Punk subculture
Punk is a contemporary
subculture based on the
punk rock musical style. It has a shared
history,
culture,
lifestyle, and
community. Since emerging in the
United States and
United Kingdom in the mid-
1970s, punk has spread around the globe and evolved into a number of different forms.
Punk culture is based around a set of styles distinct from those of
popular culture and other subcultures. Punk has its own styles of
music,
ideology,
fashion,
visual art,
dance,
literature, and
film.
Punk is made up of an assortment of smaller subcultures, including
anarcho-punk,
crust punk, and
horror punk, which distinguish themselves through unique articulations of punk culture. Several subcultures have developed out of punk to become distinct in their own right, such as
goth,
psychobilly, and
emo.
In the late
1960s, rock bands such as
The Stooges and
MC5 began to play a stripped-down, louder and more aggressive form of
rock 'n' roll (sometimes called pre-punk or
protopunk) as a response to the
commercialization of the
hippie counterculture. Bands such as the
Ramones,
Television and
Talking Heads were heavily influenced by this and took it further. These New York bands started to frequent
CBGB's, and the first punk scene was formed.
In this same period, bands formed independently in other locations, such as
The Modern Lovers in
Boston;
Electric Eels,
Rocket from the Tombs, and
The Dead Boys in
Ohio;
The Saints in
Brisbane, Australia, and
The Stranglers and the
Sex Pistols in
London.
On July 4, 1976, The Ramones and The Stranglers played at
The Roundhouse in London. This show is often cited as the event that launched the punk scene in London. By the end of 1976, many fans of the Sex Pistols had formed their own bands, including
The Clash,
Siouxsie & the Banshees,
The Adverts,
Generation X,
The Slits and
X-Ray Spex. Other UK bands to emerge included
The Damned,
The Jam,
The Vibrators,
Buzzcocks and
London.
Music
Music is the most important aspect of punk. Punk music is called
punk rock, sometimes shortened to
punk. Most punk rock is a specific style of the
rock music genre, though
punk musicians sometimes incorporate elements from other genres. Punk subcultures often distinguish themselves by having a unique style of punk rock, though not every style of punk rock has its own associated subculture. Most punk rock involves simple arrangements, short
songs and
lyrics that espouse punk values. Punk rock is usually played in bands, as opposed to solo artists.
Ideology
Punk ideology is concerned with the individual's intrinsic right to freedom, and a less restricted lifestyle. Punk ethics espouse the role of personal choice in the development of, and pursuit of, greater freedom. Common punk ethics include a radical rejection of
conformity, the
DIY (Do It Yourself) ethic,
direct action for political change, and not
selling out to mainstream interests for personal gain.
Punk politics cover the entire
political spectrum, although many punks find themselves categorized into
left-wing or
progressive views. Punks often participate in
political protests for local, national or global change. Some common trends in recent punk politics include
anarchism,
anti-authoritarianism,
anti-militarism,
anti-capitalism,
anti-racism, anti-
sexism, anti-
heterosexism,
anti-nationalism,
environmentalism,
vegetarianism,
veganism, and
animal rights.
Not all punks are restricted to this ideology however, as many are apolitical or even espouse
right-wing politics.
Johnny Ramone and
Michale Graves are two well known right-wing punks.
Fashion
Punks seek to outrage propriety with the highly theatrical use of
clothing,
hairstyles,
cosmetics,
jewelry and
body modification. Punk clothing adapts existing objects for aesthetic effect: previously ripped clothes are held together by safety pins or wrapped with tape, written on with marker or defaced with paint; a black
bin liner might become a dress, shirt or skirt.
Leather,
rubber and
vinyl clothing are also common, possibly due to its implied connection with
transgressive sexual practices, such as
bondage and
S&M. Some punks wear tight "drainpipe" jeans,
brothel creeper shoes,
T-shirts with risqué images, and possibly leather motorcycle jackets and
Converse sneakers.
Some punks style their hair to stand in spikes, cut it into
Mohawks or other dramatic shapes, and color it with vibrant, unnatural hues. Punks will use safety pins and razor blades as jewelry. Punks tend to show their love for a band or idea by pin-back buttons or patches, which adorn their jackets. They sometimes flaunt taboo symbols such as the
Iron Cross. Early punks sometimes wore the
Nazi swastika for shock-value, but most modern punks are staunchly anti-racist, and will more likely wear a crossed-out swastika symbol.
