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As with Rap music emerging out of the Hip-Hop culture, punk music
was an expression of adolescent punk culture that resisted traditional
middle class, consumeristic culture, particularly mainstream dress,
language, work habits, and music. As Charles
Oh notes, punk music reflected a challenged to the traditional
music industry:
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In the late 60’s and early 70’s, the
music industry rang eerily familiar in its method of promoting trends
over music. The public was being spoon-fed music that corporations
simply intended to make a profit from. The backlash to this came
to be known internationally as Punk rock. |
In New York, in the early 1970’s. Young, virtually
unknown artists like Patti Smith, the Velvet Underground, and the
Dolls of New York (changed later to New York Dolls) brought about
a new style of “alternative-bohemian” entertainment,
rooted in a “do-it-yourself” attitude. Short, frenetic
songs, aggressive, sometimes confrontational stage presence, and
angry messages against consumerism hit the stages at venues like
New York’s CBGB’s, starting the movement that would
be known as punk rock. |
Bands like the Ramones and the Talking Heads would
evolve out of the punk rock movement, and become influences for
those who shared a similar distaste in what was occurring in the
music industry. Some say the underlying roots of punk was the frustration
and anger from being treated as sheep, while others say punk stemmed
from the “politics of boredom.” It was both. |
Malcolm McLaren has an indelible role in the history
of punk rock, either beloved or hated for his managerial skills.
In February of 1975, the New York Dolls, once a forerunner in punk,
tried to revive a lagging career by hiring McLaren as their new
manager. Understanding the value of shock, McLaren took the band
and reintroduced them as born again communists. They draped themselves
in communist flags and said catchy phrases like “better red
than dead.” Unfortunately for the band, they continued to
fail. Fortunately for McLaren, they continued to fail. |
After his attempt with the New York Dolls, McLaren
relocated to England and teamed up with his friend Bernie Rhodes.
The two nurtured a band that was arguably their greatest success,
the Sex Pistols. McLaren and the Pistols adopted an anarchistic
view of the world that made them instaneous celebrities. With spiked
hair, tattered clothes, and safety pins as jewelry, they frequented
talk shows and publicly badmouthed fellow artists, bands, and musicians.
They spoke harshly of the British class system and the subjugation
of the working class. They made news for concert violence and fighting
with fans. The Sex Pistols were also as notorious for their brashness
as they were for their inability to play their instruments. |
Their shock value not only brought them fame, but
made them the single most recognizable punk band. Therefore, many
believed that punk rock began with the Pistols, while others believed
it made punk into a novelty and signified the beginning of the end.
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Despite the internal turmoil in the punk movement,
punk rock made several things clear to international audiences.
Punk Rock, in its subculture, managed to break down many barriers
of expression and language. It made an indentation in the commericial
music industry. It provided a fresh alternative to a boring, stagnant
music scene. |
But most of all, punk’s legacy lies in its
introduction of self employment and activism. It illustrated that
anyone can do it themself, without reliance on the commercial media
or the luxury of having financial abundance. Against the backdrop
of mass consumer conformity, the punk rock movement made a statement
of individuality that was heard worldwide. |
History
of Punk/Heavy Metal music [ Seattle EMP Music Museum ]
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Histories
of punk
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Punkmusic.com
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Punkbands.com
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The
Emergence Of Punk In America |
Female
punk bands |
The
Punk Page |
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Bryn Chamberlain,
“The Quintessential Punk”
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MusicGirl
[ female aspects of punk music ] |
See also:
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Greenwald, A. (2003). Nothing feels good:
Punk rock, the Web, and the Emo generation. New York: St. Martin’s
Griffin. |
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