WE REACHED THE CBD. A couple of years earlier, it wasn’t unusual to see running battles in this area between the punks and the skins, with the headbangers joining in now and again. Those of us who had grown up in small towns couldn’t understand these divisions, and the animosity that sprang from them. Primitive tribalism. All we’d wanted to do was listen to the music. All of it. Without having to fit ourselves into a box. Without having to listen to the musicians’ opinionated rants during interviews or onstage. Without having to debate the politics, or the religious views expressed. Take pride in your own circumstances, and respect the views of others. It was a simple enough concept. Most lead singers should be banned from speaking to the press. Their lyrical genius seldom came through in