Visual art
|
The cover of the God Save the Queen single designed by Jamie Reid. |
Punk aesthetics determine the type of
art punks enjoy, usually with
underground,
minimalistic,
iconoclastic and
satirical sensibilities. Punk artwork graces
album covers,
flyers for concerts, and
punk zines. Usually straightforward with clear messages, punk art is often concerned with political issues such as
social injustice and economic disparity. The use of images of suffering to shock and create feelings of empathy in the viewer is common. Alternatively, punk artwork may contain images of selfishness, stupidity, or apathy to provoke contempt in the viewer.
Much of the earlier artwork was in black and white, because it was distributed in
zines reproduced at copy shops. Punk art also uses the
mass production aesthetic of
Andy Warhol's Factory studio. Punk played a hand in the revival of
stencil art, spearheaded by
Crass. The
situationists also influenced the look of punk art, particularity that of the Sex Pistols. Punk art often utilizes
collage, exemplified by the art of Crass,
Jamie Reid, and
Winston Smith.
John Holmstrom was a punk
cartoonist who created work for the
Ramones and
Punk Magazine. The
Stuckism art movement had its origin in punk, and titled its first major show
The Stuckists Punk Victorian at the
Walker Art Gallery during the 2004
Liverpool Biennial.
Charles Thomson, co-founder of the group, described punk as "a major breakthrough" in his art. [
1]
Dance
|
An example of hardcore dancing. |
A variety of dances are popular within the punk subculture. Commonly performed at punk shows, these dances often appear chaotic, or even violent. The punk subculture and its immediate predecessors originated many of these dance styles from the 1970s onward.
Moshing and
the pogo are the types of dance most closely associated with punk.
Stage diving and
crowd surfing were originally associated with
protopunk bands such as
The Stooges, but went on to find a place at punk, metal and rock concerts.
Ska punk promoted the dance style of
skanking. Punk concerts often appear to be more like small-scale
riots than
rock concerts.
Hardcore dancing is a later development based on all of these styles.
Literature
 |
A selection of British and American punk zines, 1994-2004. |
Punk has generated a considerable amount of
poetry and
prose. Punk has its own
underground press in the form of
punk zines, which feature news, gossip, cultural criticism, and interviews. Some zines take the form of
perzines. Important punk zines include
Maximum RocknRoll,
Punk Planet, and
Cometbus. Several novels, biographies, autobiographies, and comic books have been written about punk.
Love and Rockets is a notable comic with a plot involving the
Los Angeles punk scene.
Jim Carroll and
Patti Smith are two examples of punk poets.
The Medway Poets group included punk musician
Billy Childish and had an influence on
Tracey Emin. Jim Carroll's autobiographical works are perhaps the first punk literature. Punk has inspired the
cyberpunk and
steampunk genres.
Film
Many
punk movies have been made, and punk rock
music videos and punk
skate videos are common. The use of
stock footage typifies punk film. The
No Wave Cinema movement owes much to punk aesthetics.
Derek Jarman and
Don Letts were punk filmmakers.
Participants in the punk subculture are usually called
punks,
punk rockers, or, less often,
punkers, or
punx. Not everyone who plays a hand in the punk subculture is identified as a punk. Specific subsets of punk identify with the mainline subculture to varying degrees, and use a number of different terms to distinguish themselves, but these usually involve the use of
punk as a suffix.
Typically, a punk enters the subculture during the first few years of
high school. Many punks continue playing a role in the subculture for several years, and some even make their involvement a lifelong commitment. Although adolescents are the main age group in punk, there are also many adults who hold to the punk mentality, but do not necessarily dress the part. Some punks eventually leave the subculture in favour of the
status quo, which is sometimes regarded as
selling out by those still in the subculture.
Punks are typically
white,
male adolescents from
working class or
middle class backgrounds, although exceptions abound on every count. Punk is â€" except for the
riot grrrl subculture â€" largely male-dominated, though punks rarely tolerate overt
sexism. Since its inception, female punks have always played important roles in the punk subculture [
2], but, numerically speaking, they are vastly underrepresented. Compared to some alternative cultures, however, mainline punk is much closer to being
gender equalist, at least so far as its dominant ideological view of gender relations goes.
