Premium Essay

Punk Movement

In:

Submitted By EonSpirit
Words 1984
Pages 8
POPMUS 305
The Punk movement as a reaction to stagnant music scene of the 70s

Ivan Stevanovic 3461726

The Punk movement is often seen as a reaction to what was regarded as a blown up and stagnant, self-indulging music scene in the mid-70s. In wider perspective, it is considered not merely as a music genre, but more as a complex mixture of social, cultural, rebellious upheaval of the marginal, disillusioned young white generation, first in the US and UK and then in the rest of the western world.
This essay will try to explore these statements and find out whether any of the two can be considered as the only cause for the emergence of punk.

MUSIC INFLUENCES AND BACKGROUND

One would say that any form of modern music in its initial phase is a protest, by default. That could be supported by numerous examples throughout the music history when rebellious young artists were crossing the boundaries of the conventional music genres and styles and often rejected from the music establishment.
The stylistic music origins of punk could be found in second half of the twentieth century. First it was rock’n’roll of the fifties that shook the post war society with its wild rhythms and raw cords played on electric guitars amplified to produce more “noise”.
The other influences were R&B, country and rockabilly and in the 60s many sub-genres that emerged on the rock music scene like: garage rock, frat rock, psychedelic rock, pub rock, glam rock, and proto-punk.
Although its origins can be traced back as far as you like, with every generation having its own youth sub-culture that shocks the established order (for some Elvis was a punk), punk as we know it today began in the early 1970s.
It was bands like The Fugs, the MC5 and The Stooges that sowed the seeds, but the first groups to take on the recognisable attitude and style were the New York Dolls and Television, who

Similar Documents

Free Essay

Essay

...características de los floggers es su gusto por la moda y por marcas reconocidas.  También son conocidos por utilizar tiradores y chupines con cintura alta, que es lo último en moda de los floggers ya que utilizan la misma ropa que se usaba en otras épocas.  Su estética estereotipada les hizo ganar enemigos desde varias tribus urbanas y subculturas, las cuales consideraron que les habían robado elementos de sus propias estéticas. Por ejemplo, los emos argentinos consideran que los floggers les robaron el peinado, los rolingas creen que los floggers les robaron el uso del característico pañuelo deshilachado atado al cuello, y los punks están peleados con los floggers porque (además de toda la parte ideológica) creen que estos les robaron el uso de los apretados pantalones chupines y zapatillas Converse a los Ramones, la legendaria banda estadounidense de punk rock, que en especial en...

Words: 754 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

The Influence of Rock Music on Young People

...music colours and nuances reproduce infinite scale of feelings and emotions. Rock music — or simply rock — is a loosely defined genre of popular music that developed after the 60s of the previous century. Types of rock music * Glam rock * Progressive rock * Punk rock * Alternative rock Glam rock Glam rock emerged out of the English Psychedelic and art rock scene of the late 60s, defined by artists such as Steve Harley, David Bowie, Cockney Rebel Glam itself was a nostalgic mesh of various styles, both visual art and music, ranging from 1930s Hollywood glamor, to 1950s pin-up sex appeal and rock n' roll teenage rebellion, to pre-war Cabaret theatrics, to Victorian literary and Symbolist styles, to ancient and occult mysticism and mythology (such as Bowie's references to Aleister Crowley's "starman" in his song of the same name, and themes of reincarnation and self-invention in T. Rex's Cosmic Dancer). Glam is most noted for its sexual and gender ambiguity and androgyny, and use of theatrics. Progressive Rock Progressive Rock bands went beyond the established rock music formulas by experimenting with different instruments, song types, and musical forms. With the advent of punk rock in the late 1970s, critical opinion in England moved toward a simpler and more aggressive style of rock, with progressive bands increasingly dismissed as pretentious and overblown, ending progressive rock's reign as one of the leading styles in rock. This development is...

