The Casualties

A few years back, the Casualties were accused of punk-rock misconduct over a couple of cans of Aqua Net. Rumors were that the New York-based foursome had hired a personal hairdresser to pomp up its members' cowlicks. Known for their three-foot-high Mohawks and Liberty spikes, the Casualties were easy to...

By Tuyet Nguyen

March 9, 2006

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A few years back, the Casualties were accused of punk-rock misconduct over a couple of cans of Aqua Net. Rumors were that the New York-based foursome had hired a personal hairdresser to pomp up its members' cowlicks. Known for their three-foot-high Mohawks and Liberty spikes, the Casualties were easy to peg as pogo sellouts. It was the late '90s then, and street punk was going through yet another revival, which helped spawn a whole new industry of plaid butt-flaps. The entire hair-raising tale turned out to be untrue anyway, but at the very least, it caused an already self-conscious subculture to make the necessary distinctions between punk fashion and fashion punk. A DIY revitalization subsequently separated the rockers from the gawkers. But then again, the social impact of a scene built on three chords and quasi-political anthems is probably not as interesting as this one easy-to-remember fact: The Casualties prefer Rave #4 hairspray.

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