By the time Britain’s skinheads completed their devolution from hard-edged dandies to racist hooligans, their cherished Dr. Martens boots had gone viral. Before long, the list of D.M. devotees would span the length of the screw-up spectrum: “Mods, glams, punks, ska, psycho-hillbillies, grebos, Goths, industrialists, nu-metal, hardcore, straight-edge, grunge, Britpop” and on and on, says Martin Roach, D.M.’s de facto historian. Now, Dr. Martens is marking its 50th anniversary. To celebrate, the company has commissioned covers of 10 “cult” songs from acts like the Human League, Buzzcocks, the Pogues and even the Cold War Kids. (Full details here.) The songs and music videos drop on Thursday at drmartens.com. For an exclusive-to-T taste, watch profiles of three of the cutting-edge acts involved in the project.
