The culture of sobriety

EDGE: Perspectives on Drug Free Culture is an intense view into the lives of various people who embrace the straight edge label. A group of ambitious directors—Kelly Jameson, Marc Pierschel and Michael Kirchner—interview three prominent figures in the straight-edge community and nine individual perspectives of people that embrace the straight-edge lifestyle to offer a well-rounded and varied look at the lives and choices of its members.

Ian MacKaye, singer of Minor Threat and Fugazi, Ray Cappo, singer of Youth of Today and Shelter, Karl Buechner, singer of Earth Crisis and Dr. Ross Haenfler, a sociology professor from the University of Mississippi, head up the cast, which consists of a who’s who in the straight-edge community. It also looks at people whose lives have been influenced and affected by straight edge.

Straight edge, sometimes referred to simply as “edge,” is a term associated with individuals who refrain from drinking, smoking, using illegal drugs or engaging in sexually promiscuous activity. It is referred to as a lifestyle, a movement, a culture and a fad. Authorities in Utah and Nevada have even classified straight edge as a gang.

Proponents of straight edge state that it is a conscious effort to refrain from engaging in self-destructive activities and, instead, focus on positive, clean living.

“Most of the people who are involved in straight edge don’t consider themselves necessarily part of a movement,” said Haenfler as he described it in the film. “When they think of a social movement, they think of groups like Greenpeace or Sierra Club or the civil rights movement. They don’t think of this as a subculture and the music scene that they are involved in. My research, I guess, showed just a little bit of a different take on that.
I actually think that straight edge is a form of a movement, even if it’s not out to change government policy or something like that. It’s more of a movement about challenging culture, and challenging people’s lifestyles.”

The straight-edge movement, though there is still a dispute about whether it’s really a movement, is often attributed to Minor Threat frontman Ian MacKaye, although the term can be dated back to the early part of the 20th century.

EDGE explores the various aspects of the lifestyle as it pertains to music, ways of living, spirituality and sociology. It strives to provide an even-keeled look at these often-viewed idiosyncrasies by interviewing prominent members in each of the realms of straight edge. By basing the film off of a spiderweb-style diagram, the directors explore each of the facets and draws comparisons and links betwixt them. The filmmakers also interview several active members of the straight-edge community from all walks of life, creeds and ages.

Directors Pierchel and Kirchner, both social scientists, achieve their vision by weaving a web of concert footage, voiceover montages and interviews to provide a spectral view without making EDGE seem too scattered. Shot all over America, EDGE explores the American movement and gives poignant insight. The film has already been voted as an official selection for Mission Underground Film Festival in San Francisco, Calif., and Radar International Film Festival in Hamburg, Germany. Before hitting the festival circuit, the film will see a 20-day U.S. tour, complete with Q-and-A sessions from the filmmakers. Fittingly, the film will screen in Portland at the Hollywood Theatre, one of the few art house theaters that doesn’t serve alcoholic beverages, with a brief Q-and-A session following the presentation.