MITTENS XVX
“Being vegan straight edge makes it much easier to cope with a difficult and isolating world.”
I’ve been into punk and hardcore for the last 20 years, and I’ve done a lot of interviews and articles about vegan straight edge. I’ve published many zines, I used to have a vegan blog, and I’m still really active with DIY Conspiracy webzine, where I’ve reviewed literally thousands of hardcore and punk records.
When I first started publishing stuff on the internet, I liked the anonymity that came with it. You could make your own screen name, and there was no need to give your ID to some corporation, verify yourself with a photo, or anything like that. I don’t really want to be credited for the stuff I’ve done, and I prefer focusing on ideas rather than individuals, so I write under the name Mittens XVX.
I’m not an academic, not a professional journalist, or a book writer who needs to be mentioned and credited everywhere, but some of my writings have been published in cool books about punk culture and straight edge.
What was the moment or experience that first pushed you toward veganism?
I started listening to punk music when I was around 14, and as I got deeper into the more politicized bands, veganism & animal liberation were very strong themes within it. Bands like Riot/Clone, Conflict, Exit-Stance, Icons of Filth, Rudimentary Peni, and Flux of Pink Indians laid some of the foundations for me, as did the hardcore scene more broadly. Going to shows also had a big influence, because there were always flyers, stickers, and people I met there, including hardcore punk kids who were already vegetarian or vegan.
But if I had to name a specific moment that really pushed me toward veganism, it would probably be reading about Barry Horne’s 68-day hunger strike, which was an attempt to pressure the UK government into holding a public inquiry into animal testing. Around the same time, I was learning about the Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty (SHAC) campaign, which aimed to shut down Huntingdon Life Sciences (HLS), Europe’s largest contract animal-testing laboratory.
Watching documentaries and news coverage about the Animal Liberation Front (ALF) also had a big impact on me. One of the coolest videos I saw was a 1987 BBC programme called Brass Tacks: Animal Warfare, where animal liberation activists were portrayed as violent extremists. The coverage was clearly negative toward them, but my reaction was more like, “Wow, how cool is that?” Of course, many of those ’80s activists were punks too. You can watch the video here.
Did your path into veganism come before or after getting into hardcore / straight edge?
I got into veganism when I was still a punk kid. The songs that influenced me the most were Rudimentary Peni’s “Pig in a Blanket”, Conflict’s “Meat Means Murder” and “This Is the ALF,” and pretty much the entire Riot/Clone discography. Back then, I really didn’t like hardcore or straight edge. I thought it was just rich kids in Nike shoes acting like stupid posers.
Was there a specific band, record, or scene influence that opened that door for you?
I pretty much answered this in the previous question, but one album that truly stands out for me is Riot/Clone’s “Do You Want Fries With That?” I think it’s one of the best vegan punk records ever recorded, but it’s still largely underrated.
The entire album is about animal liberation and veganism, with samples and skits from TV programs, including the 1987 Brass Tacks episode I mentioned earlier. Songs like “One Struggle, One Fight” are among the best punk songs ever written.
How did your friends, family, or local scene react when you made that shift?
I lived in a small town in Bulgaria, and in the early 2000s veganism was almost unheard of. My schoolmates thought I was weird, but I didn’t really care about that. Once I decided to make the step, I was very hardline in my convictions, boycotting big brands and corporations. I’ve never owned a pair of Nike shoes in my life, and back then I would rather make my own soy milk than buy Alpro (the most accessible brand you could find in shops), because it was owned by a big dairy corporation. Nowadays, I’m not as hardline about these things as I used to be.
Was it an immediate commitment, or something you grew into over time?
That’s an interesting question. Most people associate veganism with diet and food, but one of the things that influenced me was Barry Horne’s hunger strike and direct action campaigns against animal testing labs. So I thought, okay, I’m not sure how healthy a plant-based diet is, but boycotting animal testing is the easiest thing to do, whether you eat meat or not.
So first I went into my mom’s bedroom and threw away all her makeup products that were not cruelty-free. Then I stopped wearing leather, and only after that did I switch to a vegan diet. I think most people go the other way around.
For you, how connected are veganism and straight edge—are they inseparable or distinct choices?
I became straight edge years after becoming vegan, and for different reasons. I went to university and got sick of seeing all these drunk assholes around the student campus. Something that really pushed me to stop drinking was seeing dudes using alcohol and drugs to get laid. That whole culture of alcohol as a date rape drug made me sick, so in a way I became straight edge for feminist reasons. Too bad that some of the straight edge bands that influenced me the most, like 7 Generations, later turned out to be and have rapists and abusers in their own band and circles.
Do you see veganism as an extension of straight edge ethics, or its own independent stance?
There is a great essay on this question called“The Urge to Destroy: Vegan Straight Edge & Personal Choice,” which was published on DIY Conspiracy in 2017, and I think it explains it much better than I could in this interview.
How do you respond to people in the scene who embrace one but not the other?
I know and respect that straight edge is really important for many people, and that some people come to it from very difficult places, including addiction, violence, or abuse. But for me personally, veganism is much more important, so I personally feel closer to vegans who drink than to straight edge people who are not vegan.
What role did the hardcore/metal scene play in shaping your beliefs?
I have a kind of complicated relationship with the hardcore and metal scene. I try to be open-minded and listen to a lot of bands. I’ve reviewed many straight edge metallic hardcore records, and I know some amazing people in that scene, but I still like punk music much more. I’ve never been a metalhead in my life, so punk will always be more important to me.