Words: 521 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

La Jouissance: Rejection Of Middle Class Culture

...As a response to and a rejection of middle class culture, punk functioned to create a sphere in which the more revolting or disgusting something was, the better. Influenced by the garage band revival of the late 1960s, punk adapted the idea that the music being produced did not have to be good or meaningful; rather, it functioned to directly oppose any form of insightful meaning. It was played and produced for the sole purpose of rejecting all things mainstream prior to it becoming mainstream. The genre of punk qualifies as La Jouissance because it draws the listener towards a connection to the larger “whole,” draws pleasure from pain, and helps one lose a sense of their ego. Punk began in the 1970s as a working-class response to the poor...

Words: 652 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

The Formation and Development of Punk Rock

...Torff MU 102: The History and Development of Rock 5/6/15 The Formation and Development of Punk Rock When the word “Punk” is thrown around in conversation it usually is interpreted differently by different people. A general definition of punk rock typically associates it with extremely loud noises, unorthodox fashion style, and often offends the people who hear it. This is not necessarily all true. Yes punk rock is loud and it may offend people, but it does have a purpose and conveys its own meaning. Punk formed and developed as a reaction against oppressive figures of authority and as a musical and social outlet for teens that strayed away from the mainstream. Punk rock music has an extensive history. “While punk’s anti-authoritarian and rebellious imagery has its antecedents in both the 50s and 60s, the music itself was very much a product of its environment and decade - the 70s” (encyclopedia). The attitude of punk has been around almost twenty years before the music and the music was able to communicate the messages of athese rebellious teenagers. The roots of punk are disputed constantly. Some believe it started in U.K., while others claim it started in New York City. Regardless of where punk started it still has the same foundation anywhere in the world. John Savage brilliantly explains this concept of punk in Pre-Punk Rock: Strakhov 2 In fact, what became known as Punk during 1975 and 1976 had been floating around in various different guises in several cities during...

Words: 2407 - Pages: 10

Free Essay

My First Concert

...My First Concert Crazy, violent, confusion, these are only a few words that can describe my first real concert. I guess that makes it sound like something bad could have happened…In reality, this was one of the most fun nights of my life. The night was filled with a bunch of new experiences and memorable ones as well. I was 16 years old, was always into punk rock and the related genres, slowly transitioning into hardcore rock and metal. At the time I was not aware of the huge differences of the variety of music scenes, I was used to going to a very small local punk rock show; an environment where I knew almost everyone at the show, and more than likely the band playing as well. Well, local shows are only fun for so long. It was nearly my birthday I wanted to nothing more than to go to a real concert with names that were known by more than just the kids at my school. Sure enough I was going to get my chance! A couple of my friends were planning on going to a show, but one of their friends dropped out on them so they had an extra ticket. They offered me the ticket and I accepted in an instant! This show was consisted of 4 bands, 3 of which were on my top 10 favorite bands list. Underoath, The Devil Wears Prada and Saosin, I couldn’t believe that I was going to go see these bands live! The day of the show finally arrived, I could barely contain my excitement throughout the day, hours seemed like days while I basically watched the clock. Finally I was picked up and off to...

Words: 1212 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

The Contradictions Of Chaos And Order In The Film SLC: Punk !

...The Contradictions of Chaos and Order The film SLC: Punk! follows a group of friends taking part in the Punk movement during the year 1985 in the religiously oppressed Salt Lake City as they attempt to create and spread chaos. Chaos, which the characters in the film use almost interchangeably with anarchy, is the only rule they live by. However, living by anarchy as their one rule, a contradiction in itself since anarchy means no rules, is just one of the many contradictions in the punk belief system. The characters who participated in the punk movement sought to defy the social norm and rebel against “the system” by listening to new different forms of music, having unnaturally colored hair, and dressing wildly. The main character, Steve-O (Matthew Lillard), starts off in the opening scene narrating about how he is a fully devoted Punk who does not believe in the system and wants to cause as much chaos and disorder as possible just like any other punk. Yet, there are many holes and contradictions between chaos and order, such as, the fact that true chaos can never exist since everything has some sort...

