The Jets. The Sharks. The Gaylords.

January 11, 2006 10:23 AM

The Almighty Gaylords"...To our first time visitors or people with little understanding of street gangs in general, the web site probably appears a little weird or creepy at first glance..." Gang violence - Chicago Gaylord style...
posted by longbaugh (42 comments total)

"Whatever you learn, however you feel, I believe you will have a better understanding of how the GAYLORD NATION developed and why."

I don't care about work right now - I am on my way to joining the GAYLORD NATION. Chicago gangland history from the 40's to the present day - the Gaylords are not to be sniggered at.

Oh, alright - they have a fucking stupid name. Go wild!
posted by longbaugh at 10:24 AM on January 11, 2006

lol.
posted by keswick at 10:37 AM on January 11, 2006

wtf?
posted by docpops at 10:37 AM on January 11, 2006

In the Chicago area, there's a gang where, originally they were just kids from a high school standing around in their orchestra clothes. Another gang came by and thought they were colors and killed one of the kids. Then the orchestra members became a legitimate gang.
posted by drezdn at 10:41 AM on January 11, 2006

Beware the terrifying Gaylordettes too. Do you think they sell crack?
posted by longbaugh at 10:43 AM on January 11, 2006

Jeez, and I got so much grief when I joined the St. Paul Homolettes.
posted by Astro Zombie at 10:46 AM on January 11, 2006

Seem to have a lot of ugly white power imagery in their history, klan logos & drawings, "we hate spics" slogan, etc.
posted by damehex at 10:50 AM on January 11, 2006

The best gang, ever.

The Baseball Furies were like a cross between Kiss and the Toledo Mudhens.
posted by nyxxxx at 10:51 AM on January 11, 2006

This gives me an excuse to post quite possibly the best video ever. It's a guy crip-walking while playing dance dance revolution.
posted by haqspan at 10:52 AM on January 11, 2006

And just to be fair to the other side, here's a video of The Bloods' single, If you blood, throw it up.
posted by haqspan at 10:59 AM on January 11, 2006

Apparently their weapon of choice was the Gayrod.
posted by Peter H at 11:14 AM on January 11, 2006

And yet all it takes to defeat the Baseball Furies is one really pissed James Remar.
posted by Astro Zombie at 11:14 AM on January 11, 2006

Their name struck terror into the G-spots of Men.
posted by sgt.serenity at 11:26 AM on January 11, 2006

Hey, given the gang sweaters that they wore, I can see how they first got that particular name.
posted by PeterMcDermott at 11:31 AM on January 11, 2006

Then the orchestra members became a legitimate gang.

But what were they called?

Thee Symphonic Nerds? Thee Midget Chicago InstruMentalists?
posted by PeterMcDermott at 11:33 AM on January 11, 2006

they wore pink sweaters too, such nice boys.
posted by wumpus at 11:39 AM on January 11, 2006

Why will no one take the ruthless killers seriously? Think of the children.
posted by OmieWise at 11:41 AM on January 11, 2006

Then the orchestra members became a legitimate gang.

But what were they called?

Urge Overkill.
posted by NoMich at 11:41 AM on January 11, 2006

History update: They are now called Teh Gayzors.
posted by Joeforking at 12:14 PM on January 11, 2006

I think these boys need to go to the Gaylord Rehabilitation Center. My uncle sent my male cousin there because said cousin liked Barbies.
posted by Mayor Curley at 12:39 PM on January 11, 2006

Then the orchestra members became a legitimate gang.

But what were they called?

Thee Symphonic Nerds? Thee Midget Chicago InstruMentalists?

I'm pretty sure this is the gang now known as "Orquestra Albany."
posted by jtron at 12:51 PM on January 11, 2006

Oh my. Well. The gaylords, not so scary. The Gaylettes on the other hand...such horrid fashion could only be seen on a woman who has nothing left to lose...and must therefore be given a very wide berth.

haqspan's link to the bloods...that scares me. The first link was really cool though. What is it, that is "crips walking", though?
posted by dejah420 at 12:59 PM on January 11, 2006

p.s. don't laugh too hard if you're in the Chicago area. With $5 and google earth they'll be round your way with all the members they can raise (fnarr, fnarr!) ready to pound your ass into submission (nyuk, nyuk). You haven't seen a gangbang like this (chortle) in your wildest dreams.
posted by longbaugh at 12:59 PM on January 11, 2006

“The Gaylords adopted their name at a time period in which homosexuality had nothing to do with the word "Gay." It was a trendy and widely used word of the time that described a proud, happy mood. The word "Gay"could be found back then in the names of businesses, books and even in movies such as: The Gay
Intruders (1948), and The Gay Amigo (with western star, Cisco Kid, 1949).”

