Photos from when Punk Mattered

Okay….just a couple of points from a bloke old enough to remember the 70's punk era.

Since when were Duran Duran, Japan, Bauhaus or even The Jam punks? To quote Paul Weller when I saw the Jam in concert, and the punks up front were spitting onto the stage….."Stop yer fookin spittin yer filthy fookers….we ain't punks so fookin pack it in"

Punk did matter, it mattered a lot to a lot of people. Music has never been the same since the punk movement, and it changed music for the better.

We would never had Greenday had it not been for the punk movement ;)

Punk was colourful, interesting, entertaining and so a-political it was extremely political. The Clash brougth politics into punk and it started to take a different direction after that.

That's my take on it anyway.

Originally posted by ggwâ?¢:

Originally posted by Etan de Balzac, Footie Ball Player:
And even today, I'd wager that punk matters to nobody I know outside of this chatboard. Then again, my family and friend set lacks aging hipsters and 15 year olds. Sorry.

Like you really have friends….

I consider myself his friend.

The jam were a punk band, for their first and perhaps second albums.

Not according to Mr. Weller. ;)

The Pogues were also a punk band…and they aren't doing to bad for themselves are they?

Well Punk certainly mattered, but did it really change music for ever? Were those early punks doing anything that much different than Garage Bands in the 60s, they may have brought a different fashion sense to it. Didn't Bill Haley, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, etc etc change music forever. Punk can't claim bringing politics to music either, seeing as folkies and thier protest songs proceeded punk. Punk is given credit for taking down the 70s ProgRock bands of 70s, but it's not like every band was doing what Yes, Pink Floyd, etc were doing with the lengthy concept albums. Grunge is credited with bringing Hair Metal down, so did it change music forever too?

I also don't really think The Ramones had as much influence on UK as some give them. Listen to the 101ers and you can hear the seeds of the Clash. Steve Jones grew up listening to 60s Mod and Glam, not the Shagrala as Ramones and New York Dolls did. I would say Jonathan Richmond and the Modern Lovers had as much influence as the Ramones.

Listen to the Glitterbest a comp of obscure singles released prior to punk and one hears a sound that became part of punk. In fact there is one song which is a dead ringer for a Buzzcocks track…

Punk most certainly changed music…..but it's not the only genre that did. I'd say punk itself was influenced to a degree by 70's glamrock. In fact, Bowie, Iggy and Lou Reed are probably the grandfathers of punk.

I didn't dress as a punk in the, the ships captain may have frowned on a pink mohawk, but I certainly enjoyed the music and followed it closely, and as a Brit who was into the music I can say that the Ramones were not a factor whatsoever……Richard Hell was a large factor, but the Ramones??? Naw.

The early meaning of punk was plain and simple, and non-political to the extreme, it was just a case of 'we don't care, we couldn't give a toss about anything or what anyone thinks about us because the nobody cares about us, live for this very moment…so FUCK OFF' It was indeed a social statement, which some may argue is a political statement in itself, and their point would be well taken, but I don't think that was the intentions of the early punks, they were 'vacant'…remember that word?


va·cant ( P )
adj.
Containing nothing; empty.
Without an incumbent or occupant; unfilled: a vacant position.
Not occupied or put to use: a vacant lot.
Law. Not claimed by an heir: a vacant estate.

Lacking intelligence or knowledge: a vacant mind.
Lacking expression; blank: a vacant stare.
Not filled with any activity: vacant hours. See Synonyms at empty.

vacant

adj 1: void of thought or knowledge; "a vacant mind" 2:


When the Clash came on the scene is when punk started to make direct political statements.

Punk like most shifts in the musical landscape, drew upon and what proceeded them and what was around them. I would say that UK punks were definitely influenced by Glam, but also 60s Mods, 70s Pub Rock, Reggae, Ska, The MC5, Stooges, etc. I think what sets the early punk band apart from current lot, was the bands not wanting to sound like thier counterparts. The Barracuddas wore thier Beach Boys influences, The Clash added in Reggae, etc

These days punk bands want to mimic every other band on the scene. Safety in numbers i guess..

<img src="http://eil.com/newgallery/Mariah-Carey-Glitter-196217.jpg" alt=" - " />

Glitter changed music. I mean, The Captain & Tenille…musical innovators. Where would rock & roll be..?

Originally posted by ggwâ?¢:
those jaded upper middle class suburban white kids are now movers and shakers

Did he really say "movers and shakers"?

blahahahahahahahahahahahaaaaa

I might have some of this wrong, but didn't Joe Strummer say that all of the members of the Clash were at the first Ramones show in London and that's when they realized they could be a band? The thing a lot of people said when they saw the Ramones: "If they can do it, so can I." I think the Ramones influenced a lot of U.K. musicians, but not the general public.

I watched a learned documentary about punk on PBS. The author of the punk movement was given as Jonathan Richman.

Not Jonathan Richmond?

Originally posted by Hanover Fiste:
I watched a learned documentary about punk on PBS. The author of the punk movement was given as Jonathan Richman.

Jonathan Richman? I would have never called that one. I don't see how that is possible, but it's an interesting opinion.

"Richman has been influential in two fields, first affecting American Punk"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_Richman

Originally posted by bearman:
Jonathan Richman? I would have never called that one. I don't see how that is possible, but it's an interesting opinion.

modern lovers are definitely influential proto-punk … probably not more so than iggy or new york dolls though ….

I think the point Rhett is missing is that while punk may have only directly influenced a few people, most of those people were musicians and artists. As a result, the influence on music that has come since , including mainstream rock, has been enormous.

Of course, if that doesn't matter to you, then no, punk doesn't matter. It's not like it changed the course of world history, but it changed the course of music – and presumably if you're on this board, that matters to you?

And I will say that contemporary "punk" doesn't matter at all. At this point it's just repackaged nostalgia.

You could also argue that the Grateful Dead were a huge influence on musicians and artists and consequently on mainstream rock. But I don't presume that it matters to everyone on this board.

Did I miss something? Is this the punk rock/mainstream rock chatboard, or is it the 9:30 chatboard? The last time I checked, the 9:30 Club booked all kinds of music via all kinds of bands, some of which may not have been influenced by punk at all. Right?

Originally posted by Doctor Doom:
I think the point Rhett is missing is that while punk may have only directly influenced a few people, most of those people were musicians and artists. As a result, the influence on music that has come since , including mainstream rock, has been enormous.

Of course, if that doesn't matter to you, then no, punk doesn't matter. It's not like it changed the course of world history, but it changed the course of music – and presumably if you're on this board, that matters to you?

And I will say that contemporary "punk" doesn't matter at all. At this point it's just repackaged nostalgia.

Originally posted by Etan de Balzac, Footie Ball Player:
Did I miss something?

I'll bet you didn't miss Brokeback Mountain…

<img src="http://home.wxs.nl/~punaise/Gay/Gay_Art/Cowboy.jpg" alt=" - " />

Like you, I will be seeing that film. But probably not until after Syriana and King Kong.

Originally posted by Etan de Balzac, Footie Ball Player:
Did I miss something?

Apparently yes, every morning when you look in the mirror you miss the fact you're a giant douchebag.