Though they reject the hippie concept of
free love, punks are equally dismissive of traditional
marriage, and
premarital sex is common in the punk scene . In comparison to mainstream culture, larger portions of the punk community are
homosexual or
bisexual , especially in the
queercore subculture. Punks have always been a common fixture of
altporn.
Although the punk subculture is overwhelmingly anti-racist, it is vastly white, especially in Europe and North America, and some fringe punk factions espouse views of
white supremacy. These groups are usually treated with hostility by the rest of the subculture. Numerous ethnic minorities have taken part in and contributed to the development of the subculture, such as
Blacks,
Latinos, and
Asians. The
documentary film Afro-punk examines the role of African Americans in the punk subculture.
Originally, most punks came from working class, inner-city backgrounds, but these demographics have since shifted, so that now many punks come from middle class,
suburban homes. Punks often hold
minimum wage jobs or are
unemployed. A number of punks are
homeless, and some rely on
squatting,
dumpster diving, or
shoplifting to survive. There is a tension within the punk community between the refusal of gainful employment and a disdain for
dropping out.
Gutter punks and
squeegee punks vary in their actual involvement with the punk subculture.
Several major figures in the punk community have died from
drug overdose or
suicide. Substance abuse is somewhat common in the punk scene, with the exception of the
straight edge faction. The original punk movement was largely fueled by
heroin,
methamphetamine, and
alcohol. Methamphetamine and alcohol continue to find wide use in the subculture, though heroin usage has declined since the early 1980s. The punk subculture also has an association with the abuse of
inhalants. The use of
hallucinogens and
marijuana is less associated with punk than with other youth cultures.
Punks mostly interact with one another in their local area, forming a local punk scene. In dozens of countries worldwide, almost all major cities, many medium-sized cities, and a few small towns have such scenes. Several local punk scenes with close ties to one another form a regional scene. The worldwide punk community may sometimes be called
the punk scene.
Punk scenes, both local and regional, are concentrated in
North America,
Europe, and
Japan. There are also scenes in
Central America,
South America and
Australia. The more
cosmopolitan cities of mainland
Asia, and the
Middle East also play host to scenes. In
Africa, punk scenes are mostly limited to
South Africa. On the whole, punk scenes are most prominent in
global cities.
The way punks express their culture varies from scene to scene, and there may be vast differences between regional scenes. The global punk subculture contains speakers of many
languages, citizens of dozens of
states, and members of a variety of
nationalities and
ethnicities. This wide variety of backgrounds ensures that punks create a vast range of culture that reflects the unique conditions of their local or regional scenes.
Local punk scenes can be as small as half a dozen punks, or can encompass thousands of members. A local scene usually has a small group of dedicated punks surrounded by a more casual periphery. On the outer fringes of a punk scene are the
poseurs and
wannabes, whom the core members do not consider to be participants in the subculture at all.
A typical punk scene is made up of: several
bands who perform music at shows and record
albums;
fans who attend these shows and purchase these albums;
independent record labels which produce these albums;
zine makers who document the activity of the bands, fans and labels; visual
artists who create artwork for these shows, albums, labels and zines; and fashion designers who create clothing and accessories. A punk may perform any number of these functions in his or her local scene, and it is not uncommon for a single punk to perform all of them.
Punk culture is exchanged within the punk community in a number of ways. Punk rock can be played in
concert at either venues or
basement shows, aired on
radio stations, or recorded to albums or
bootlegs for dissemination by the punk wing of the
cassette culture.
Punk parties also serve as an important component of a punk scene, providing an event to exchange music and reinforce scene solidarity. Punk zines are sometimes exchanged at
zine distros catering specifically to the subculture.
|
Sid Vicious in a 1978 mugshot related to his arrest for the murder of his girlfriend Nancy Spungen. |
Squats play a major role in the punk community, providing shelter and other forms of support. Punk squats and other
punk houses often provide a place to stay for touring bands. These houses are usually found in low income urban areas in or around
skid row. There are some punk
communes, such as the
Dial House.
In recent years, the
Internet has been playing an increasingly larger role in punk [
3], specifically in the form of
virtual communities and
file sharing programs. There have also been several formal organizations based around uniting punks, but these have largely disappeared.
