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Punk Is Dead! ADRIAN DECK
Table of Contents 1-2: Introduction 3: Definition 1 - Age 4: Definition 2 - Normativity 5: Definition 3 - Social Status 6: Defining Punk 7: Punk Philosophy 8: Popularity shifts 9: The fall from the Mainstream 10: Word Soup 11-12: Conclusion
Introduction Punk rock is a specific genre of music within rock that developed in the 1970’s and was made famous by bands like The Ramones, The Sex Pistols, and The Clash. These bands, along with many other less-famous artists, began a movement that altered the way music history ultimately went. Although not the most talented musicians or lyricists, the early punk-rockers used basic chord structures to create a new sound. Musical deviation aside, punk rock was also the backdrop of a major cultural transition, which was especially noticeable in the UK. The punk movement in the UK was very unpopular to begin with, and many of the bands that began the movement played gigs where they were booed and thrown off stage. It became a symbol of rebelliousness as a result, especially among youth, to dress like “punks� and listen to punk music, which gave these bands a chance in an underground scene. The ideology of punk bands was one against authority and establishment, which also took root with many people who wanted to reject these things. Its ideology was for the most part very leftist and radical, so for many people at the time it was surprising that a genre which took such an extreme stance would be popular. One of the reasons for its popularity was actually the bias imposed by society at the time, which only reinforced and brought people against this type of imposition together.
Age Age is the specific length of time that a person has been alive for. It is measured relative to the span of time that other people around you have lived, and is a major means of classification and separation in society. The separation of people into age groups allows for the assigning of characteristics that are to be expected of said age groups. This term has a lot of relevance when talking about punk because as a musical genre and as a cultural movement, it is very much associated with youth culture, and rebellion among youth. The people at the forefront of this musical genre have also been for the most part young people, which helps give it a particular image of being among and for youth. The association of this genre with an age group gives it an image of being na誰ve or immature, and keeps it from being taken seriously. The ideology associated with punk music and culture is also very radical and leftist, which helps fuel the stereotype that all punks and fans of punk music are na誰ve idealists. This ideology in some cases is close to that of anarchism, just as a gauge for how radical it can be. There is actually an entire subgenre called anarcho-punk which supports this mentality. The behavior of some people gave the entire scene an image of being immature.
Normativity Normativity is defined as relating to an ideal or typical standard. Essentially it is a byword for fitting the ideal image as far as society as a whole is concerned. It has its roots in the word normal, which means conforming to a standard; usual, typical, or expected. Normativity is a very important concept in punk rock, and is an underlying theme present in almost all aspects of punk. The rejection of conformity and struggle to be unique is almost definitive of the genre, and is visible in song lyrics and in the style that punk took on over time. Arguably as important though is the feeling of being rejected and not fitting the standard, which is also a very common theme in punk.
Social Status Social status is defined as a person’s rank in society relative to others, perceived or given. In this sense, it is the value one feels is assigned to them by others and also their position that is given by accomplishments or by birth. This idea relates a lot to social expectations that fall upon people due to their position or rank in society. This is another major theme in punk music and culture, one that is repeated throughout the various waves and subgenres of punk. It’s important because it is a large source of frustration among punks that people are treated differently or expected different things from just because of the circumstances of their birth. It seems to be less of an issue now, but during the first wave of punk rock in the 1970’s, the class structure appeared to be much more fixed, especially in England and the United States, where it took hold the most.
Defining Punk Punk is a difficult thing to define; it reaches way past just music or attitude, it defines the fans of it, and what they believe in. Different people would define it as different things, depending on how they feel about its influence on society, or the message it tries to carry across. The word punk, when used in certain contexts is literally just an insult meaning a worthless person. As the picture below implies though, for some people it’s a lot more than that and a source of pride. It’s interesting because even among all of the different people that all consider themselves fans of punk, they would most likely all define it differently. When external views of punk are also added to the mix it just becomes more complex. The idea of what punk is, has also changed over time, and they’ve been adapted to fit each successive generation.
