Punk, what it was and how it affects you!
Punk, what it was and how it affects you!
It all began as a fashion label for kings road sex shops, although some would argue to the contrary because the general theme of it was already there. The backlash against the hippy movement had already began and many sought a 'new answer', perhaps it even started as far back as the late 60's with bands like the velvet underground, then later the new York dolls had a heavy influence – johnny thunders distinctive guitar sound was heavily mimicked by Steve Jones of the sex pistols.
Fundamentally i feel punk was all about individualism, with the fashion and the music quickly diverging accordingly. It was heavily influenced by art students whom wished to express themselves through music and fashion, this strain later lead to the futurist, new romantics and goth themes.
So how does this all affect you? Well when we walked down the street with red and blue hair, there were gasps of shock and horror, yet if you do the same today no one even blinks an eye. There is virtually nothing you could do that is new and even if you did it would not be viewed as remarkable or extraordinary, this is highlighted when we consider that the whole outrage thing run out of steam in the mid eighties. The image is of course only the outer expression of the genre, for me the most important thing was what that it became a way of life [thanks to state funding [!]], this necessarily showed itself as according to the label with drink, drugs and shagging be predominant and en-mass, we all used to hang out in gangs in town centre's 'being punks'. To most people it was a frightening crass and uncouth phenomenon, punks were thought of as many portrayed themselves to be, although the vast majority were middle-class intellectuals and generally mild mannered, so were merely bursting out of the bubble – so to say, we wanted to 'destroy passers by' because normality was the enemy of individualism and freedom. Towards the late seventies and early eighties punk became very political, mainly anarchist and we all headed of to squat in the city [london]. Later in the mid eighties punks started going to free festivals and mixing with the hippies, from this was created a new subculture [travelers] of people who found freedom living on buses just traveling around from festival to festival, this was ruthlessly and literally destroyed by the state, although they could only take the buses away - some said, but in truth most were dispersed into mainstream society with many falling to heroin addiction and heavy drinking.
Well thats the story [or one of them] for english punk and its eventual defeat by the state – or was it a defeat? Our ideas filtered into the mainstream culture and i truly believe we have a greater sense of freedom – at least in terms of individual expression than people previously had. Although one must say that the hippy movement made the greater changes. Punk simply had to happen to take things to an extreme, whilst hippy had become watered down somewhat.
So did all of this actually change society, and for the better?
Is there anything you can do now that is original?
Is anything outrageous?
What happened to youth culture – it appears to have no rebellion in it anymore, perhaps at a time when it is needed most!
How do you see the 'crazy generations', silly idiots, or do you wish you were there, or that you could have the freedom and the fun we had? I can remember the great feeling of riot dancing with thousands of mohican punks at gigs and feeling exhausted and yet so alive afterwards, and of seeing society from the other side of the fence! But i never saw myself as a sad old git reminiscing about it i was supposed to live fast and die young! Well i did but survived – damn! :tooth:
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