Zine Review: The Coldest #2
Launched in 2022, The Coldest is a recent zine inspired by the contemporary Northern Soul scene and dedicated to covering often overlooked aspects of the working-class skinhead culture.
The Baldies were a skinhead crew that surfaced in Minneapolis during the 1980s. They were initially just a bunch of multiracial working-class youths drawn to skinhead culture through the love of the music and style. At first they weren’t trying to start anything big, just hanging out and staying off drugs.
But then things got messy. As neo-Nazi and Klan-affiliated gangs began appearing in cities like Minneapolis, Chicago, and Portland, the Baldies found themselves in confrontations with these racist groups. Their first major clash was with the White Knights in Minneapolis’s Uptown area, a hub for punk and skinhead culture. This encounter sparked a series of conflicts that pushed the Baldies to organize more strategically against the growing white supremacist threat. Through music scene connections and zines like Maximum Rocknroll, the Baldies linked up with similar groups across the Midwest. Eventually, this led to a bigger group called the Syndicate, which was like a team-up of all these anti-racist crews.
The creation of Anti-Racist Action (ARA) naturally followed, bringing together a loose network of activists committed to fighting the boneheads head-on. ARA quickly spread across the country, focusing on disrupting neo-Nazi activities through direct action. This often led to violent confrontations, which were seen as necessary to protect their communities. The legacy of the Baldies and the ARA is significant in the history of American subculture, as they demonstrated the power of grassroots organizing in the face of persistent right-wing threats.
While this introduction only scratches the surface, the story of this multiracial skinhead crew and the creation of the ARA network was explored in depth through interviews with some of its key members in PBS Minnesota’s documentary on the Baldies, and the anthology No Pasarán! Dispatches from a World in Crisis, edited by Shane Burley.
Shortly after seeing the Minneapolis Baldies documentary, I came across a new publication from Chicago called The Coldest zine. The first issue, published in October 2022, featured an insightful interview with Kieran Knutson, a founding member of the Baldies who played a key role in networking with other crews around the Midwest and introducing younger members to influential bands. It’s important to note that The Coldest zine’s author Warren is not an original member of any of these crews, and does not identify as a skinhead so much as a working-class person involved in union work. For me, this gives the zine an even more interesting perspective, and since the interview with Kieran in the first issue was focused on the influence of British soul-influenced band The Redskins, I almost immediately ordered Neither Washington, Nor Moscow on vinyl, and I’m really grateful to the zine for pointing me in that direction.
The first issue also offered a fascinating history of the Crab label, an interview with DJ Brian Engel about Hipshaker—a long-running monthly soul night in Minneapolis—and a variety of music, zine, and book reviews. It also featured a personal story about union organizing in an Iowa warehouse. Overall, it was a solid collection of articles packed into a small zine, complete with comic-style covers drawn by the author’s father.
Published in early 2024, the second issue of The Coldest zine pushes the envelope a little further with a new, larger and more professional magazine format, while still focusing on similar themes and editorials as the first.
The issue begins with an interesting piece on the now-defunct (1979-2008) store in Passaic, New Jersey called Two Tone, which was significant for the punk, skinhead, and goth subcultures in the area. As the author explains, this article required extensive research through newspaper archives and interviews with former customers.
The Coldest #2 also includes an interview with Gethro of The British Northern Soul Club in Chicago, who has deep roots in the Northern Soul scene dating back to the 1970s in the UK. There are also photos by Heather Vaught and Brian Santostefano from hardcore punk and Oi! shows in Chicago (Conservative Military Image, Fear City, Violent Way, Fuerza Bruta, Claimed Choice, etc.), with a plan to feature more photos in future issues.
The highlight of the second issue is an in-depth interview with Marty W, a skinhead from Chicago involved with the Skinheads of Chicago (SHOC) and the early foundation of the aforementioned Anti-Racist Action (ARA). Marty produced two issues of a skinzine called Battle Scarred, which provided a fascinating glimpse into the antiracist scene in Chicago at that time. The interview covers four main topics: The Subculture, The Zine, The Politics, and The Music. The front cover of The Coldest #2 features a photo of Marty taken by Chicago punk legend Martin Crudo. Prior to this interview, I was somewhat familiar with these stories through excellent interviews with black skinhead Corky Boxcutter and ex-Nazi militant Christian Picciolini at Creases Like Knives.
The content is rounded out with reviews of various music, zines, and books the author has come across since the last issue. The zine also mentions developments in local scenes, including changes in soul nights, the current status of various bands, and regular events like Rust Belt Boss Reggae. Continuing the working-class organizing stories, the issue includes a somewhat depressing article about being a day laborer in Minneapolis, previously published in a defunct British leftist magazine.
While many articles from the first two issues of The Coldest zine are available on their website, the printed version offers a richer experience and is one of the best zines for those interested in this fascinating subculture. Americans can purchase it from the zine’s own store, and Europeans can find it at Aggro Shop in the Netherlands.
The Coldest #3 is coming soon, promising even more excellent material.
