Difference between revisions of "Punk"

Latest revision as of 07:21, 4 June 2012

For other uses, see links on this page, and for the rest, the Wikipedia disambiguation page Wikipedia:Punk

A German punk faces a line of riot police at a 1984 protest in Hanover, Germany. Unidentified gathering, same year and city

The punk subculture includes a diverse array of ideologies, and forms of expression, including fashion, visual art, dance, literature, and film, which grew out of punk rock (WP).

History[edit]

Main article: History of the punk subculture (WP)

The punk subculture emerged in the United Kingdom, the United States, and Australia in the mid-1970s. Exactly which region originated punk has long been a major controversy within the movement.^{[1][2][3][4][5][6]}

Early punk had an abundance of antecedents and influences. Various philosophical, political, and Wikipedia:artistic movements influenced the subculture. In particular, punk drew inspiration from several strains of Wikipedia:modern art. Various writers, books, and literary movements were important to the formation of the punk aesthetic. Punk rock has a variety of musical origins both within the Wikipedia:rock and roll genre and beyond.

The earliest form of punk rock, named Wikipedia:protopunk in retrospect, started as a Wikipedia:garage rock revival in the northeastern United States in the late 1960s.^[7] The name "punk rock" derives from the 1972 sleeve notes of a compilation by future Patti Smith (WP) guitarist Wikipedia:Lenny Kaye.^[8] The first ongoing music scene that was assigned the punk label appeared in New York City(WP) between 1974 and 1976.^[9] At about the same time or shortly afterward, a punk scene developed in London (WP) .^[10] Soon after, Wikipedia:Los Angeles became home to the third major punk scene.^[11] These three cities formed the backbone of the burgeoning movement, but there were also other scenes in a number of cities such as Brisbane and Wikipedia:Boston.

"It wasn't written specifically for the Queen's Jubilee. We weren't aware of it at the time. It wasn't a contrived effort to go out and shock everyone".-Paul Cook. Cover image for the God Save the Queen single, created by Jamie Reid from a publicity image of Q E II

God Save the Queen[edit]

Main article: God Save the Queen (WP)

Around 1977, the subculture began to diversify with the proliferation of factions such as Wikipedia:2 Tone, Wikipedia:Oi!, pop punk(WP), New Wave, and Wikipedia:No Wave.

At the same time, punk rock was to gain the same amount of notoriety, fame, followers, and wannabes that the Beatniks and the Hippy Movement had, and the Grunge scene later would. Arguably, the final boost came from an event which two of the the punks involved at one time denied was an influence.^[12][13] The 6th of February 1977 was the Wikipedia:Silver Jubilee anniversary of Wikipedia:Queen Elizabeth II's coronation, and the ceremonial machine of the Wikipedia:British Royal Family was gearing up, and continued to gain momentum, culminating in June with the official "Jubilee Days," held to coincide with the Wikipedia:Queen's Official Birthday. The notoriety of a London band, the Sex Pistols, had grown considerably in the preceding two years, with many incidents that had made news, but their release of a single attacking the monarchy's extravagant and out-of-touch frippery at a time of grinding hatred for the status quo was exactly what a good-sized section of the population wanted to hear. A riverboat concert, blasting their version of God Save the Queen (WP) at the Wikipedia:Palace of Westminster, and the subsequent 11 arrests,^[14] generated enough additional publicity to get the single to number 2, and probably a lot more.^[15]

As far as these thousands of new fans were concerned, the Sex Pistols reigned, and so punk reigned. But when the Sex Pistols split up, then punk must surely be dead also.

Post-pop, post-popular[edit]

Punk had only just started, yet by every mark of the establishment's definition of success, it was all over. Punks concentrated their efforts to deal with the inevitable outgoing tide of wannabes as the pop spotlight faded, in different ways on different sides of the Atlantic.