Punk Philosophy Punk, whether you are looking at the music or the cultural movement, is associated very closely with specific forms of political thought and philosophy. Punk bands generally have political or socially charged messages in their songs, which some use to try and change society. Punks are separated into two groups based on their basic ideologies. Both groups of punks differ completely in their approach to ideology though, one group being idealists and the other being nihilists. So they have pretty nearly contradicting philosophies. This divisive disagreement on philosophy leads to further conflict about what punk is. Some people consider it to be about the sentiment, some about the music, some about the class you’re born into, and some about the message.
Popularity Shifts After the first wave of punk in the 70’s, punk rock split into multiple sub-groups characterized by different musical styles and varying attitudes. In the 80’s, a “hardcore” punk scene developed, largely replacing the garage punk style, and other subgenres continued to emerge. The emergence of ska punk and pop punk in the 90’s brought more popularity to the genre in the United States. But how did this rise in popularity affect the genre? The mainstream success of punk bands in the United States such as Green Day, Sublime, Rancid, Blink 182 and The Offspring in the 90’s and early 2000’s had two major effects on the image of punk as a whole. The positive side was that the social issues that they were singing about did get more attention as a result. The negative aspect was that punk had never been seen before as something with or that was trying to attain mass appeal. The fact that punk was joining the mainstream meant that more and more bands wanted to be a part of it, regardless of whether they shared the common ideals of punks. Many of these new “punk” bands lacked a political or social message.
The fall from the Mainstream Nothing stays popular forever, and punk is no exception. Today, few of the punk bands of the 90’s or early 2000’s have any large following, and many have changed their image again to reflect popular contemporary tastes. This isn’t the first time this has happened, punk rock came to popularity in waves in the past, and waned in popularity in between each of these waves. Is the decrease in popularity a bad thing though? “A lot of punk rock is not going to be in the mainstream. It's below the radar. The beauty of it is that you're not supposed to always know. It's subterranean.” – Billie Joe Armstrong (Green Day frontman) Like I said before, punk was never a genre that was intended to gain mass support, it was only really intended to give a voice to people that felt like they had none. Success for many punk bands didn’t necessarily always mean money for punk bands either, for many, it was the struggle to retain their identity despite fame and fortune.
Punk Rock Word Soup M
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Conclusion The creation and rise of punk rock was a direct reaction to the oppressive and patriarchal nature of society that many young people felt they were stuck in the middle of. The music was a form of resistance because it was the only thing they felt could express their frustration and at times, plain anger, peacefully. The persecution of this
genre at the time of its creation helped rally more people behind it, and for at least a small amount of time, united people that felt like outsiders in society. Even the phrase, “no future,� which was initially used as an insult towards these punk rockers, became a rallying cry and a source of pride for people who felt as though society expected nothing productive from them. Although punk rock never persuaded the majority of people that anarchy was a good thing, they did leave a large legacy behind. The most important part of this legacy in my opinion was the usage of music to encourage social and political change. They weren’t the first or the last to do this, but they were in some ways the first genre that was entirely about protest and rejection. The second major part of this legacy was the acceptation of minority groups within their ranks. Punk rock has been used as a means to fight against racism, sexism, religious intolerance, various politicians, and many different political philosophies.
I wouldn’t say that the punk rock movement was not successful in directly causing social change, although their leftist, radically anti-authoritarian views were too extreme to ever pick up much popular support. Instead I think they were somewhat successful in influencing politics in some ways; in the United States, punk rock has been used as a form of protest art to incite popular sentiment against the wars in Vietnam, Iraq (both times), and Afghanistan. And in Russia, the punk band Pussy Riot managed to attract western attention to the social inequities of their country, although they were imprisoned because of it. Altogether, punk rock has inspired more changes than I think its pioneers ever thought it would. It has deeply changed the way society views its problems, and provided an outlet for many people to express their unique views about things.
The End