Some punks and groups of punks, especially punk rock bands, gain notoriety within their local scene, regional scene, or the punk subculture as a whole, and some go on to become (in)famous in the mainstream as well. Well-known punks include
Joey Ramone,
John Lydon,
Sid Vicious,
Nancy Spungen,
Jello Biafra,
Joe Strummer,
Billy Idol,
Siouxsie Sioux, and
Vivian Westwood. The punk subculture usually treats these figures as
folk heroes.
Punk is made up of a diverse assortment of smaller subgroups, each with its own take on punk styles. These groups distinguish themselves from one another through differences in attitude, music and dress. Some of these groups are antagonistic towards one another, and there is widespread disagreement within punk whether or not some are even part of the larger subculture. Some factions are tied to particular regional or local scenes. Others, such as hardcore, are prevalent throughout the entire subculture. A single punk may identify with any number of these factions, or none in particular.
*
Anarcho-punk is as old as the punk movement itself, and has supplied the punk subculture with many elements of its dominant ideology. It consists of groups, bands and individuals promoting anarchist ideas such as animal rights, feminism, anti-authoritarianism, anti-war, anti-capitalism, and anti-racism. Anarcho-punk bands include
Crass,
Conflict, Flux of Pink Indians, and the
Subhumans. Anarcho-punk fashion ranges across the entire spectrum of punk fashion.
*
Celtic punk which began in the early 1980s, fuses punk with the traditional cultures of
Scotland,
Ireland, and the
Irish diaspora. Celtic punk music combines the rock beats and electric guitars of punk with traditional celtic melodies and instruments, such as the
bagpipes.
*
Christian punk is affiliated with
Christianity, instead of the
secularism of the main punk subculture., Christian punk grew out of the 1980s American hardcore scene. Christian punk fashion is similar to that of typical punk fashion, and often incorporates Christian symbolism such as the
cross, the
crown of thorns, the
Ichthys, the
Labarum, and the newly-created "Alpha is Omega" symbol.
*
Crust punk is a more extreme version of the
anarcho-punk subculture. Members of this faction are sometimes called
crusties. Crust punk music fuses elements of anarcho-punk and heavy metal with the harshest aspects of hardcore, often sounding similar to
grindcore, and using elements of
d-beat. Crust punk fashion is based strongly on ethics â€" always
D.I.Y., and often
anti-social,
nihilistic and anti-consumerist. Crust punk ideology follows in the same vein as anarcho-punk.
*
Conservative punk is a group within punk which holds
conservative political values.
*
Cowpunk, fused stylistic elements of punk with
country and
rockabilly music, fashions, and dance. Cowpunk originated in southern California during the early 1980s.
*
Deathrock distinguishes itself by its adoption of the cultural sensibilities of
horror films. Deathrock focuses on "dark" culture, such as
occultism, and
death. It was originated by musicians such as
Rozz Williams,
Eva O and
Dinah Cancer in California during the late 1970s and early 1980s.
*
Glam punk and
art punk were the first punk-like subcultures to arise, though they are usually seen as distinct from the movement they helped inspire.
*Sometime around the beginning of the 1980s, punk underwent a renaissance in the form of the
hardcore punk subculture in
North America. Hardcore music is a faster and heavier version of punk rock, usually characterized by short, loud, and passionate songs. Major bands include
Bad Brains,
Black Flag and
Minor Threat. Hardcore fashion differs in several ways from that of the original punk subculture. The UK equivalent of American hardcore is
UK 82.
*
Horror punk is essentially a more hardcore version of deathrock.
*
Punk metal and
crossover thrash, fuse the punk and heavy metal subcultures.
*
Nazi Punk espouses
neo-Nazism and white supremacy. It grew out of the original
UK punk movement in the late 1970s, and later spread to the USA and other countries. The music played by Nazi punk bands is called
Rock Against Communism,
hatecore or simply
Nazi punk.
Skrewdriver, the archetypical Nazi punk band, is largely responsible for creating this faction. Skrewdriver was considered to be one of the original
Oi! bands, and started out as apolitical. The now-defunct
Punk Front was a notorious Nazi punk organization in the UK during the late 1970s. Nazi punks often wear
Swastikas, or other symbols of hate in combination with more typical punk dress.
*The
Oi! and
streetpunk genres identify strongly with punk's
working class sensibilities, though they carry no specific political ideology other than a rough quasi-
socialist populism. However, there have been Oi! bands from the entire political spectrum, from left to right. Having its origins in the original UK punk subculture, Oi! seeks to align punk with a working class, street-level following, often associating with
football hooliganism.
