ABSTRACT
I grew up in the 1980s amid a resurgence of youth subcultures, witnessing firsthand the growing concern for the fate of America's kids. Youth, it seemed, were headed for trouble. Hippies were long gone and disco was on the decline, replaced by hip hop, hardcore, and heavy metal. Whereas hippies and disco freaks raised alarms about drugs and free love, gangsta rap allegedly sparked inner city ultraviolence, prompting kids to abandon school for guns and gang life. Ice-T and NWA gained notoriety for both their explicit sexual references and their flagrant disdain of police. Not to be outdone, heavy metal lured alienated youth into cults and devil worship, while its glam metal counterparts took the sex, drugs, and rock ’n’ roll lifestyle to new extremes. Iron Maiden's song “The Number of the Beast” incensed religious leaders, as did gender-bending groups such as Poison and Mötley Crüe, who plastered themselves with makeup and teased their long hair to impossible heights. Meanwhile, Black Flag helped transform punk rock into the even more aggressive hardcore, prompting police to harass the band and shut down shows. Their fans gained such a reputation for violence that some clubs blacklisted them from playing.
