I first read about CRASS in a fanzine in 1978 and went out and bought THE FEEDING OF THE 5000 album at the first opportunity.That introduction to Crass and their ideals as a 14 year old has shaped the way I think and conduct myself today. The "D.I.Y." ethic, questioning authority, vegetarianism and endeavoring to "not fit in" and be proud of it, all come directly from Crass. Here was a band that actually practised what they preached, they lived together in a punk open-house in the country and took the ideas they sang about of anarchism, peace and liberty and really did put them into action.
The band really did achieve what it set out to do and even had the politicians talking about them in the house of commons along with the KGB!
I was lucky enough to see Crass live a couple of times along with other like-minded bands FLUX OF PINK INDIANS, D.I.R.T., OMEGA TRIBE, THE SYSTEM, THE SUBHUMANS, ANNIE ANXIETY, THE ALTERNATIVE.
Here is a really great 1 hour long documentary from 2006.
Guess wht I'm putting on my i-pod tonite!! I had a secret love of CRASS too, but all my mates were heavy metal kids and I kinda fell into line with them keeping my "guilty secrets" just that. Strange to say, the CRASS influence still remains with me too, questioning authority, not worried if I don't fit in either and although I'm not quite a veggie, I have a damn healthy diet. They may have been seen as anarchists by the masses, but we'd be a whole site better off if everybody followed the CRASS ideal... great post buddy.
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