The DIY ethic

In the United States during the early 1980s, punk underwent a renaissance in the form of Wikipedia:hardcore punk, which sought to do away with the 'frivolities' introduced in the later years of the original movement. At the same time Britain saw a new movement moving from Oi! (WP) called Wikipedia:streetpunk.^[16] Hardcore and streetpunk then spread to other regions just as the original subculture had. In the mid-1980s to the early 1990s in America, various underground scenes either directly evolved from punk or at least applied its attitudes to new styles, in the process producing the Wikipedia:alternative rock and Wikipedia:indie music scenes.^[16] A new movement in the United States became visible in the early and mid-1990s that sought to revive the punk movement, doing away with some of the trappings of hardcore.

Punks concentrated their efforts... -Anarchangel opinion follows = ..."with one belief in common: the Sex Pistols are not and were never a punk band. Visible or even discernible trappings of the Sex Pistols were, if not demonized, then definitely 'out'.^[17] Participation in the capitalist system, previously an issue for John Lydon (WP), was, for the most part quite sensibly, replaced by the DIY ethic."

In some areas of the US, punks faced bigotry if not to a depth then definitely a breadth unknown to UK punks; waving the flag by dressing the part was just not practical. Punk fashion in the US was stripped down to, to paraphrase Aerosmith's Steven Tyler (not a punk, and speaking in a different context), clothes in which you could change a tire on the side of the road on the way to the gig.

Music[edit]

Main article: Punk rock (WP)

The punk subculture is centered around listening to recordings or live concerts of a loud, aggressive genre of Wikipedia:rock music called punk rock (WP), usually shortened to punk. While most punk rock uses the distorted guitars and noisy drumming that is derived from 1960s Wikipedia:garage rock and 1970s pub rock, some punk bands incorporate elements from other subgenres, such as metal (e.g., mid-1980s-era Discharge) or Wikipedia:folk rock (Billy Bragg). Different punk subcultures often distinguish themselves by having a unique style of punk rock, although not every style of punk rock has its own associated subculture. Most punk rock songs (WP) are short, have simple and somewhat basic arrangements using relatively few chords, and they use Wikipedia:lyrics that express punk values and ideologies ranging from the nihilism (WP) of the Wikipedia:Sex Pistols' "No Future" to the anti-drug message of Wikipedia:Minor Threat's "Straight Edge". Punk rock is usually played in small bands rather than by solo artists. Punk bands usually consist of a singer, one or two overdriven Wikipedia:electric guitars, an electric bass player, and a drummer (the singer may be one of the musicians). In some bands, the band members may do backup vocals, but these typically consist of shouted slogans, choruses, or football- (soccer)-style chants, rather than the arranged harmony vocals of pop bands.

Ideologies[edit]

Two UK punks in a train carriage in 1986; note the hand-stencilled Wikipedia:Crass symbol painted on the coat of on the man on the right

Main article Punk ideologies (WP)

Although punks are frequently categorized as having left-wing or progressive views, punk politics cover the entire Wikipedia:political spectrum. Punk-related ideologies are mostly concerned with individual freedom and Wikipedia:anti-establishment views. Common punk viewpoints include anti-authoritarianism (WP) , a DIY ethic (WP), non-conformity (WP), direct action (WP) and not selling out (WP).

Other trends in punk politics include nihilism (WP), anarchism (WP), socialism (WP), anti-militarism (WP), anti-capitalism (WP), anti-racism (WP), anti-sexism (WP), anti-nationalism (WP), anti-homophobia (WP), environmentalism (WP), vegetarianism (WP), veganism (WP) and animal rights (WP). However, some individuals within the punk subculture hold right-wing views (such as those associated with the Wikipedia:Conservative Punk website), neo-Nazi views (Wikipedia:Nazi punk), or are Wikipedia:apolitical (e.g.Wikipedia:horror punk).

Early British punks expressed nihilistic views with the slogan No Future, which came from the Wikipedia:Sex Pistols song "God Save the Queen". In the United States, punks had a different approach to nihilism based on their "unconcern for the present" and their "disaffection from both middle and working class standards".^[18] Punk nihilism was expressed in the use of "harder, more self-destructive, consciousness-obliterating substances like heroin, or ... methamphetamine" and by the "mutilation of the body" with razor blades.^[19]

Fashion[edit]

Main article: Punk fashion (WP)

What to wear to an American Flag Burning. The photo is circa early 1980s. The style is more timeless

