Heh, I'm 39. I'm about the same. I had to make do with records and didn't see hardly any punk shows, mostly because nobody would go with me and my mother would not let me out of the house for something like that alone. (Meanwhile my sister was allowed to go see giant metal concerts full of violence and drunken mayhem while I couldn't see a straight-edge show, whatever.)

I think I wasn't as politically motivated at first. My first big punk love was X, and that was mainly because of Exene Cervanka. I hadn't seen anything like her before, she was amazing to me. I was a very shy, sheltered kid, so the idea that a woman could go onstage without combing her hair and wearing ratty dresses was a big deal. Eventually, I became politcally motivated.

Here in Alabama, even the punks are often right-wing, and I had to deal with a lot of people into bands I thought were kind of disgusting (semi-white power, or advocating violence for no reason).

I'm sure that cashier was feeling you out to see if you were an actual Clash fan, and not someone wearing the shirt for cool points. I see that all the time now-the Ramones sell ten times as many shirts as records. You're not supposed to listen to them, just vaugely agree with their existence.