Just What is "Punk?"

What do you think of when you hear the word punk? Most people think of the music, I suppose. London Calling by The Clash if you’re all about the classics; or perhaps you’re more of a hardcore type and thought of Black Flag’s My War; or maybe your mind went toward 90’s revival albums like Rancid’s …And Out Come the Wolves or Green Day’s Dookie, which, ironically, are both technically old enough for radio stations to deem “Classic Rock” by now, but I digress. 

Punk is certainly all of the above. But there is something at the heart of it that goes beyond the music, a type of spirit that exists in the world that I think always has. 

IDEOLOGY 

The word “punk,” according to Merriam-Webster, once meant prostitute, and can also mean nonsense, foolishness, or a young and inexperienced person. It makes sense then that this term started being applied to musicians in the 70’s and 80’s who stirred up a lot of controversy. They played rock music that was louder, faster, and usually simpler than their predecessors. They dressed to shock and express something that was not modest, but leaned toward the id.  

In the early days of punk, there was a focus on politics, angst, sexuality, and nihilism within the scene. As time went on, the scene diversified and accepted a wider range of ideals. Although predominantly left-wing or apolitical and often anti-establishment in beliefs, punks cover every range of the spectrum, ranging all the way to the far right and/or supporting ideals like white-supremacy.  

Regardless of the alignment, there has always been a theme of confronting adversity within the scene and the music. Punk is very much a reaction to “them.” It is also about independence, which is often the tool used as a platform to oppose “them.”  

And by “them,” I mean many things. “Them” could be the government; it could be the mainstream culture; it could be the misled masses of sheep; it could be your parents; or “them” could be all of the above.  

So, there’s no arguing that punk is reactionary in nature. It has time and time again been a relieving kick in the crotch when the scene was getting too homogenized or bland. 

Not pictured here: The Beatles

MUSIC 

Punk music is loud and fearless, challenging and abrasive. Many times, throughout rock’s history, it has been the cutting-edge, and often the type of music which the old or pretentious dismissed.  

Instead of extensive concepts or overt-technicality, the early punk bands chose simplicity in their sound. The drums were often energetic and present, with most songs in a typical 4/4 time structure. The guitars and bass belted out a repetition of chord structures with occasional breaks. On top of all of this was the singer, who was usually straight-forward with a tone of conviction. That was it: no keyboards, no string sections, no gimmicks. 

The music was, if not always angry, an expression of a sincere thought, no matter how absurd. 

Essentially, this style became the archetype of punk rock. However, this is only one incarnation of the sound and there are many variants.  

Bands like The Talking Heads and Blondie began to use synthesizers and drum-machines during the second half of the 70’s. Post-hardcore and pop-punk bands of the 90’s and 2000’s also took advantage of keyboards. As ska and punk began to merge into the “2 Tone” scene in the late 70’s, horns became an accepted addition to a lineup as well. 

You could argue that these were just extensions of the genre and not “authentic.” 

But I think you’d be missing a crucial point… 

What a lively bunch.

ORIGINS 

It was decades after the Catholic Church dismissed Elvis’ swinging hips on TV, but there were still some years to come before parents would start fearing hip-hop.  

In the late 70’s, punk rock was the new danger.

But wait, let’s back up a little bit… 

In the 60’s, amid the emerging counterculture, bands were coming together which foreshadowed a type of energy not yet seen in rock music. The Monks, a German-American band released Black Monk Time in 1966, an album that focused less on melody and more on frustration and chaos. Other bands were making unique releases at this time such as The Velvet Underground’s self-titled debut which came out the following year. The music was ethereal, often dark or mysterious. The melodies were downright strange, often in-part by violinist John Cale’s unnerving playing style. A number of other acts around the time were fooling around with this new edge including The Sonics, Love, and Paul Revere & The Raiders. 

Your mohawk will never look this good.

It was at the tail end of the 60’s that things got intense. Two bands emerged from Detroit: The MC5 and The Stooges. These two bands possessed a focused energy in their sound that had not yet been heard. Both group’s debut albums are considered landmarks in the history of punk and rock music in general.   

By the end of the 60’s, proto-punk bands had emerged across the world in some form or another. But it was in the next decade when things would fully make the jump. In the early and mid-70’s, the U.K. had bands like The Sex Pistols and The Damned. Meanwhile, in the U.S., The Ramones, Blondie, Patti Smith, and others were emerging. It was during this time that journalists first brought forth the term “punk” to describe these bands. 

Regina Spektor is punk. You can agree or you can be wrong.

CONCLUSION 

As I essentially said earlier, if you think punk is just mohawks and guitar-exclusive, anti-status quo music, you’re missing a point. Punk is, at the heart, a rebellion. So, it would only be natural for these artists to deviate from what was expected in terms of reaction musicianship. We can clearly see that based on the odd origins of the music in the late 60’s.  

The ideology and sound of punk are not mutually exclusive. The ideology of punk far outweighs the image that is associated with it by society. I consider some bands and solo performers “punk” based on their methods and their songs, though the media may not label their music as punk simply because of their image or the instruments they play.  

To me, punk is about calling out but it can also be a calling-out. For instance, sometimes it is calling out the hypocrites and double-standards of society, but sometimes it is a calling-out of hope. It calls to the disenfranchised and the oddballs of the world. It doesn’t worry about the bitter and restrictive army of the mainstream.  It speaks its heart without thinking twice about what people will say or think. It then extends that heart upon a sleeve and gives comfort and empowerment to those who may be too afraid to be themselves; or sometimes it scares them away.  

Regardless, punk doesn’t have to sound like a two-minute distorted rant full of angst-ridden kids who didn’t get what they wanted. Punk can be a woman who sings softly over a piano. It can be a man playing a violin, delivering a ballad about video games. It doesn’t matter. As long as the bold, pioneering nature is present in the music, to me, it’s punk.