Whatever happened to Punk?

Last night I decided that I would go see a friend’s band play a house party.

Now it's been a while since I've done the whole house party concert thing - and maybe I've just gotten older - I doubt it though - but when did punk stop being about shock factor and rebellion and start being about wining over ex girlfriends and about things they "remember" from the 80's. (Which I'm sorry, most of these kids - like myself - were 5 at the end of the 80's....Max - Give it up, you don't remember the 80's - you want sing about childhood - sing about corduroy and Doc Martin's)

I'm not saying that I was any more punk than they are now, but when I was in a punk band - we still had the blue, green, red, pink Mohawks and we sang stupid songs about drugs, eating babies and screwing corpses - not because we really enjoyed doing it, but because it was about making people uncomfortable.

I don't know - just bummed me out - I was expecting better, especially on Halloween

But other than that - how was everyone's Halloween?

Ryan, I'm right there with you. And one thing I loved about punk was that it was axexual, polysexual, pansexual, and whateversexual. I mean, look at Jet Boy Jet Girl. What a great fucking song. But now pop punk is really overtly about straight boys and their girlfriends. I mean, sure we have homocore, but why does it have to be separate? What happened to a good mix? But you know, there is still true punk out there, it's just not sold to the masses. But then again, was it ever? I mean, how many top 10 hits did The Ramones have? But you know what else, since I'm ranting, you mention Rocket From The Crypt, Supersuckers, Xray Specs or any of the other great punk bands from the past 30 years and these rugrats who listen to Blink 182 and AFI will just look at you blankly and go "who"?

Punk was about being pissed off and letting the world know, or just having careless fun without regards to what people thought of you. I mean, Rocket From The Crypt sang songs glorifying the beauty of women but with a camp aesthetic that made them look and sound like a cut scene from Grease II. Plus they were all really hot!

My "big gay" uncle ran the leading punk magazine on the West Coast (based in S.F.) in the late 70s and early 80s. His definition of punk is "a stance of absolute defiance in a rejectionist style." I'm not exactly sure what that means, but he gets quoted alot. He assures me that these things are seasonal, that as long as there are kids who feel outside the prevailing system, there will be counter-cultural movements that express themselves in music, fashion and all the rest.

I spose hip-hop culture qualifies, but I've never been a fan. I much prefer the twisted emo bands like the Decembrists or Belle and Sebastian, even the now hugely famous Death Cab remains cool.

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Originally Posted by mistermee

I much prefer the twisted emo bands like the Decembrists or Belle and Sebastian

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Don't get me wrong - I love Decembrists, Sufjen Stevens (I doubt I'll ever spell that right) Calexico, Ugly Casanova - and on the same point, my qualm wasn't with the fact that they were whining about ex-girlfriends because I don't care whether its an ex-girlfriend or ex-boyfriend - its the whining that annoyed me.

I just miss bands like the Cramps, Dead-boys, Damned and of-course my all time favorite Anti-Nowhere-League

Well, it also pisses me off that "punk" has been co-opted by the mainstream. But it's always been like that, I guess. You'll have kids who will wear all the hottest shit from Hot Topic and will buy all the CDs from the bands they hear on top 40 radio but have no idea what real punk is all about. It's just another style of fashion for them.

Glam-punk ... cosmopunklitan and the likes (Pink etc) murdered it!

How so, Paco? Not crazy about the New York Dolls?

I do not believe there is a place in punk for glamor - it's never been about that!

To a punker, their attire was their weapon, or the sign which informed others of their beliefs. These individuals (punkers) did not go out and buy out fits - they made them!

Docs were punk, until all started wearing them, no matter their bent! Soon after real punkers shunned DM's!

As for the NewYorkDolls: they were mocking the ways of others. They did not try to look glamorous! It was actually the opposite: they tried their hardest to look like they had been put though the wash with out a make-up change! They were poking fun at fashion divas like Mick, of the Rolling Stones and such. They were anarchy at it's finest and not even Gary Glitter could compare to the OD'ing boys in drag!

That is how I perceived their 'message' (punk and the NYD).

Just ask any old schooler (60's or 70's) what they think of the what many now call punk.

Punk was heavily opinionated and never conformed or subscribed to conservative ways! It did not tread lightly because that is defeating the purpose!

My definition of punk does not even allow for the likes of Green Day! Yah sure, a few punkish tunes may have been released. However their albums were not solely punk, so they are not!

p.s. not trying to offend - it is merely my opinion.