Punks seek to outrage others with the highly theatrical use of Wikipedia:clothing, Wikipedia:hairstyles, Wikipedia:cosmetics, Wikipedia:tattoos, jewelry (WP) and Wikipedia:body modification. Early punk fashion adapted everyday objects for aesthetic effect: ripped clothing was held together by safety pins or wrapped with tape; ordinary clothing was customized by embellishing it with marker or adorning it with paint; a black Wikipedia:bin liner became a dress, shirt or skirt; safety pins and razor blades were used as jewelry. The leather (WP) motorcycle jacket, a symbol of the counterculture since the 1950s, is given new currency with punk rock band logos or slogans stenciled in red or white paint. Other leather garments, and Wikipedia:rubber and vinyl clothing that the general public associates with transgressive Wikipedia:sexual practices like bondage and S&M came to signify punk rock through its association with the London fashion scene of the late '70s via Wikipedia:Malcom McLaren.^[20][21]

Some punks wear tight "drainpipe" jeans, plaid/tartan trousers, kilts or skirts, Wikipedia:T-shirts, leather jackets (which are often decorated with painted band logos, pins and buttons, and metal studs or spikes), and footwear such as Converse sneakers, Wikipedia:skate shoes, Wikipedia:brothel creepers, or Wikipedia:Dr. Martens boots. Some early punks occasionally wore clothes displaying a Nazi swastika (WP) for shock-value, but most contemporary punks are staunchly anti-racist and are more likely to wear a crossed-out swastika symbol. Some punks cut their hair into Mohawks or other dramatic shapes, style it to stand in spikes, and color it with vibrant, unnatural hues.

Some punks are anti-fashion, arguing that punk should be defined by music or ideology. This is most common in the post-1980s US Wikipedia:hardcore punk scene, where members of the subculture often dressed in plain T-shirts and jeans, rather than the more elaborate outfits and spiked, dyed hair of their British counterparts.

Wikipedia:Jon Savage has described the subculture as a "Wikipedia:bricolage" of almost every previous youth culture that existed in the West since the Second World War "stuck together with safety pins".^[22]

Visual art[edit]

I am not he, nor master, nor lord / No crown to wear, no cross to bear in stations / I am not he, nor shall be, warlord of nations / These heroes have run before me / Now dead upon the flesh piles, see? - Demoncrat, Crass

Main article: Punk visual art (WP)

Punk aesthetics determine the type of art (WP) punks enjoy, usually with underground, minimalistic, iconoclastic and satirical sensibilities. Punk artwork graces Wikipedia:album covers, flyers for concerts, and Wikipedia:punk zines. Usually straightforward with clear messages, punk art is often concerned with political issues such as Wikipedia:social injustice and economic disparity. The use of images of suffering to shock and create feelings of empathy in the viewer is common. Alternatively, punk artwork may contain images of selfishness, stupidity, or apathy to provoke contempt in the viewer.

Much of the earlier artwork was in black and white, because it was distributed in Wikipedia:zines reproduced at copy shops. Favoring practicality, Punk art also uses Wikipedia:mass production, and like Wikipedia:Andy Warhol's^[23] Factory studio may also declare it an aesthetic. Punk played a hand in the revival of Wikipedia:stencil art, spearheaded by Crass (WP). The Situationists (Situationist International) (WP) also influenced the look of punk art, particularity that of the Sex Pistols (WP). Punk art often utilizes Wikipedia:collage, exemplified by the art of Wikipedia:Dead Kennedys, Crass, Wikipedia:Jamie Reid, and Winston Smith. Wikipedia:John Holmstrom was a punk Wikipedia:cartoonist who created work for the Wikipedia:Ramones and Wikipedia:Punk Magazine. The Wikipedia:Stuckism art movement had its origin in punk, and titled its first major show Wikipedia:The Stuckists Punk Victorian at the Wikipedia:Walker Art Gallery during the 2004 Wikipedia:Liverpool Biennial. Charles Thomson, co-founder of the group, described punk as "a major breakthrough" in his art.^[24]

Dance[edit]

Two dance styles associated with punk are pogo dancing and Wikipedia:moshing.^[25] Wikipedia:Stage diving and Wikipedia:crowd surfing were originally associated with Wikipedia:protopunk bands such as Wikipedia:The Stooges, and have appeared at punk, metal and rock concerts. Wikipedia:Ska punk promoted an updated version of skanking. Wikipedia:Hardcore dancing is a later development influenced by all of the above mentioned styles. Psychobillies prefer to "wreck", a form of slam dancing that involves people punching each other in the chest and arms as they move around the circle pit.

