn. After 30 min, it should be the consistancy of thick paint..

So after 30 min, remove from the stove and pour in a bucket or whatever, and let it cool for 15 min. Then add a handful of sugar or cornstarch (or both) and stir that in. This makes it extra sticky. Now from there, you can add Polycrylic or wood glue, or anything else you could think of to add to it for extra stickiness or whatnot. Experiment within reason.

Let cool about an hour or so, and you should be set. If your glue is too thick, just add a bit of water. If you don’t add glue or Acrylic medium, you can actually eat this stuff, or feed it to the orphan kids that hang out at the mall.

So now, you’ve got your glue.. Get an empty bottle of dish soap, and make sure all the soap is all out. Now put your glue in there. Amazing! You are much more portable than with a bucket. I keep a funnel in my car with the bucket, so i can refill the bottle if need be. You can easily put this in a plastic bag with your brush and walk around inconspicuously, pasting away quickly. It’s a fast way to get your surface prepared, by squirting your glue directly on the wall, and brushing it out.. or squirt it directly on the back of your paper. Whee.

Wheat paste, once applied and dry is a real bitch to remove and depending on where your creation is pasted, it’s likely to be left alone. Another nice thing about wheat paste is that it’s environmentally friendly and super cheap.

Stapling a poster to a phone pole is not going to get you in any trouble so do this often.

Pasting a poster to a bus shelter or spraying a stencil can garner hefty charges against a body attempting this type of activity. So don’t do it.  *see disclaimer above*

Now, there’s an old pirate saying…”Three can keep a secret if but two are dead.” Take this to heart. Your work will speak for itself, there's no need to brag to your buddies.
Doing something like this once a year or once a week is good for the soul. The fact that you’re out of the house being a naughty little thorn in the side of society will keep you young forever. Art and rebellion go hand in hand so get creative and get out there.

On a side note, I think it’s common knowledge that I’m a teetotaler so don’t think I’m being preachy when I say this. Stay sober for your treasonous acts of sedition. You need to stay sharp and stay focused. Believe me I’ve tried it both ways and it always works better sober. Go out have fun and like CONFLICT said: don’t get caught.