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Music and Punk culture In the mid-to-late 1970 s a radical youth culture called punk emerged out of the larger rock 'n' roll scene, and developed its own music, attire, and ideology. The Sex Pistols are the best known of the punk bands; their music, like all punk rock, was aggressive, fast, and loud. Punk attire is characterized by dark clothes, outlandish costumes and ornamentation such as colored hair and earrings and bracelets made from assembled items (the quintessential punk earring was a safety pin). Punk ideology is explicitly at odds with mainstream society and rails against contemporary civilization, which is seen as sterile and banal. Punk is heavily critical of existing political, economic, and cultural institutions, yet is ambivalent about creating alternatives (Miller, p. 24). The earliest forms of punk rock developed in the United States.
The Velvet Underground's minimalist music and commentaries about life outside mainstream society inspired a number of bands, but the first group to be considered a punk rock band was the Ramones. Formed in 1974, the Ramones gained a following around New York City by stripping rock down to its bare essentials and playing with near-anarchic energy. Their first album, Ramones (1976) featured a string of songs, most shorter than two minutes, including "Blitzkrieg Bop" and "Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue. " The album became a minor hit in the U. S. and major hit in England, where a number of bands began to pick up on the energetic rock played by the Ramones and fellow New York-bands the Stooges and the New York Dolls that played at clubs like Max's Kansas City and CBGB's (Miller, p. 42). While punk was a minor sensation in the United States, it gained real popularity in the United Kingdom.
The first British punk band was the Sex Pistols, which in the three short years of its existence largely created the ideal of the punk rock band (Brake, p. 12). Punk made a very visible, shocking, public display. However, with the drug-related death of Sex Pistols' bass player Sid Vicious in 1979 and the demise of several punk bands, some proclaimed that punk was a short-lived fad that had come to an end. The rumors of punk's death were unfounded, and many bands set about to defend the true meaning of punk and extend its musical influence.
The most direct development from early punk is the hardcore punk movement that developed during the 1980 s, foremost in the United States, but also in England, France, Italy, and other countries, with bands like the Dead Kennedys, Social Distortion, the Misfits, and Upright Citizens. Since the 1980 s there have been any number of bands that have echoed the influence of punk, including Husker Du, the Replacements, Soul Asylum, Green Day, Sonic Youth, and the Minutemen, among others. Though the era of punk rock is generally considered to be the years between 1975 and 1980, the punk ethos lives on. Musically, rock 'n' provided an important foundation for punk, as youths who came of age in the 1970 s and 1980 s were well acquainted with rock bands like the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, and Led Zeppelin. Many punk bands learned music by playing other people's songs and it was commonplace among young punks, and even well-known bands, to release cover songs. The Dickies, for example, played fast but melodic versions of Led Zeppelin's "Communication Breakdown" and the Moody Blues' "Nights in White Satin. " Bands often performed cover versions of older songs that had historical significance or that made a particularly salient political point.
Generation X, for example, performed a cover version of John Lennon's "Gimme Some Truth. " While cover songs often signaled respect for past music, cover songs could also represent an ironic comment on or critique of rock and roll. Although cover songs were common, punk ideology derided cover bands that did not play original songs for a lack of creativity (Ward, p. 121). Despite the powerful influence of rock, punk music differs significantly from its predecessor. Punk songs are generally short, fast, and loud, and place increased emphasis on distorted guitars.
Many punk bands use "power" or bar chords, and speed is often emphasized over intricacy. The musical skills of punk musicians are often rudimentary and this lack of virtuosity is connected to an ideology that anyone can write and play songs. Fairly simple songs with basic four-four drum beats are common and many punk bands form with friends picking up instruments and learning as they play. Punk's minimalist three-chord approach and shouted vocals stand in clear opposition to the melodic singing of earlier styles. Punk was always about more than music, however.
For both fans and musicians punk amounted to a kind of lifestyle. From the beginning, punk haircuts and clothing stood in stark contrast to the appearance of rock 'n' rollers. As Dick Hebdige describes, punks rebelled by wearing ripped clothing, black leather, and assembling cultural icons as decoration. Mohawk haircuts, dyed hair, or extremely short cropped haircuts distinguished punks from the typically long-haired rockers. Hardcore attire followed directly from punk, although it tended to be more subdued.
Dark clothes, black leather jackets, ripped jeans, sneakers, or boots (especially Doc Martens) were common; however, the outlandish costumes of punk -- bright clothes and colored hair -- were often toned down. Many hardcore fans simply wear jeans, a tee-shirt (often with a band insignia), and sneakers. In some sense this was a rebellion against the mainstream cooperation of punk dress but it was also an attempt to get beyond an anti-fashion style that was not only a lot of work, but made punks subject to verbal, and occasionally physical, harassment. Less dramatic attire allowed hardcore punks to move more easily between mainstream and alternative cultures. Thus hardcore, while characterized by a louder and more aggressive music, began a tendency back to more mainstream attire. Punk has offered a radical critique of society and has been noted for its unique ideological characteristics; however, punk has not presented a coherent philosophy but rather a series of related critiques.