Literature[edit]

A selection of British and American Wikipedia:punk zines, 1994-2004

Main article: Punk literature (WP)

Punk has generated a considerable amount of poetry (WP) and Wikipedia:prose. Punk has its own Wikipedia:underground press in the form of Wikipedia:punk zines, which feature news, gossip, cultural criticism, and interviews. Some zines take the form of Wikipedia:perzines. Important punk zines include Wikipedia:Maximum RocknRoll, Wikipedia:Punk Planet, Wikipedia:Cometbus, Flipside, and Search & Destroy . Several novels, biographies, autobiographies, and comic books have been written about punk. Love and Rockets is a notable comic with a plot involving the Wikipedia:Los Angeles punk scene.

Examples of punk poets include: Wikipedia:Richard Hell, Jim Carroll (WP), Wikipedia:Patti Smith, Wikipedia:John Cooper Clarke, Seething Wells, Wikipedia:Raegan Butcher, and Wikipedia:Attila the Stockbroker. Wikipedia:The Medway Poets performance group included punk musician Wikipedia:Billy Childish and had an influence on Wikipedia:Tracey Emin. Jim Carroll's autobiographical works are among the first known examples of punk literature. The punk subculture has inspired the Wikipedia:cyberpunk and Wikipedia:steampunk literature genres.

Film[edit]

Main article: Punk film (WP)

Italian Straight Edge band To Kill

Many punk-themed films have been made, and punk rock Wikipedia:music videos and punk Wikipedia:skate videos are common. Punk films often intercut Wikipedia:stock footage with news clips and home videos of band concerts. Several famous groups have participated in movies, such as the Ramones in Wikipedia:Rock 'n' Roll High School, the Sex Pistols in Wikipedia:The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle, and Wikipedia:Social Distortion in Another State of Mind. Some well-known punks have had Wikipedia:biographical films made about them, such as Wikipedia:Sid and Nancy, which tells the story of the Sex Pistols' bassist Sid Vicious (WP) (portrayed by Wikipedia:Gary Oldman) and Wikipedia:Nancy Spungen (portrayed by Wikipedia:Chloe Webb).

Original footage of punk bands is also often used in music documentaries. The seminal punk documentary is Wikipedia:The Filth and the Fury, detailing the rise of the Sex Pistols. In addition to the members of that band and its affiliates (Wikipedia:Malcolm McLaren, Wikipedia:Vivienne Westwood, Wikipedia:Nancy Spungen, etc.) it also features archival footage of Wikipedia:Billy Idol, Sting, Wikipedia:Shane McGowan, and a young teenaged girl who would grow up to be Wikipedia:Siouxsie Sioux, among others. One of the highlights of the movie is footage of the Sex Pistols playing "God Save the Queen" on a barge in the middle of the Thames during the Wikipedia:Silver Jubilee of Elizabeth II, and their subsequent arrest.

The Wikipedia:No Wave Cinema and Wikipedia:Remodernist film movements owe much to punk aesthetics. Wikipedia:Derek Jarman and Wikipedia:Don Letts are notable punk filmmakers. Many other films are associated with punk, such as Wikipedia:24 Hour Party People, which presents the evolution of punk rock into New Wave and Wikipedia:Madchester, and Threat, which focuses on militant Wikipedia:Straight edge punks in the Wikipedia:New York hardcore scene.

Lifestyle and community[edit]

A band plays on the tiny stage at the Berkeley, California punk venue at 924 Gilman Street

Punks can come from any and all walks of life and economic classes. Compared to some alternative cultures, punk is much closer to being gender equalist in terms of its ideology.^[26] Although the punk subculture is mostly anti-racist, it is vastly white (at least in predominantly-white countries). However, members of other groups (such as Blacks, Wikipedia:Latinos, and Wikipedia:Asians) have also contributed to the development of the subculture. Wikipedia:Substance abuse has sometimes been a part of the punk scene, with the notable exception of the Wikipedia:straight edge movement. Violence has also sometimes appeared in the punk subculture, but has been opposed by some subsets of the subculture, such as the pacifist strain of anarcho-punk (WP).

