BELGIUM - BLACK & WHITE SKINS

Gavin Watson's acclaimed photos of 80s skinheads continue their march across Europe, this week exhibiting in Belgium. The latest show has quite a few shots featuring black skinheads. We talked to Gavin about this and snagged a bunch of new images from him which you can see below.

* Skins runs from April 28th to May 18th 2008 at the Levi's Blue Store, De Burburestraat 5, Antwerp

Vice: How you doing?
Gavin Watson: I’m doing great.

You know that photo of black kid pointing to the NF and swastika graffiti? Were there many black skinheads in your crew?
Yes. That guy’s name is Sergeant. He was mates with my younger brother. There was also Felix, Barry and Albert. We knew each other from school.

Did black skins get grief from the white racist skins?
Where I lived it was never anything more than snide remarks. The trouble they got mainly came from other black blokes. 

How so?
Well, Felix's dad beat him badly for being a skinhead. He had welts on his back where his father had whipped him. One day Felix ran away to our house, and my mum wouldn't let him go home. He'd been hiding out at our house for two days when the police knocked on the door. I remember it was a glorious sunny day. The coppers walked into the front room where Felix, me, my brother and my mum were watching TV. One of them said, and I quote, “So, who’s run away then?” To which my mum quickly replied, “Why don’t you take a wild guess there, officer.”

Are you still in contact with any of those guys?
Not really. Barry was a skinhead the longest out of all of us. He is now a performer and lives in Brighton. Felix died when he was 21 of yellow jaundice.

That's sad.
Yeah, but these photos look back at the time when we were growing up together.

DOMINIC TUNON

Comments

[greif]

this looks amazing. cant wait for it. p.s. swastikas aren't that hard to draw - pretty average effort in the top picture.

[pete]

when is this coming to england again ?

[ld]

THE SOUL PATCH HAHAHA last picture

[busted]

soul patch! good spot. hhahahahaha

[gg allin]

why do you come here? and why-ahy-ahy-ahy-ahayahay, do you hang around?

[tommy gun]

really really really good. bring this exhibnition to new york.