OUGD505 - SB01 - Punk Research

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SB01

Punk Research

History of Punk

Punk rock was originally used to describe the garage musicians of the 60's. Bands started out with musicians that often had limited skills and no instructions. Because they didn't know the rules of music, they were able to break the rules. 

The mid to late '60s saw the appearance of the Stooges and the MC5 in Detroit. They were raw, crude and often political. Their concerts were often violent affairs, and they were opening the eyes of the music world. MC5 was signed by Elektra. They were soon embroiled in controversy over the lyric "Kick out the jams motherfuckers!" When one record store called Harvey's refused to stock the album, the group responded by taking out a full page advertisement in a local newspaper that read "Fuck Harvey's!" Elektra was not amused, especially when MC5 went further and plastered stickers bearing the Elektra logo all over the record store's windows. MC5 and Elektra parted shortly after that.

The Velvet Underground is the next piece of the puzzle. The Velvet Underground, managed by Andy Warhol, were producing music that often bordered on noise. They were expanding the definitions of music without even realising it.

The Ramones formed in 1975. Being tired of music that they considered boring, the Ramones gathered and began to piece their own sound together. The band lacked technical skills in comparison to other bands of the 1970's. Their music would usually only utilize a few chords per song, and lyrics were often repetitions of short phrases. Examples of some of their more famous songs include "The Blizkrieg Bop," "Sheena Is A Punk Rocker," "Cretin Hop," "Pinhead, "Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue," "Do You Remember Rock 'n' Roll Radio?," and "I Wanna Be Sedated."

England's punk scene had political and economic roots. The economy in the United Kingdom was in poor shape, and unemployment rates were at an all-time high. England's youth were angry, rebellious and out of work. They had strong opinions and a lot of free time. 

The Ramones directly influenced British punk acts, helping to spawn the British punk scene. They played a fourth of July concert in London, which was attended by many members of future punk bands, such as the Sex Pistols, the Clash, the Damned, Generation X, and Souxsie and the Banshees. This was the seed for what was to become the huge London punk scene of 1977.

The Sex Pistols took the amateurist style of the Ramones, added a streak of nihilism, creating a sound and an image that is still the ideal in punk rock. The music of the Sex Pistols was even more raw and unrefined than the Ramones'. A fast paced rhythm guitar, sometimes out of tune, was the main musical feature of the Sex Pistols' music

The Sex Pistols were largely responsible for the vilification of Punk Rock and its followers, and for their actions both on and off the stage. Lyrics often raised huge controversies, especially the lyrics of "God Save The Queen" and "Anarchy In The UK." The Pistols' actions offstage made headlines more often than their performances did. These acts helped to keep punk rock in the public eye and win over many new followers

Besides a huge influence on punk musically, the Sex Pistols also helped to create the look that came to characterize most punks. The Pistols, particularly Rotten, were characterized by wearing ripped blue jeans and obscene tee-shirts. Their manager, Malcom MacLaren, was also the owner of a fashion boutique called SEX. Seeing the Pistols as a way to help promote his fashions, he began to imitate their style in his work.

Politics

British punk’s emergence as a recognised cultural form and musical genre is often linked to the Sex Pistols. The band provoked controversy and helped distinguish punk as an overtly politicised youth culture. Such perception was reinforced by the political signifiers displayed by punks (swastikas, Marx, anarchy symbols) and groups such as The Clash making direct reference to racial tensions, unemployment and their immediate socio-economic environment. 

Punk bands formed an integral part of Rock Against Racism (RAR)

Youth Culture

Punk presented itself primarily as a youth culture. Its principal means of expression was through style, popular music and the music media; its main adherents were aged in their teens and early 20s; it drew from – and critiqued – previous forms of popular youth culture and the cultural industry of which it was part. Punk emerged in a distinct socio-economic context. It came to the forfront of music at a time of economic downturn.

Punk in relation to post modernism

Postmodernism and punk performance, attitude and style suffused with self reflexive irony. Punks have recycled cultural images and fragments for the purposes of parody and shocking juxtaposition

This post modern aethetic is often created by musicians that are originally trained in schools of art. It is a response to consumer driven environment. Also many punk rock bands have personified the borebom and purposelessness of surburban youth being made to be spectators and consumers.

Punk has also responded to postmodern society by finding authenticity and independence in the culture industry. Punk did this by renouncing media, image and hypercommercialism.

Punk musicians and fans in search of authenticity have established local institutions of alternative media outside the culture industry such as independently owned record lables and self produced magazines and fan-zines. 

Punk attitude

Quotes and notes from the documentary film, Punk: Attitude.

'What are you rebelling against?' 'What have you got?'

Voice of a generation

Takes one person to stand up and say 'fuck this'.

Needs people who are artistically inclined. Find something that brings them together into the same room.

Not about commerciality 

United against the establishment

People who aren't happy about the current climate.


Art School Revolutions
Some of the most successful punk bands formed in art schools. 
'Art schools are where the action is. Business schools are done.'

Protests

Glasgow School of Art, 2016. Protest against the decline in teaching and the increase in student admissions.

Hornsey college of Art, North London.