Oi! punk ideology promotes unity between punks,
skinheads and other working class youths. Major bands include
Cock Sparrer, the
Cockney Rejects,
Angelic Upstarts, and
Sham 69. With close ties to the Oi! punk subculture, though without placing the same importance on
football rivalries, streetpunk is a working class, inner-city punk subculture. Some
anarcho-punks and
crust punks have problems with Oi! punks for the lack of radical political ideals, their emphasis on work, and other views exspressed in Oi! music.
*The now-extinct
positive punk subculture, so-called because it lacked the violence that characterizes the rest of punk, began in late 1970s in the London punk scene around the Batcave nightclub, and quickly developed into the goth subculture.
*
Queercore is a branch of hardcore punk that developed alongside riot grrrl, based on the experiences of
lesbians, homosexuals, bisexuals and transsexuals. Queercore music, exemplified by bands like
Pansy Division,
Tribe 8 and
Mukilteo Fairies is similar to hardcore, and its lyrics often deal with issues surrounding marginalized sexuality. Likewise, queercore fashion is similar to hardcore dress, though it incorporates some elements from sexuality and gender identity-based subcultures.
|
The cover of Riot Grrrl, a punk zine. |
*
Riot grrrl is an offshoot of hardcore punk that places strong emphasis on
feminism. This segment seeks to create a girl-friendly space within the subculture, accomplishing this task with feminist zines and
all-woman bands. Riot grrrl arose from the
Seattle,
Olympia, and Washington, D.C. hardcore scenes around 1991, and shared significant cultural cross-pollination with the developing grunge subculture.
Bratmobile and
Bikini Kill are two prime examples of riot grrrl bands.
*
Scum punk, a subgenre with some ties to hardcore, is known for its disregard of safety, morals, and hygiene. It is more of a philisophical subgenre of punk than truly a musical one, much like the
straight edge scene, though opposite in views. Songs in the scum punk subgenre are usually sexual or violent in nature and contain
tabboo subject matter (including
incest,
rape,
pedophilia,
bestiality, and
drug use). Concerts by scum punk bands usually engage in some sort of trangsgressive act. The name itself is derived from
GG Allin and one of his many backing bands,
the Scumfucs. Many of GG Allin's songs also used the word "scum" in them including
Bite it You Scum,
Scum Fuck Tradition, and
Outlaw Scumfuc. Today, the scum punk is seen as an underground scene with a small following.
*The
skate punk subculture began in the 1980s in
Venice Beach, California as a fusion of punk and the subcultures associated with
skateboarding and
surfboarding. This faction was largely created by a skateboarding team called the
Z-boys. Musically, skate punk music emerged from
hardcore punk.
*
Ska punk and
Two tone combine punk with the
Jamaican
rudie culture. It's closely related subculture which places emphasis on inter-racial unity. The ska punk musical style, which combines punk rock and
ska, sometimes features
wind instruments, distinguishing it from most other punk music. Ska punk popularized a dance step called
skanking. The UK saw the rise of ska punk shortly after the genesis of punk. This faction has since spread to North America, where it gained considerable mainstream attention during the early 1990s.
Punk has unique relationships with other subcultures and popular culture as a whole.
Subcultures that developed out of punk
*The
goth subculture began in the
gothic rock scene, a music genre that developed from punk rock and
post-punk in the late 1970s. The subculture is noted for its macabre outlook and fascination with dark subjects and fashion.
*
Psychobilly incorporates the music and fashions of the
rockabilly subculture with horror themes. Psychobilly music is generally played with an
upright bass instead of an
electric bass. Cowpunk and
punkabilly are related subcultures.
*
New Wave Music and its attendant subculture arose along with the earliest punk groups; indeed punk and the new wave were originally interchangeable terms. Combining elements of early punk music and fashion with a far more pop oriented and less "dangerous" style, new wave became one of the most popular music movements of the early 1980s before essentially dying out in the middle of the decade.
*Emo developed from the
Washington, D.C. punk scene in the late 1980s. Punk and emo have a sometimes antagonistic relationship, since emo as a movement has become increasingly mainstream, and punks generally reject any form of music or subculture that has "sold out".
