Interview with James West

Interview with James West, (Member of an active skinhead gang)

 12 December 2010

1. What attracted you most to becoming a skinhead?

James: “To me it was a mix of things, the music, from the trojan label reggae to the oi! Punk, and the clean cut image itself, to me it was sharp, but hard wearing, it seemed to suit my way of life.”

2. Have you only adopted the image of a skinhead, or do you hold the values and ideologies also?

James: “It depends what you consider to be 'skinhead ideologies'. A lot of people think its right wing and intolerant, but its largely a misconception and the whole culture came from reggae music and Jamaican rude boys. If anything its about unity and good music, and I feel I have adopted this.”