PUNK ROCK: The History and Origin of Punk
Punk Rock, what does it mean? Where did it originate from and how has it impacted today's musical society? These are just a few of the questions that I will attempt to answer with this thesis. Oxford states that punk is a rock style that emerged in the late 1970s. It was a "back to basics" rebellion against the perceived artifice and pretension of corporate rock music-a stripped-down and often purposefully "non-musical" version of rock music. Wikipedia.com states that punk rock is a genre of rock and roll and a movement that was based around the values of anti-establishment. The "punk rock movement" was established between 1974 and 1976. Now, ever since Punk has hit the mainstream, people have debated on whether Punk started in the United Kingdom or in the United States. In my honest opinion, punk didn't start on any specific continent; it started in the hearts and minds of rebellious men and women who didn't see the world the same as everyone else. Anti-establishment! Now what does that mean? Anti-establishment is a view or belief that goes against the conventional social, political, and economic principles of a society.
The first wave of punk rock aimed to be aggressively modern, distancing itself from the bombast and sentimentality of early 1970s rock. Tommy Ramone, the drummer of The Ramones, stated that, "In its initial form, a lot of the 1960's music was innovative and exciting. Unfortunately, what happens is that people who could not hold a candle to the likes of Jimi Hendrix started noodling away. Soon you had endless solos that went nowhere. By 1973, I knew that what was needed was some pure, stripped down, no bullshit rock 'n' roll." Those are some strong words from one of the greatest drummers in punk rock history. Back in the early 70's, rock and roll had become so tame, that the likes of Simon & Garkunkel were considered by many to be members of the "Rock and Roll Legion". Back then Rock and Roll was about being wild and rebellious. Critic Robert Christgau has stated that punk rock was a subculture that, "scornfully rejected the political idealism". Wow, Mr. Christgau hit the nail right on the head. That's all punk rock has been about : Branching away from the 'norm' and changing the views of society's political structure! The original ethic of punk rock had a technical accessibility and a do-it-yourself spirit. John Holstrom, the founding editor of "Punk" magazine, was quoted on saying, "Punk rock was rock and roll by people who didn't have very much skills as musicians but still felt the need to express themselves through music". Several of British punk rocks’ leading figures rejected not only contemporary mainstream rock and roll, but the broader culture that was associated with it as well.
1976 seemed to be the "birth year" of the British punk rock revolution. The Clash had a song called 1977, which stated, "No Elvis, Beatles, or the Rolling Stones in 1977." Indeed 1976 proved to be 'Year Zero' [a.k.a. the birth year] for punk rock. Bands like the Clash, the Sex Pistols, and the Damned were all noticed during '76. If not for these three British punk groups, music definitely wouldn't be the same today. As the nostalgic feeling was discarded, many of the people associated with the early punk rock scene adopted the Sex Pistols' slogan "No Future" as their motto. Many found a positive, liberating meaning in this lifestyle. Joe Strummer, front man for the Clash, said that, "Punk is meant to be our freedom. We're meant to be able to do what we want to." Kudos Joe, kudos.
Now, let's talk more about the musical and lyrical elements of Punk. Yes, there are musical and lyrical elements in this genre. Punk bands tended to emulate the basic musical arrangements of Garage Rock, made famous back in the 1960's. Although punk songs are generally shorter than those of other genres, the instruments tended to stay the same; one or two electric guitars, a bass, a drum set, and of course vocals. Now, let's dissect the vocal part of punk rock for a minute. Punk vocals are typically nasally and often shouted (rather than sung, like they are in conventional music). Many say that punk lacks a vocal approach; such as a lack of variety, and shifts in pitch and volume. Not to mention that the style is infrequent. Johnny Rotten of the Sex Pistols seems to be one of the only exceptions to that stereotype. Now, on to the guitars! In punk rock, there were no need for complicated guitar solos, as they were considered self-indulgent and unnecessary; however very basic breaks are relatively common. There are two types of chords associated with punk music: power chords and barre chords. These two chords combined create a “buzz saw drone” sound characterized by Mr. Christgau. There are some exceptions to this stereotype as well. For instance, some punk groups use a lighter, more twangier approach. Then there were groups like the Voidoids, whose lead guitarist Robert Quine employed a more wild “gonzo” approach. The “gonzo” approach has been used by a vast array of artists such as: The Velvet Underground and Ike Turner. The drum patterns in punk are usually very heavy and dry and use a minimal set-up. Syncopation is pretty much the rule of thumb when it comes to punk. Last, but not least the bass! Generally speaking, punk bass lines are uncomplicated, and are noted to be relentless, repetitive “forced rhythms”. That’s just generally speaking! There are some groups like The Minutemen and Firehose who emphasized more technical bass lines. Bassists usually use a pick due to the rapid succession of notes, thus making finger picking impractical. Punk on a production level, was mainly DIY (do it yourself), which lead to be minimalistic. Sometimes the bands would lay down tracks on a homemade tape recorder, leading to a lo-fi quality. The idea was to make it sound unmanipulated or “real”, which reflected the commitment and authenticity of a live show. Album recordings could feature anything from false starts to conversations between band members to background noise. Compared to other popular genres, the lyrics associated with punk are often confrontational. The lyrics could touch base on anything from unemployment to relationships and sex to the grim realities of urban strife. But, mostly punk lyrics deal with more traditional rock ‘n’ roll topics, such as: courtship, heartbreak and hanging out. “Punk was a total cultural revolt. It was a hardcore confrontation with the black side of history and culture, right-wing imagery, sexual taboos, a delving into it that had never been done before by any generation in such a thorough way.” States V. Vale, founder of Search and Destroy; a zine based out of San Francisco, Ca.