Punks often form a local scene, which can have as few as half a dozen members in a small town, or as many as thousands of members in a major city.^[27] A local scene usually has a small group of dedicated punks surrounded by a more casual periphery. A typical punk scene is made up of punk and hardcore bands; fans who attend concerts, protests, and other events; zine (WP) publishers, band reviewers, and writers; visual Wikipedia:artists who create illustrations for zines, posters, and album covers; people who organize concerts, and people who work at Wikipedia:music venues or Wikipedia:independent record labels.^[27] Squatting (WP) plays a role in some punk communities, providing shelter and other forms of support. Illegal squats in abandoned or condemned housing and communal "Wikipedia:punk houses" sometimes provide bands a place to stay while they are touring. There are some punk communes, such as the Dial House. The Internet (WP) has been playing an increasingly larger role in punk, specifically in the form of Wikipedia:virtual communities and file sharing (WP) programs for trading music files.

Authenticity[edit]

In the punk and hardcore subcultures, members or the scene are often evaluated in terms of the authenticity of their commitment to the values or philosophies of the scene, which may range from political beliefs (e.g., in an anarcho-punk squat) to lifestyle practices (e.g., not using drugs or alcohol in a "straight edge" scene"). In the punk subculture, the epithet Wikipedia:poseur (or "poser") is used to describe "a person who habitually pretends to be something he is not." The term is used to refer to a person who adopts the dress, speech, and/or mannerisms of a punk or hardcore subculture, generally for attaining acceptability within the group, yet who is deemed to not share or understand the values or philosophy of the subculture.

leftThe graffiti-covered backstage area at the Gilman Street venue

While this perceived inauthenticity is viewed with scorn and contempt by members of the subculture, the definition of the term and to whom it should be applied is subjective and the subject of much debate. For example, the Wikipedia:Television Personalities' 1978 song “Part-Time Punks,” "declared that either everyone who wanted to be a punk was one or that everyone was a poseur (or both)" and it argues that "the concept of … punk rock authenticity … was a fiction."^[28] Music journalist Wikipedia:Dave Rimmer’s book Wikipedia:Like Punk Never Happened argues that the "first punk kids in London envisioned waging a revolution against the corruption that had undeniably crept into a becalmed and boring rock scene." Rimmer notes that the "terms in which they expressed their disdain for hangers-on and those whose post-hip credentials didn’t quite make it came straight out of the authenticity movements: "Poseurs" was the favorite epithet."^[29] Ross Buncle's history of late-1970s punk rock in Perth, Australia claims that eventually the scene "opened the door to a host of poseurs, who were less interested in the music than in UK-punk fancy dress and being seen to be hip"; he praises the gigs where there "were no punk-identikit poseurs" in the audience.^[30]

The term was used in several punk songs, in addition to the song “Part-Time Punks,” including the Wikipedia:X-Ray Spex song "I am a Poseur", the early 1980s Wikipedia:hardcore punk band MDC's song "Poseur Punk", and California punk band Wikipedia:NOFX's song "Decom-poseur", which "lashes out" at "an entire population of bands … guilty of bastardizing a once socially feared and critically infallible genre" of punk.^[31] An article in Drowned in Sound argues that 1980s-era "hardcore is the true spirit of punk", because "[a]fter all the poseurs and fashionistas fucked off to the next trend of skinny pink ties with Wikipedia:New Romantic haircuts, singing wimpy lyrics", the punk scene consisted only of people "completely dedicated to the DIY (WP) ethics"; punk "[l]ifers without the ambition to one day settle into the study-work-family-house-retirement-death scenario."^[32]

Interactions with other subcultures[edit]

Wikipedia:Glam rockers such as Wikipedia:New York Dolls and David Bowie (WP) had big influences on Wikipedia:protopunk, early punk rock and glam punk (WP). Punk and hip hop emerged around the same time in the late 1970s New York City (WP), and there has been some interaction between the two subcultures. Some of the first hip hop MCs called themselves punk rockers, and some Wikipedia:punk fashions have found their way into hip hop dress. Wikipedia:Malcolm McLaren played roles in introducing both punk and hip hop to the United Kingdom (WP). Hip hop later influenced some punk and hardcore bands, such as Wikipedia:Blaggers I.T.A., Biohazard, Wikipedia:The Transplants and Wikipedia:Refused.