Just sayin’. (Although “The Gay Intruders” is kinda funny). I knew some old Gaylords. Some of those neighborhoods were war zones at night. I was in Humbolt Park the night the leader of the Popes got shot when I was a kid. Some rough shit. But the older gangs used to have those kinds of names. One of the old guys I know was in a Jewish gang, the Happy Gentlemen. I’ve heard of Jolly Stompers up in New York. It was rather juvenile back then. Mostly just busting heads. Now gangs are more organized crime. They own businesses, real estate, have front corporations. People are still poor though and living in shitholes.
posted by Smedleyman at 1:29 PM on January 11, 2006

Jokes aside, (a few good ones I guess) this is a pretty interesting little slice of social history. If you look at the photographs you can see their style becoming more and more like the LA (black and latino) gangsters, khakis and chucks and so on.

Personally I would find it very hard to resist joining a gang called
The THORNDALE JAGOFFS.

Amazing.
posted by Divine_Wino at 1:29 PM on January 11, 2006

i wanna be a saracen

or a jones street boy
posted by RockPaperScissors at 1:45 PM on January 11, 2006

I bet they smoked a bunch of fags.
posted by Peter H at 1:57 PM on January 11, 2006

they wore pink sweaters too, such nice boys.

I'll bet they got laid a lot, what with the sweaters and all.
posted by fixedgear at 3:04 PM on January 11, 2006

This was a time when pink meant violence.
posted by Astro Zombie at 3:32 PM on January 11, 2006

Hey, Gaylord is a plenty manly word. Just ask this guy.
posted by jonmc at 4:36 PM on January 11, 2006

OK, this is just weird.
posted by jonmc at 4:37 PM on January 11, 2006

I bet they like ice cream
posted by pieisexactlythree at 5:04 PM on January 11, 2006

Hey, Gaylord is a plenty manly word. Just ask this guy.

And here's a picture of Gaylord as his alter ego, Grayson.
posted by PeterMcDermott at 5:54 PM on January 11, 2006

And here's a picture of Gaylord as his alter ego, Grayson.

Which only goes to prove how straight he is. No self respecting gay man would be seen in that crimson nightmare of a chantilly lace abortion. Good god...a Peter Pan collar? Someone call the fashion police before people get hurt...
posted by dejah420 at 6:58 PM on January 11, 2006

Apparently my screen resolution is too high to view this page in all its glory.
posted by tjcrone at 8:13 PM on January 11, 2006

It is Orquestra Albany. My girlfriend told me the story before but I could never remember the name, and it is seriously a true story.
posted by drezdn at 9:49 PM on January 11, 2006

The naming of gangs is always fascinating: cf. the Tongs in Glasgow, named after a martial arts B-movie they rather liked (can't for the life of me find a reference now that the Tongs Ya Bass! site has disappeared).

wumpus: "they wore pink sweaters too, such nice boys."

Pink and lemon yellow sweaters are apparently the jumper of choice for rock hard Protestant scallies in Northern Ireland just now. Er, just FYI.
posted by jack_mo at 5:11 AM on January 12, 2006

The movie was Terror of the Tongs.

Ya bas.
posted by the cuban at 6:16 AM on January 12, 2006

Oy the sweaters
posted by exogenous at 12:51 PM on January 12, 2006

What is it, that is "crips walking", though?

Crip Walking is the dance the Crips, the notororious street gang, perform. What started out as something only actual gang-members would do has morphed into a generic dance. Please note, however, that if you crip-walk in the wrong neighbourhood someone might actually kill you.
posted by haqspan at 12:55 PM on January 12, 2006

Last night I got beaten up by the Mighty Go-tards.
posted by Astro Zombie at 1:25 PM on January 12, 2006

Oy the sweaters

They are fairly distinctive, I wonder where they were made.

I lived on the Grand and Nobel and Grand and Ogden corners for a long time. The whole are is swimming in crime history, and still works what is left of the mob within city limits. Mostly gambling machines these days from what I can tell. It is changing rapidly now, to much legitimate money to be made these days.
posted by thirteen at 3:30 PM on January 12, 2006