*An outgrowth of hardcore punk,
straight edge is based around a lifestyle of abstinence from
alcohol,
tobacco, and
recreational drug use. The movement was kickstarted by
Washington, D.C.'s
Minor Threat in the 1980s. Straight edge is an offshoot of the original punk attitude. Someone who is "straight edge" follows the punk lifestyle, but doesn't drink, smoke, or do drugs. Some straight edgers also avoid promiscuous sex, and many modern straight edgers are vegetarian or vegan. Straight edge was a reaction to the self-destructive nature of the punk scene and it's drug use. One sign that a person is "edge" is a black "X" written on with marker on the person's hand. This comes from practice of marking an "X" on the hand of underage youths at shows so the bartender would know not to serve them alcohol.
Hardline is a social movement which originated in the straight edge punk subculture. Hardline is based around extreme politics, mostly derived from the doctrines of
deep ecology. This offshoot is controversial for it's militant stance against drug use, which has at times led to violence.
*The
indie scene is an offshoot of punk that carries on punk's DIY ethic, though indie music is sonically more diverse. Characterized by independent labels, regional diversity, and grassroots fanbases, the indie scene encompasses a wide variety of
underground music genres, most notably
alternative rock and particularly its subgenres such as
indie rock,
indie pop, and
indietronica. A prime example is the
Seattle grunge scene that developed in the late 1980s. Grunge had considerable mainstream success in the early 1990s, during which the media placed an emphasis on the bands' working class clothing and indie ethics along with other alternative rock-related tropes such as
Lollapalooza in an attempt to define it as a supposed "
alternative culture" for
Generation X.
Subcultures with origins separate from punk
Punk has ties to the
skinhead subculture, a working class youth subculture which originated in the UK in the 1960s. The original skinhead movement had largely died out by 1972, but in the late 1970s it underwent a revival, partly as a reaction against the commercialization of punk. Punks and skinheads have had both antagonistic and friendly relationships, depending on the circumstances.Also in the late 1970s, punk influenced skinhead fashion, leading to the
punk-skinheads code of dress.
Punk and
hip hop emerged around the same time in New York City, and there has been a surprising amount of interaction between the two subcultures. Some of the first hip hop MCs called themselves
punk rockers, and some punk fashions have found their way into hip hop dress.
Malcolm McLaren played roles in introducing both punk and hip hop to the United Kingdom. Recently, hip hop has influenced several punk bands, mostly in the pop punk style, including
The Transplants, and
Refused, and punk themes, such as disenchantment with the urban-industrial landscape, have been expressed in the lyrics of many hip hop artists.
The
industrial subculture has several ties to punk.
Additionally, punk and the
heavy metal subculture have shared similarities since punk's inception, and the early 1970s metal scene was instrumental in the development of
protopunk.
Glam rockers The
New York Dolls, massively influential on early punk fashion, also influenced the look of
glam metal.
Alice Cooper was a forerunner of the fashion and music of both the punk and metal subcultures.
Motörhead, since their first album release in 1977, have had continued popularity in the punk scene, and
Lemmy is an anarchist, friend of several punks, and a fan of punk rock in general. Hardcore was a primary influence on
thrash metal bands such as
Metallica and
Slayer and, by proxy, an influence on
death metal and
black metal. Conversely, punk subgenres like
metalcore,
grindcore,
punk metal and
crossover thrash were greatly influenced by heavy metal. As a result, many punks are fans of heavy metal, and many
metalheads find punk rock an acceptable musical style. The grunge subculture resulted in large part from the fusion of punk and metal styles in the late 1980s. However, there have long been tensions between the two groups . In particular, metal's mainstream incarnations have proven anathema to punk. Hardcore and grunge developed in part as reactions against metal music popular during the 1980s.
Punks were once known for fighting Teddy Boys and sometimes Greaser/Bikers.Many older British punks also recall Skinheads at shows/gigs firstly beating anybody with long hair, then beating up the punks and then beating up each other. In punk's original heyday, punks faced harassment and even violent attacks, particularly in the U.K., where brawls with
Teddy Boys or fans of rockabilly were often reported. In the U.S. punks sometimes faced abuse from
rednecks and other right-wing groups such as the
Nazi-Skinheads. In
Sweden it was
raggare that attacked punks.
There was considerable enmity between positive punks and the
New Romantics.