Punks have been particularly hostile to authority and questioned rules and rule makers (Brake, p. 94). Rather than focusing simply on politics in the conventional sense, punk challenged the patterns and norms of contemporary social relations. As Dick Hebdige writes, punk has "signified chaos at every level. " The politics of everyday life were most central to punk and lyrics question social rules and relationships. Many lyrics are centered on love, relationships, jobs, and so on, but punks put a radical spin on such issues.
Punks have aimed to shock and offend and are particularly anti-romantic in their sentiments. Love is frequently referred to only in sexual terms and often quite graphically, as in the Dead Boys' "Caught with the Meat in Your Mouth. " Some punks have used Nazi images and ornaments in their outfits, and have made callous reference to such tragedies as the Holocaust in such songs as "Belsen Was a Gas. " However, such practices generally reflect an attempt to use images in an ironic sense to question conventional meanings. Furthermore, punks have been by and large anti-Nazi and anti-fascist and have frequently espoused left-wing and humanitarian concerns. Political issues have been important for many in the hardcore punk scene as well. War, social inequality, and capitalism are common topics of punk lyrics. Maximum Rock and Roll, one of the foremost hardcore fanzines, covers these and other topics in its columns, letters, and interviews.
Leftist, anarchist, and communist leanings are prevalent as punks express concerns about politics, the military, censorship, corporate crime, and other issues. The band Millions of Dead Cops (MDC) has attacked government and police authority. MDC also railed against corporate capitalism, calling McDonald's hamburgers "corporate death burgers. " While a wide range of political views have emerged from the hardcore movement, most of these political statements were rudimentary, as few had worked out the complexities of the many issues they discussed. Typical of a punk political critique was a catch phrase such as "Reagan sucks. " Punk has tended to be very cynical regarding political activism, and emphasizes chaos rather than concerted action.
While for some punks this has meant an attempt to avoid politics or just to have fun, for others this critique meant an emphasis on social or personal politics rather than large-scale political concerns. Many emphasize personal politics and promote difference as a value; the Big Boys sang: "I want to be different, I want to make you see, I want to make you wonder is it you or is it me?" Adherence to the local scene for its own sake is important and punks have tried to establish a core set of values that set punk off from mainstream society. Bands like Reagan Youth, Minor Threat, Youth of Today, and Youth Brigade promote youth power as an ideology opposed to conventional adult married and working life (Brake, p. 81). While many punks were critical of "hippie burnouts, " drug use was and is an element of punk culture and a symbol of punk excess. Punk lore has tended to glorify some of the more outrageous events that transpired under the influence of drugs. However, in response to frequent cases of addiction and overdose, and in the face of legal restrictions, some punks rejected the use of drugs.
The Washington, D. C. , straight-edge scene, opposed to drinking, drugs, and casual sex, developed alongside the refusal of club owners to let underage kids into shows. As a compromise, underage kids were allowed in but were marked with X's on their hands to signify that they couldn't buy alcohol. The kids took this would-be stigma and turned it into a symbol of positive self-identification.
Punk identity has been strengthened by the social networks that developed to organize concerts, start 'zines, and spread ideas. Bands and fans established ties across the country (as well as through much of the world) through which they could share common interests, book shows, or find a needed place to sleep. Many punk musicians, ignored by major record labels, produced their own music on independent labels like Dischord, SST, Touch and Go, and Sub Pop. Punk was particularly critical of the rock and roll establishment. While rock began as a non-conformist youth culture, punks voiced opposition to the cult of rock stardom and the large stadium concerts that clearly separate the audience from musicians. Punk, by contrast, is premised on the idea that anyone can start a band.
Punks have also been critical of major record labels and large-scale industry in general and espoused a "Do-It-Yourself" (D. I. Y. ) philosophy that emphasizes independent actions and personal creativity. Centered around punk rock music, the punk movement was an important development in the youth culture of the late 1970 s and it remains an identifiable element in youth culture in the late 1990 s. Punk was unique for its aggressive and fast musical style, its purposefully shocking visual impact, and for its ideological emphasis on chaos, nonconformity, and radical criticism.
