Punk Rock

    In response to the conservative fifties and rolling over from the uprising sixties was an idea that spawned from rebellious thought.  The phenomenon known as "punk" directed seemingly aimless youths to a set of social and political beliefs, morals and standards which indicates an absolute rejection of conformity.  Along with the conception of punk comes the common misconception that these kids wanted to be different.  Punk is not about being different; it is about not being the same.  Young people had been listening to the same music, watching the same movies, reading the same books and overall, losing their identities to each other.  "In other words, it is precisely when punk becomes popular culture that it ceases to be punk" (Goshert).  Punk rock was the answer for those who sought dissimilarity.  These ideas of distinction birthed a lifestyle which would forever change the music industry, political awareness and American culture.
    Traces of punk can be found in the garage rock bands of the sixties, and the ideas were certainly embraced by those of some social groups, but the cultivation of the genre fell into the hands of young musicians of the 1970's, and their fanatic trends.  This would forever change the music scene, which in turn would change the youth of America.  The rebellious lip service from the fifties and sixties left something to be desired by the new-age rockers of the seventies.  As the music industry and its conglomerates were learning of capitalism and exploitation, underground music was learning its power.  Rock and Roll was rapidly becoming generalized as radio stations were phasing out free-format.  Corporate rock was becoming dull, monotonous and painfully boring--not to mention the fact that major record labels had other priorities: "A second crucial distinction between the independent and corporate industries may be found in their support for the production of music over business profits" (Goshert).  After the Beatles explosion, artists like Iggy Pop were pioneering the first ideas of sub-standard music and risqué exhibits of entertainment.  Iggy formed The Stooges in 1966, in Detroit, MI.  Their performances consisted of loud, abrasive music accompanied by crude stage presence (e.g. body contortions, mutilation, spitting, swearing, all out rebellion) by Iggy himself.  This would be the first time any antics of this degree would make it on stage; this was only ten years after the nationwide broadcast of Elvis Presley's hip-shaking dance on the Ed Sullivan Show.  The band members were more like friends playing instruments for the first time.  Looking back now, one could say this was punk; it was precisely the idea the pre-punks were seeking out.  Around the same time in the U.K., a similar phenomenon was being conceived.  With bands like The Sex Pistols and The Clash came a British invasion of the same ideas: anti-establishment, anti-government, social reform and freedom of political criticism.  It hit the U.S. coast by storm.  Suddenly, youths started centering their music on the cause.  Both the U.K. and the U.S. claim to have equal hands in the making of the inevitable genus.  The Ramones (who finalized the genre in America) fell under the same intricate umbrella of song as The Standells, and The Seeds, who were prominent in the sixties.  Five years later rock critic Dave Marsh coined the term "punk rock," and the bands herein fell into the category.  By 1976, punk rock was in full swing, and the music industry and their conglomerates, along with the conformist society, were soon to be blind-sided by the power of the amalgamated punk rockers.  The tempo to which punk was played was at least double that of traditional rock and roll, and there were screams and swears; it was abrasive.  With bands to come in the early seventies the music would only get faster, louder, and once the power of underground freedoms of speech was unveiled, increasingly political.
