Is
Singaporean scene the same like Malaysian one? When the first skinheads started
to hang over the streets? Which band was the first and which band is the most
popular now? Are there any problems between skinheads?
The
scene in Singapore is smaller compared to Malaysia because of the vast
difference in size of the 2 nations. So generally Malaysia's scene is much
bigger with crowds up to a few thousands at a gig. The first punk band in
Singapore is Opposition Party who
formed in 1985-86, and are still around today, but slowing down. There are no
problems between skinheads.
I know about apolitical/SHARP skinheads
and Malay Power skins and punks. Is movement of Brown Power strong there? They
tell that they are not racists! What they fight for? Can you describe them for
us? Do you know any their musical groups? What do you think about them, your
opinion? Do you have any problems with them?
Brown
power gangs are more active in Malaysia (In Singapore, no brown power movement
exists). I am not sure what actually the Brown Power movement do in Malaysia but
they have Nazi and Iron Cross Logos on them which i think is rather stupid even
if they say they say they are not racist. I don't know much about them but when
The Oppressed played there last time some of the SHARP gangs from Singapore
& Malaysia along with Roddy Moreno were ready for them if they come!
Do you keep the contacts with skinheads
from other Asian lands? Like Indonesia, Thailand, Korea, Japan, China? Which
their tr bands do you know? Are there strong scenes in these lands?
Yes
from time to time I do keep in touch with them. Some of the countries like China
and Thailand are coming up now. China has a punk band called 'No
Name' and they have toured the UK last time. Indonesia and Japan as you have
known they already have a very big scene there.
Are there any BIG gigs organized by
skinheads in your country? For example Skinhead Jamboree? Is it every year? Can
I join you? How much is the beer (the price) there? How much is the entrance?
And
where could I sleep for example?
As
i have mentioned before the scene in Singapore is not really big but it is
healthy, about 50-100 people at the gigs. There is no Skinhead Jamboree every
year but there are gigs where all the skinhead and punk bands come to play. The
beer is expensive in the pubs but there is always the off-license you can buy at
which is quite cheap. If you come to singapore, I will let you come to gigs for
free and you could come to sleep in my home :)
I
think there is islamic religion in your land. Are there any other religions? Are
religious people tolerant? Many people from Europe think that Moslems are not
tolerant. Are Moslems separated and divided to „bad“ and „good“? Or how
can I understand it?
In
Singapore it is actually a multi-racial society. All religions are accepted here.
The Malay race are usually Muslims, the Chinese are mostly Buddhist while some
are Taoist, the Indians are Hindus & the Caucasians celebrate Christmas. I
would say in general the Muslims here do not cause trouble because of the very
strict laws in Singapore. It is the Muslim Extremists who sometimes, or for your
case, are labelled as 'bad'. If you actually read about Muslims book, it is a
religion of love & peace. They do not condone violence or kidnaps or any
sort of bombings.
I saw some photos of malaysian and S´porean
skinheads and renees. I made some interviews with your bands. AND I think it is
possible to SHARE and connect religion (islam) and skinhead way of life. Am I
right?
Yes
you are correct, because in Malaysia and Indonesia, the population is mostly
Islam. It is possible.
Are skinhead girls normal and ordinary
part of subculture, am I right? I think you have the best skingirls around, do
you have the same opninion?
Haha!
Yes, our skinhead girls are the best. All pretty looking with an attitude!
Your bands have got very patriotic lyrics.
I am not patriot so much. I believe only in SKINHEAD NATION, not in my own
nation. Do you feel patriotism in your heart? What do you like on Singapore and
what do you hate? Do you like you government? Are you interested in politics? Do
you like more left or right wing?
I
think it is always okay to be patriotic at times. Most of our influential bands
like The Business & The Last Resort used to write a song or two about their
country. But its always the same thing everywhere, you love the country but you
hate the government at the same time. I'm proud to be Singaporean but the
government can be a dickhead sometimes when they increase taxes and high cost of
living starts to get higher. There are so much to learn and understand from the
politics of Singapore even though we only gained independence in 1965, but that's
not stopping us from being the most expensive city to live in 2014. I used to
hate politics but as I grew older I think I'm beginning to get sucked in by
whats good and whats not. There are SHARP skinheads here and some of them are
good friends I've known for nearly all my life. Some skinheads are just sitting
over the fence (ie, not right nor left) thats okay but definitely no right wing
group at all.
Is there any minority which makes
problems in your society? Here we have for example gypsies or Vietnamese people
(they are often dealers of drugs etc. Very bad!!!).
Yes
there are definitely but like I say before we have strict laws here. Drug
addicts can be sentenced to death by hanging if caught. Same goes for murderers.
When our government opened the doors to foreigners they did not expect all these
social problems to increase. I think they are starting to see the effect. A
group of Indian immigrants rioted along the streets of Serangoon Road last year
(complete chaos, police cars & ambulance were overturned and burned) &
it opened the eyes for the government.
We are in touch more than 8 years. Do you
cooperate with any other magazine, label or people from Europe? Have you ever
been to Europe? Would you like to visit any European land?
In
the last few years I started my own company doing audio-visual maintenance so i
get very busy as the company has just started up. I stopped playing in the band
and doing fanzine to concentrate on work as it takes up a lot of my time. Also,
I have a 1-year old son and that can be tiring to handle as well. But if they
want cooperation from me, rest assured I can help no problem. I go to Europe
every year for holiday, sometimes to catch a football match or go to gigs. If I
am in the UK I will meet the members of The Last Resort (me & them are quite
close friends since they played in Singapore in 2010). I would like to visit
Eastern Europe definitely. I think Czech girls are good-looking as I have seen
videos of them in Czech Streets & Wild Parties (Porn-hahaha).
How many issues of Lion City have you
just edited? Will you continue? Is skinhead subculture supported by government?
How? Why don't you run anyrecords“ company? You edit only Oi! the uprising? Do people buy CDs a lot or not?
I think I did about 15 issues of the Lion City Fanzine, if I remember the last is between 2005-2007. I don't think it will continue since these days are days of technology, nobody reads hardcopies as they can get the information straight from online or pages in Facebook. 'Oi! The Uprising' used to be a compilation CD project for skinhead and punk bands in Singapore but it went as far as Europe for these bands to get exposure, so it is a good thing. And to answer your questions, I do not think the skinhead subculture is supported by our government (as long as something doesn't make money, our government will not support it). I think the trend here is starting to drop for people buying CDs. In fact Tower Records & HMV may close down in Singapore due to very low sales and everybody just buy mp3 & download them on their laptop.