I wanna be anarchy!

There was a small portion of the world in the 70’s who were tired of what was popular.  They were tired of being part of the norm.  They were tired, of being restricted by what society tells us is the “cool” thing to be.  And from this mindset, came a genre of music categorized by it’s unrelenting pace and never before seen passion.  But it became more than just a bunch of outcasts flocking to someone’s basement on a friday night to hear a group of untalented kids shout their discontent with the world.  It was a reaction to the music industry promoting trends rather than music. It became a counter-culture.  It became, Punk.

When most people think of what it means to “be punk”, this image comes to mind.  Skinny kid wearing a leather jacket plastered with patches and spikes.  And to top it all off, the trademark spiked hair.  This was an outright “#$@# YOU” to the world.  It was a statement.  These were the kids who got made fun of at lunch time.  These were the kids who were the laughing stock of the world in the eyes of the public.  With early pioneers such as The Sex Pistols, The Ramones and The Stooges bearing the flag, Punk became a breeding ground of loners.  It was the ultimate form of rebellion to many.  This became a united effort at tearing down what these kids thought was wrong.  From songs about government to the flaws of society, punk rock became the voice of anarchy.  Nothing was “popular” about it.  Punk rock never produced any chart-topping songs or grammy-award winning albums.  Punk rock was about doing what you want, when you wanted to, and nobody was going to tell you not to.  To this day, it would be hard to argue that any form of music has been able to produce such a dedicated group of followers, and leave such a deep mark on music and society.  For a more in-depth analysis of the actual music of punk’s early history, you can check out this article from In Music We Trust. 

As for who the first true punk rock band was, there is much debate.  But the general consensus is that The Ramones created the genre with their self-titled debut album.  It was like nothing anyone had ever heard before, and it was something that appealed to those who wanted something different in their music.  With short songs that only utilized a few chords, The Ramones were characterized by their aggresive sound and outspoken lyrics.  Those two characteristics would be what shaped the punk rock music to come.  But as to who shaped what the culture of punk rock, most look to none other than the infamous Sid Vicious and Johnny Rotten.  Often tagged as the “all-time greatest punks”, the were the canvas to which punk kids modeled themselves.  With their ripped jeans and explicit shirts that were used to push a message (or more common, just piss people off), they became the role models of the culture.  Sadly, this also meant that the Punk rock scene was full of sex, drugs and alcohol.  It wasn’t until the emergence of the Hardcore punk scene in the late 70’s/early 80’s was this stereotypical behavior modified to fit the beliefs of the new age of Punk.  For an informational and intertaining film, watch American Hardcore.

In a day and age where more and more people are trying to be different, Punk isn’t what it used to be.  But for the span of about a decade, Punk was the epitamy of counter-culture.  Maybe never again will a culture like this arise.

First photo: http://www.caughtinthecrossfire.com/media/images/music/dvd/americanhardcorepic.jpg

Second Photo: http://www.redkid.net/generator/punk/yoursign.jpg