    Civil rights movements, discrimination acts, and the newfound glory of standing up for yourself no matter who you are, dominated the 1960's and 70's.  The youth of America embraced punk rock to facilitate its voice being heard politically.  By 1981, the Vietnam War was long gone, and Ronald Reagan  was in office.  Issues that the President promoted, such as significant cuts to welfare entitlements, tax cuts, missile defense, and abortion abolition were the exact fuel the punks were looking for.  This blueprint would prove to be vital to the punk era of the eighties with bands such as: Reagan Youth, Bad Religion, Bad Brains, Dead Kennedy's, The Minutemen, The Clash, The Ramones, The Misfits and numerous others, came lyrics of revolt, reform and reprimand, which were the basis of the punk rock ideas and guidelines of the time.  To utilize the Carter Administration in this way would have been impractical.  To speak out or direct your music towards a major authority figure then (or before) would have proven to be dangerous, if not socially illegal.  The movement now had a focal point to which it could protest non-violently.  In an article from The Nation, a political periodical, Johnny Temple writes, "For many kids at that time, punk music was one of the few vehicles for expressing anger toward what they perceived as the political and cultural bankruptcy around them."  For the next ten years politics would continue to be conveyed through punk music, on the local level as well as the national.  Some bands would be signed to major record labels soon to realize that the idea of standing up for what they believed in was more important than the money.  Some bands would see signing on with a corporate label as not being "punk," remain dependent on their cause(s), and survive from what they may obtain from day to day (this may ensure destitute conditions, but was irrelevant).  Modern punk rockers, if true to punk, live in a similar fashion.  Most have jobs and a place in society.  Equality among the lower financial statuses is becoming more common so it is increasingly easier to focus on real change in politics.  The fathering of this perspective can be tracked to a number of bands.  Some still remain, among them being NOFX and Bad Religion.  NOFX (no-ef-ex), conceived in California in 1983, has long been associated with the anti-establishment cause.  Most recently NOFX is known for their resentment towards and disagreement with President George W. Bush and his influence on the political and military situations in which our country has engaged (The War on Iraq).  Bad Religion, formed in 1980, primarily focused on social reform and freedom of politics from religion.  Both bands still tour around the world today and continue to produce successful, unique albums.  The ideas of punk rock definitively conflict with ideas of imperialism and formal control.  Therefore, punk rock will always seem attractive to those who diverge away from this type of conformity.
    Within the idea of punk lies a set of moral standards; it is a completely informal thought process that defines the actions of an individual in any given situation--this holds dear the art of improvisation.  Being both a subculture and a counterculture, punk rock has two distinct principles to preserve: (1) not to let authority judge; (2) not to care if it does.  The ethics that follow these values are traditional and have been conveyed by the music.  Punk has always appealed to those who feel: inferior or alienated; mistreated as members of a free republic; rebellious against those who threaten the freedoms which we have been granted through history.  It applies a sense of individualism so entirely pure and unique that those who embrace it feel that idealism is in reach.  Punk has withstood nearly four decades of exploitation.  Some standards of image and personality have risen, while some have fallen.  Modern "mainstream punks" are defined by how people see them, not how or who they are.  The trend is easily accessible and passed off as exactly that, a trend.  The music associated with mainstream punk deviates from its predecessor.  Some still has the same aggressiveness and rhythmic feel, but the cause and soulful addressing of political and social/cultural issues are absent.  There are modern punk bands--other than NOFX and Bad Religion--who do convey these feelings and appreciate the ethics of the idea; they are detached from the mainstream music industry.  Punk rock was inevitable.  Some claim that it got out of control while others claim that it was never in control.  Nevertheless, whether subculture or counterculture or both, the morals and ethics of punk rock molded three generations of youths who share common interests in freedom of speech and choice. 
    The changing times have redefined the aspects of punk rock several times over, causing it to fall and be resurrected, yet, it is still a phenomenon among young people who feel aimless and want to be a part of something.  Punk provides a guideline to those who seek answers.  Though stereotyped as being tattooed, pierced, dirty, and violent, punks live in all walks of life.  Some are accomplished musicians, teachers, microbiologists and even politicians.  Though traditional punk rock remains primarily underground it is far from dead.  The changing scenery does not nearly depict what lies beneath.  Historically, punk rock has: shifted our culture by introducing new and outrageous ideas to music, fashion, and social industries, as well as provided a "home base" to which the outlandish and the individual can connect.  Punk rock is not only a genre of music, but a sub/counter-culture of society in which youths and elders alike share a want to know that their unity is safe with individualism.  Music, life, and crossing boundaries set by authority is the aim.  This is punk rock.

Works Cited available upon request.