Name: Tommy
Age: 28
Location: Ruhrpott, Germany

How long are you sober ?
It's 7 years now.

Why did you decide to be straight edge ?
I decided to become straight edge in the first place because I liked
the idea of having full control over
my life and the things that I do at all times. That being said, I had
my times with drugs and booze, intense times,
so I can tell the difference it makes and the impact it can have on
someones life.

How long are you vegan ?
I'm vegan for a little longer than I've been straight edge.
Why are you vegan ?
I always was a big fan of meat. Just for the taste of it. I grew up
like most people being tought, that eating meat
is part of a healthy diet. Then I started this band with this dude I
barely knew who happened to be a vegan. So I started
joking about it and questioning everything about veganism but at some
point I realized, that he always had the
better arguments. There is nothing in this world that justifies the
slaughter and the abuse of innocent beings.
I decided to become a vegan little later. I've never been a vegetarian though.

What do you think about "edge breaking" ?
That makes me sad every time. Of course I saw a lot of people dropping
the ball throughout the years and I never got it.
When I was at Fluff Fest this year I hung out with Greg Bennick
(Trial) that one day and we were talking about
all kinds of stuff. Some other dude joined the conversation and they
knew each other from back in the days, so they started
talking about the past and people they know and then the dude said
that someone broke edge. Then Greg said something that
has been stuck in my head since then. He said "I just don't get it.
How hard is it to stay straight edge?" Then he looked at me,
raised his hand into a rejecting position and said "No, thanks."
That's it, it's really not hard to stay straight edge at all.
I don't think that you should punch people in the face for breaking
edge but it's ok to let them know if you are disappointed.

What's your opinion about D.I.Y. ?
DIY is the foundation of everything I believe in. Without DIY, there
would be no punk or hardcore scene or anything like that.
I think it is ok to let someone else take care of certain things,
espacially if these things are very time consuming and affecting
your creativity and productivity, but as I said in the straight edge
question, I just really like to be in control over my life.

Do you show that you are vegan edge ? Do you x'up or have edge tattoos?
Yes. To all of these questions. I wear animal rights and straight edge
merchandise, have tattoos on these issues and x-up on shows.
In my opinion, neither veganism nor straight edge are subjects that
should only serve as an identitary purpose. so when I show that
I am vegan edge, I support all the ideas behind it and it can serve as
a conversation-starter on these topics.

Do you play in a band ? Is the band vegan edge ?
I play in a band called WOLF DOWN. It's a vegan straight edge hardcore
band from western Germany.

What's about your local scene ? Many vegan edge people around ? Many
shows (common and vegan edge)?
I guess there are some vegan straight edge people. The Ruhrpott once
was a place where a lot of hardcore shows took place, but this
all ended a few years ago. Nowadays, the shows in our area are sadly
more the big shows, not much DIY spirit left here.
But I think you can't really blame the people, there's just a lack of
reliable venues to set up shows. And a lot of bands asking for
too much money nowadays.

What do you think about violent dancing ? Do you practice it ?
I like moshing. As long as you are careful and take care of each other
it can be great fun. I don't like the whole tough guy shit
with the suckerpunching and stuff (which is most likely referred to by
"violent dancing") though. That's just dumb.

What are your 3 favourite straight edge bands ?
Have Heart
Champion
Mindset

What are your 3 favourite bands ?
xUnderoathx
BringXMeXTheXHorizon
Asking x Alexandria

Do you watch TV ? What do you think about it ?
Yeah, every now and then I watch TV. Mostly while having dinner or if
something good is on like news or documentaries. But I'm really into
TV Shows, I just watch them online.

What do you think about the qoute "Straight Edge is politics" ?
I think there is nothing wrong with this quote.

What do you think about the hardline movement ?
Stupid. Makes me really angry and puts all the positive ideas in a bad
spot and scares people away.

What do you think about pro-choice and pro-life ?
I think that everyone has the right on his_her opinion on that matter.
I also think that a womyn's body is her own fucking business.

What do you think about religions ?
Nothing good. It's ok to have some sort of spirituality, but all the
dogmatic religions are shit.

Any shout outs ? Things to check out ?
Thanks for getting in touch! If anyone is interested, this is my
band's facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WOLFxDOWN
xvx