Do you feel like the scene today is more or less aligned with vegan values than when you started?
I think nowadays there is much more visibility, because it’s easier to release a record, and because of all the social media hype and streaming platforms. Recently, I’ve seen a big wave of ex-vegans, including many people I know who are no longer vegan. At the same time, there seem to be a lot more straight edge people and bands in the scene than before.
Do you see veganism as inherently political?
I think everything is political. If you see veganism as an ethical stance or a social movement for ending non-human animal exploitation, rather than just some fad diet, then it is inherently political.
Just look at the history of the word “vegan.” When it was coined by the Vegan Society in the 1940s, it was a time of famine, misery, and World War II. Veganism was rooted in peace, anti-war, and anti-exploitation politics, and it was intersectional at its core. Vegan historian Roger Yates has some really good takes on this topic. In 2023, I did an interview with Ronnie Lee, the founder of the ALF, and I’d also recommend reading that here.
Fuck right-wing “vegans” and apolitical plant eaters.
What issues within the broader movement do you think aren’t being talked about enough?
First, there are some vegan influencers who milk their audience (pun intended) to get rich while basically just talking to random people on the street and filming themselves as some kind of activists. I think white saviorism, influencer culture, and focusing on individuals rather than discussing ideas, strategies, and campaigns is really toxic and detrimental to the movement. Ex-SHAC prisoner and straight edge hardcore kid Jake Conroy has some really good YouTube videos about that. Check out his channel, The Cranky Vegan.
There is also a racist, apartheid, genocidal ethno-state trying to whitewash its image by being vegan-friendly and presenting itself as progressive and democratic. I think vegans should talk more about that too.
What keeps you committed when it gets difficult or isolating?
The world really does get difficult and isolating, but veganism and straight edge have never felt difficult or isolating to me. It’s quite the opposite. Being vegan straight edge makes it much easier to cope with a difficult and isolating world.
Where do you see the vegan / straight edge movement going in the next decade?
I’d like to see more vegan straight edge kids getting into punk subgenres. Less breakdowns, more d-beat. I’m tired of metal and beatdown.
What would you say to someone on the fence about embracing these ideas?
“Don’t let your outrage at injustice end where your selfishness begins.”
Final Thoughts:
First band that made you think differently:
Conflict, Rudimentary Peni, Riot/Clone, Contravene.
A lyric you’ve written (or heard) that still hits hardest:
Contravene - “In The Name of Convenience”:
“Over the hill there's a factory
With walls a mile high
And behind those walls lies a killing floor
Where thousands of animals die
So welcome to the factory farm
Where murder means production
It's the product of supply and demand
Supported by your consumption
And so you swallow the lies
And end their lives
But could you face this horror?
Could you stand and watch as the blade slides across their throat
Their body is hung upside down and they bleed to death before you?
Could you stand and watch as the bolt drives through their skull?
Watch them as they flail about and not have it affect you?
Could you stand and watch as they beat an animal to death?
A full sized axe smashed against its skull until there's nothing left
How the fuck can you stand and watch as a life becomes a product
Or as a child is ripped from its mother to become the next to receive this?
These are lives, not products
These are cows, not beef
These are pigs
Not pork
These are chickens, not poultry
These are calves, not veal
These are lives, not products
These are animals, just as we
And they deserve to be free
Not the voiceless victims of a murderous process
Where we claim superiority
It's up to every one of us to stop this murder
And it starts on an individual level
Let's make the choice to raise our voice
And not let up until they tear every last factory down!
From the moment of birth
Their hardships begin
They'll be wanted for their flesh, their eggs, their milk, their fur, their skin
They'll be chained into veal crates
Or cages stacked up high
And depending on their gender some are simply left to die
Fed a steady diet or rendered waste from their own kind
They'll be injected with hormones and drugs to keep them all alive
Confined and forced to inhale the stench of growing piles of waste
Some will become violent and neurotic due to lack of space
And the animals raped for their eggs and milk - when their productive life is through
They'll be shipped off to slaughter in hopes that
They'll be consumed by me and you
Paraded through the slaughterhouse where they'll soon be known as meat
The stench of blood and entrails from the floor beneath their feet
They'll see the ones before them and
Hear their final cries of pain
Imagine the terror in their minds as they watch their families
Get slain
Their blood is cursing through your veins
Suffer their screams
Suffer their pain
Remove the blindfold from your eyes
You have no right to take their lives
Their blood is cursing through your veins
Suffer their screams
Suffer their pain
Remove the blindfold from your eyes
You have no right to take their lives
In the name of convenience they are victims of greed
Why support torture for a product you don't need?
Stop for a moment, look in their eyes
Watch what you are guilty of
Watch the way they die
Few of us know what it is to fight
When you've already struggled with all of your might
Few of us know what it is to fight
When it's a matter of death or a matter of life
Few of us know what it is to fight
Against neglect and abuse that is kept out of sight
Few of us know what it is to fight
When you have no defense against the blade of the knife”
One misconception about vegan straight edge:
There are so many misconceptions, but we’ve heard them all before.
One non-negotiable value:
Don’t be a cop, don’t be an abuser.
One thing the scene needs to do better:
Stop harbouring abusers and fuck 7 Generations.
CHECK OUT DIY CONSPIRACY’S Latest Interviews Now!
Website can be found below.