Punk rock developed as an ideological, musical, and stylistic critique of modern society, and while it is a movement that may be self-limiting in its effectiveness in reaching out to other groups, it has nonetheless had a powerful influence on youth cultures, in particular the emergence of alternative rock and grunge. Punk music has gone through an evolution ever since the punk explosion in the late seventies. Although todays punk music retains most of the ideology and sound that defines the punk genre, there are some distinct differences between Nineties and Seventies punk. Most of the punk bands to emerge and gain popularity in the nineties mostly hailed from California (Green Day, the Offspring, etc. ). Punk vanguards from the seventies hailed from the East Coast and from Great Britain (the Ramones, the Clash, etc. ). The Sex Pistols Liar and Blink 182 s Whats My Age Again?
demonstrates how conditions social, political, and physical are reflected in the nature of the music produced by these punk bands (Miller, p. 67). The Sex Pistols emerged in the late seventies as one of the first politically charged punk bands, advocating anarchy in most of their tunes. The band embraced and produced songs that reflected the punk ideology: rebellion and nihilism. The Sex Pistols also reacted to the stark social conditions that infected Great Britain in the late seventies rising unemployment, a hard-line, conservative government, and a depressed post-industrial economy.
With a hopeless future at the horizon, the restless youth in Britain had plenty of things to get angry about. The Sex Pistols embodied the eras anger and restless ambition. The harsh, dense noise that is the hallmark of every Sex Pistols song can be heard in Liar. The distorted guitar is the centerpiece of most punk music. The guitarist, Steve Jones, plays with an incessant, down strumming of power chords, creating a buzz saw noise. The guitar is palm muted at the beginning and in the parts where there are no lyrics.
The technique creates and adds tension to the music. The full fury of the guitar is only unleashed at the interlude and when the vocals come in. In the interlude, the guitar wails were played to sound like sirens. The guitar solo had a hypnotic, cyclic riff in the interlude.
The improvisational style and sound of the guitar adds to the seemingly chaotic sound of the song. The drums more prominently produce this chaotic sound. Although the drums are in a simple yet assertive two-beat pattern throughout most of the song, it is interrupted sporadically by drum rolls, helping to produce a chaotic sound. The bass basically provides the rhythm and the framework of the song from which the drums and guitar can syncopate. The song is also somewhat muffled. The crude recording techniques was utilized to produce a denser and harsher noise.
The crudeness also adds a sense of amateurism to the song, one of the ideologies of punk. Blink 182 s Whats My Age Again? offers a different delivery of punk music. The opening guitar riff of the song is light and melodic.
The sound produced by the guitarist, Tom De Longe, has little or no distortion with a reverb effect, almost sounding like bells and chimes. It doesnt demonstrate the harsher sound of punk. The riff is also repeated at the interlude and at the closing segments of the song. This warm, melodic riff creates a light, carefree sound for the song, evoking the playful attitude of Southern California punk. The definitive sound of punk, the crunchy distorted guitar, is evident in most of the song. The guitar is palm muted in the verses and the distorted power chords are showcased in the chorus (Charlton, p. 98).
The palm muting technique creates tension and restraint during the verse, thus contrasting that tension with the intensity of the power chords in the chorus. The drums has a straight two-beat pattern, with the occasional drum rolling added at the chorus to create a more frenzied sound. In contrast to the drums heard in Liar, the drums in Whats My Age Again? are given range to play softly on the cymbals during the verses and to play at full intensity during the chorus. The vocal delivery of Whats My Age Again? contrasts with the grating sound of Johnny Rotten.
The vocal style of Blink 182 bassist Mark Hoppus is mellow with a slight hint of sarcasm (Charlton, p. 112). Hoppus doesnt shout or create a harsh sound to emphasize a point like Rotten. Hoppus style is not complicated either and demonstrates an amateur delivery, much like other punk music. Vocal harmony and call and response is also evident during the chorus and near the end of the song, with De Longe backing Hoppus on some lines - an influence of the droop style of the fifties.
The vocal harmony adds melody and levity to the song. This vocal delivery is another characteristic of the playful and fun attitude of Southern California punk and a distinction that separates it from the edgy British punk. The punk revival in the Nineties retains the energy and freshness of Seventies punk. But as previously evidenced, the creative forces and inspiration that produced this music influenced and affected the message and sound of the songs. Liar is a song derived from the angry punk scene of Great Britain and Whats My Age Again? reflects the warm, mellow attitude of Southern California.
The distinctions end there. Those looking for the raw sound and power of punk music can find it in both Nineties and Seventies punk. Word Count: 2711 Bibliography: 1. Charlton, Katherine, Rock Music Styles, A History, McGraw-Hill Co. , Inc. , Boston, Massachusetts, 3 rd ED. , 1998. 2. Miller, Jim, History Of Rock & Roll, Random House, New York, New York, 1976. 3. Ward, Ed, Stokes, Geoffrey, Ticker, Ken, Rock Of Ages, Summit Books, New York, New York, 1986. 4.
Mike Brake: The Sociology of Youth Culture and Youth Subcultures, Routledge & Kegan Paul, London 1980. 5. Stuart Hall & Tony Jefferson: Resistance Through Rituals: Youth Subculture in Post-War Britain, Hutchinson, London 1977.
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