The Wikipedia:skinhead subculture of the late 1960s — which had almost disappeared in the early 1970s — was revived in the late 1970s, partly because of the influence of punk rock, especially the Wikipedia:Oi! punk subgenre. Conversely, Wikipedia:ska and reggae (WP), popular among traditionalist skinheads, has influenced several punk musicians. Punks and skinheads have had both antagonistic and friendly relationships, depending on the social circumstances, time period and geographic location.

The punk and heavy metal subcultures have shared some similarities since punk's inception. The early 1970s heavy metal scene had an influence on the development of protopunk. Wikipedia:Alice Cooper was a forerunner of the fashion and music of both the punk and metal subcultures. Wikipedia:Motörhead, since their first album release in 1977, have had continued popularity in the punk scene, and singer Wikipedia:Lemmy is a fan of punk rock. Genres such as Wikipedia:metalcore, Wikipedia:grindcore and Wikipedia:crossover thrash were greatly influenced by punk and heavy metal. The Wikipedia:New Wave of British Heavy Metal influenced the Wikipedia:UK 82 style of bands like Discharge, and hardcore punk was a primary influence on Wikipedia:thrash metal bands such as Wikipedia:Metallica and Wikipedia:Slayer. The early 1990s Wikipedia:grunge subculture was a fusion of punk Wikipedia:anti-fashion ideals and metal-influenced guitar sounds. However, hardcore punk and grunge developed in part as reactions against the heavy metal music that was popular during the 1980s.

In punk's heyday, punks faced harassment and attacks from the general public and from members of other subcultures. In the 1980s in the UK, punks were sometimes involved in brawls with Teddy Boys, greasers, bikers, mods and members of other subcultures. There was also considerable enmity between positive punks (known today as goths) and the glamorously dressed New Romantics.

Punk, and to some extent anarchism, implies a violent resistance or revolution against the system, while the majority of 1960s and '70s hippie ideology was pacifist (WP); in the late 1970s, punks were known to have had confrontations with Wikipedia:hippies due to these and other contrasting ideologies, which was contemporaneous with a mainstream reactionary backlash against the hippie culture. Nevertheless Wikipedia:Penny Rimbaud of the English anarcho-punk band Crass (WP) said in interviews, and in an essay called The Last Of The Hippies, that Crass was formed in memory of his friend, Wikipedia:Wally Hope.^[33] Rimbaud also said that Crass were heavily involved with the hippie movement throughout the 1960s and Seventies, with Dial House being established in 1967. Many Wikipedia:punks were often critical of Crass for their involvement in the hippie movement. Like Crass, Wikipedia:Jello Biafra was influenced by the hippie movement and cited the yippies as a key influence on his political activism and thinking, though he did write songs critical of hippies.

The industrial and Wikipedia:rivethead subcultures have had several ties to punk, in terms of music, fashion and attitude.

See also[edit]

• Punk rock (WP)

• Wikipedia:Punk fashion
• Wikipedia:History of subcultures in the 20th century
• Wikipedia:List of punk bands
• Wikipedia:Punk rock subgenres
• Wikipedia:Art punk
• Wikipedia:Timeline of punk rock

Footnotes[edit]

Bibliography[edit]

• Wikipedia:Willoughby Sharp Wikipedia:Joseph Nechvatal, (1984) Machine Language Books, NY NY
• Alan Moore and Marc Miller, eds., Wikipedia:ABC No Rio Dinero: The Story of a Wikipedia:Lower East Side Art Gallery (1985) (Wikipedia:Colab, i.e. Collaborative Projects, NY, NY)be-x-old:Панк