The pre-history of punk can be traced back to the Garage rock and Mod genres from the 1960’s. This can be seen with hits from that era such as: Kingsmen’s 1963 cover of “Louie, Louie”, The Kinks’ singles “You Really Got Me” and “All Day and All of the Night”, and The Who’s “My Generation”. There are also punk roots in a genre known as Protopunk. August of 1969, The Stooges, led by Iggy Pop, busted onto the scene with their self-titled album. According to Greil Marcus, a critic for Rolling Stone, stated that, “The Stooges created the sound of Chuck Berry’s Airmobile – after thieves had stripped it for parts.” To many, Iggy Pop is the godfather of punk. The self-titled Stooges album was produced by John Cale, a former member of experimental rock group The Velvet Underground (known to many as the first underground rock band). Velvet Underground inspired many of the people involved in the creation of punk; whether it was directly or indirectly. Various members of VU eventually moved onto other musical projects such as the Modern Lovers and Willie Alexander and the Boom Boom Band. The members of Velvet Underground are definitely the founders of Glam Punk. Even David Bowie has inspired the wonderous world of Glam Rock/punk as Ziggy Stardust. The influences that punk has had are astounding. I challenge everyone to listen to groups such as Velvet Underground, the Modern Lovers, and even Ziggy Stardust and tell me that they haven’t influenced today’s generation of music in some shape or form. There you go, a very brief display of the pre-history of punk.
Where did the term punk start? Good question! Before the mid-70’s, the term punk was used to describe a young male hustler, gangster, hoodlum, or ruffian. This is ever so obvious if you were to watch classic cop shows such as Kojak or Baretta. The first time “punk rock” was used was on March 22, 1970 in the Chicago Tribune. Where Ed Sanders, co-founder of anarcho-prankster band The Fugs, was quoted describing his solo album as, “punk rock – redneck sentimentality.” In a December 1970 issue of Creem, Lester Bangs made a reference to Iggy Pop, calling him a “Stooge Punk”. Even with these early uses of the word punk, Dave Marsh was the first music critic to employ the term. It happened in the May 1971 issue of Creem, where he described ? and the Mysterians as giving a “landmark exposition of punk rock”. Between the years of 1970 and 1975 the term “punk rock” began to grow more and more. In fact, by 1975 punk was used to describe bands such as the Bay City Rollers, the Patti Smith Group, and even “The Boss” Bruce Springsteen. Punk was even used to describe the atmosphere at CBGB + OMFUG (Country, Bluegrass, Blues, and Other Music For Uplifting Gormandizers). The end of 1975, a magazine by the name of “Punk” debuted, which was crucial in standardizing the word in a way that was not previously written. John Holstrom, one of the creators of “Punk” later said, “It was pretty obvious that the word was getting very popular. We figured we’d take the name before anyone else claimed it. We wanted to get rid of the bullshit, strip it down to rock’n’roll. We wanted the fun and liveliness back.”
There were three major places that spawned mass amounts of bands into the punk genre: New York, The U.K., and Australia. I will be breaking each place down individually. First off is New York.
HEY HO! LET’S GO!- Punk in New York
The New York punk scene has been traced back to sources such as the trash culture of the late 1960’s and the underground rock movement of the early 70’s. The roots have been found in the Mercer Arts Center of Greenwich Village as well as Hilly Kristal’s club CBGB, located in lower Manhattan. Anyone who is anyone in the punk culture has performed at CBGB’s, including American punk idols: The Ramones, the Misfits, the Voidoids, and even the Talking Heads; just to name a few. CBGB opened it’s doors in 1973. Bands from all over the Eastern states flocked to CBGB’s during this time. Many bands got their big break at this world-renowned venue, such as: The Patti Smith Group, The Ramones, and Blondie.
To Be Continued...