Other subcultures have had relationships to punk including
Beatniks,
Hippie,
Yippie,
Mods,
Rockers, and
Cyber.
Mainstream and popular culture
Nowadays it is relatively socially acceptable to present oneself as a punk, and doing so is often merely a fashion statement among youth. Bryn Chamberlain writes, "By the mid 1980s, the punk became publicly acceptable. The punk became intelligent, artistic and fun. This became the constructed punk: a sterilized figure, a shadow of his mindless adolescent ancestor." [
4] Thus, some maintain that the punk scene has lost the very heart of its former nature as one of explosive creativity, rebellion, anger, and individualism, and that it has become a mere caricature of what once was. Others suggest that little has changed except the popularity of the genre. Disillusioned ex-punks see punk as outdated and obsolescent, especially as mass acceptance means that punk is now even influencing boy bands, albeit in a sanitised form.
Punk has influenced and has been influenced by popular culture in a number of ways. Since the beginning of the subculture, major label record labels,
haute couture, and the
mass media have attempted to use punk for profit. For the most part, punk has met this cultural appropriation with resistance, because of the punk ethic of musical integrity which punks often feel is threatened by profit motivation. Many members of the original punk subculture find the commercialization of punk disillusioning. They argue that punk is by definition unpopular (seeing "pop punk" as a contradiction in terms) and should remain that way because it provides a needed challenge to mainstream culture.
Our Band Could Be Your Life: Scenes from the American Indie Underground 1981-1991 by Michael Azerrad
Psychotic Reactions and Carburetor Dung by
Lester Bangs, ISBN 0679720456
American Hardcore: A Tribal History by Steven Blush
The Boy Looked At Johnny: The Obituary of Rock and Roll by
Julie Burchill and
Tony Parsons, 1978, Pluto Press, UK, ISBN 0861040309X
Punk: The Definitive Record of a Revolution by Stephen Colegrave
Burning Britain - A History Of UK Punk 1980 to 1984 by Ian Glasper, Cherry Red Books, ISBN 1901447243
A Punk Manifesto by
Greg Graffin, Bad Times, 12/98
Resistance through Rituals: Youth Subcultures in Post-War Britain Stuart Hall, ISBN 0415099161
Subculture: The Meaning of Style D. Hebdige, ISBN 0415039495
From the Velvets to the Voidoids: A Pre-Punk History for a Post-Punk World by Clinton Heylin, Penguin Books, ISBN 0140179704
From the Velvets to the Voidoids: The Birth of American Punk Rock by Clinton Heylin
Please Kill Me: The Uncensored Oral History of Punk by
Legs McNeil and Gillian McCain, 1997, Penguin Books, ISBN 0140266909
The Philosophy of Punk by Craig O'Hara
Punk Rock: So What?: The Cultural Legacy of Punk by Roger Sabin
England's Dreaming : Anarchy, Sex Pistols, Punk Rock, and Beyond by Jon Savage, 1991, Faber and Faber, UK, ISBN 0312069634
We Owe You Nothing: Punk Planet, the Collected Interviews by Daniel Sinker.
Make The Music Go Bang!: The Early L.A. Punk Scene by Don Snowden
We Got the Neutron Bomb: The Untold Story of L.A. Punk by Marc Spitz
*
Alternative culture*
Alternative lifestyle*
Anarchism in the arts*
Counterculture*
History of subcultures in the 20th century*
List of subcultures*
List of lifestyles*
List of youth subcultures*
Portal:Punk*
Scene (subculture)*
Youth cultureZines
*
MaximumRocknRoll The flagship zine of the punk subculture.
*
Punk Planet Online A popular zine which covers the culture and community of punk.
*
Punk Magazine A zine largely responsible for forming the American punk scene.
*
Punk Zine Russian punk zine.
Histories
*
The Death and Life of Punk, the Last Subculture An essay about the history of punk.
*
A History of Punk*http://www.emplive.org/archives/index.asp?section=show&id=75&pg=1 Experience Music Project's Hollywood Punk Artifact Showcase]
*
Mital-U Punk-Wave A short history lesson about the beginning of Punk and New Wave, Vivienne Westwood and the Swiss Punk and New Wave scenes.
*
Punk History CanadaGeneral
*
The ultimate resource for Punk music PunkByTheBook
*
Free punk music video website BlankTV
