Why Punk will Never Die

Punks not dead. Punks not even slightly unwell. Sure, it may be greying and reminiscing about the good old days when it was the most dangerous and subversive music around, back when it spat in the face of the police and used to swear on live tv, but it it most definitely not dead.

Punk music started at a backlash to the socio-political environment of the 70’s. In the US kids were disillusioned that (to quote Frank Turner) ‘idiot fucking hippies’ had not changed the world and the cold war continued unabated. Poverty and drug use escalated and the first of the Vietnam veterans were returning home to find an America that at best didn’t care and at worst outright hated them.

Similarly in England, they were experiencing a huge recession, and even the affluent were being hit hard.

It was this environment of dissatisfaction and unrest that gave birth to the punk movement. The kids were angry. Angry at their parents, angry at the government and angry at a society that seemed not to care. They started making protest songs, but unlike any protest songs heard before- these were loud, fast, irreverent and angry.

They spoke to the downtrodden and disillusioned and prompted them to rebel against a society that didn’t seem to want them. Their attitude: Fuck you too. They dressed differently, did not care to behave in the way society wanted them to and generally adopted an anarchic and uncooperative attitude.

Then came the 80’s the decade of excess. Punk evolved into a movement that despised this wasteful consumer-based society and focused more on togetherness in the face of adversity and living a ‘real’ life. These bands were typically not heard of or known as well as the ‘original’ punks of the 70’s.

The 90’s was more of the same with a new cousin born into the punk family: Pop Punk. This music was more light-hearted but still spoke about personal struggle. Granted sometimes this struggle was how best to manhandle your man gland, but the spirit was still there.

Punk has always reflected the society in which it is created. In the 90’s we were past the excess of the 80’s and things were essentially hunky-dory, so the punk of these times is not as angry and less of a call to action than the decades before.

Then we come to the 21st century. The Bush era. Gulf War 2. 9/11. Natural disasters. Economic meltdown. Environmental crises. Muffin tops. The return of mullets. Vanilla coke.

Naturally, punk went back (somewhat) to its roots. Like a kid carrying on the family tradition of moonshine making, punk found something it could rebel against! The music and the community banded together and produced (in my opinion) some of the greatest punk ever.

But this post is not about punk bands, or even punk music. This post is about how you are a punk and how almost everyone is one at heart.

Punk has infiltrated almost every kind of music. The Police started out as a punk band. Third Eye Blind write punk music with pop lyrics. The Foo Fighters all come from punk backgrounds. Locnville have driving punk riffs. Lady Gaga uses punk theory in some of her music. P!nk is blatantly a punk. Hip-hop is merely punk form the ghetto. Punk has become so integrated with our regular media that most people don’t even notice it.

Listen closely to the next song you hear on the radio. It could be Katy Perry, it could be Radiohead, it could be Lil Wayne. Chances are you’ll hear punk-like chord progressions, rhythm, bass or drums. Or the lyrics will call you to action against a world that is in some way not right. That right there is punk.

Punk has successfully changed everybody’s way of thinking. We NEVER just accept our governments rulings, we stand up and fight for what we believe in, and I’d like to think that some of us would never have done that if not for the punk we are inside.

Viva Punk Rock Viva!