Words: 1678 - Pages: 7

Premium Essay

Punk Rock Compare and Contast

...Miranda Rhodes Professor Whelan English 102 Sec A October 17, 2010 1970s Punk subculture Vs. Mainstreaming of Punk Today In the 1970’s the punk subculture evolved and shocked the world. They flaunted their anti-conforming and anti-government beliefs. Punks everywhere stood their ground, and made it known to the world what they deeply believed in. In the decade since the punk revolution, they have become common in the realm of society. In comparison to the original years of the punk subculture, so many aspects of have changed to make it an ordinary part of the mainstream of society. Music has always been the soul of what defines a punk. In the beginning, the new and thriving bands were the Sex Pistols and Clash. Today, popular punk bands like Good Charlotte and Green Day have kept punk rock music popular. Nowadays, it is familiar to see woman members of punk, a punk living in the suburbs, going to college, or establishing a career. In the past, advocating for their future was not a goal for the punk community, but today that has all changed. In punk history, many of its ideologies were counterproductive and certain ideologies left punks believing they did not have any hope for a promising future. Today, some members have established positive outlooks on their futures, and this has opened the door to positive pathways for some. However, many characteristics of punk have remained consistently the same. Punks’ ever evolving music industry, their rapidly growing diverse community,...

Words: 2260 - Pages: 10

Free Essay

The Art of How to Be Alwas Right

...The rebellious, irreverent, fairy godmother of punk] [Considered one of the most unconventional and outspoken fashion designers in the world, Westwood rose to fame in the late 1970s when her early designs helped shape the look of the punk rock movement.] 1. She came from humble beginnings, working-class parents. As Vivienne would later recall, her childhood years were far from London's high life. By the early 1960s Vivienne's life seemed established, embarked on work as a teacher. Then, however, everything changed. Her first marriage dissolved and she met Malcolm McLaren, an art student and future manager of the Sex Pistols. Through her new partner, Westwood, who'd begun making jewelry on the side, was introduced to a new world of creative freedom and the power art had on the political landscape. “I latched onto Malcolm as somebody who opened doors for me," Westwood said.” 2. In 1971, McLaren opened a boutique shop at 430 Kings Road in London and started filling it with Westwood's designs. It proved to be an important fashion center for the punk movement. When McLaren became manager of the Sex Pistols, it was Westwood's designs that dressed the band and help it carve out its identity. But as the punk movement faded, Westwood was hardly content to rest on her laurels. She's constantly been ahead of the curve, not just influencing fashion, but often times dictating it. After her run with the Sex Pistols, Westwood went an entirely new direction with her Pirate collection...

Words: 378 - Pages: 2

Free Essay

Business

...skirts and even bags. This trend has been show case throughout the years and never seems to go out of trend. Black and white or even colored stripes are used, pared with jeans or a colourful top, creates a casual but chic look perfect for day and night. Trickle up A good example on the trickle-up trend in fashion would be the “Punk Style” trend which originated with the punk subculture of England who often sported dark black leather jackets, military style combat boots, and piercings; they were a subculture based on rock music. The punk phenomenon has become a huge fashion trend amongst the upper class and is still a relevant trend as seen and referenced by many other designers to this day. But one well known and popular designer who is often credited with this is the designer Vivienne Westwood she is often cited as Punk’s creator, but the true origin of Punk is found in England’s depressed economic and sociopolitical conditions of the mid-1970s (The Metropolitan Museum of Art , Price, S., & The Costume Institute, 2004) most prominently on the youth of that generation. I think Vivienne Westwood can definitely be credited as commercializing the “Punk style” into the mainstream and that is a good example of the trickle-up trend because it shows how a designer can take a subculture’s way of dress from the streets and make it popular for the mainstream and the masses and not just popular amongst the subculture where it originated from. Trickle-up fashion trend is based on...

Words: 445 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

The Lack of Diy

...makes use of DIY is punk. Punk sets itself off against society and wants to be focussed on the capacity of an individual through self-expression. DIY within the punk subculture can be seen as a rejection of the need to purchase items or use existing systems or processes that would foster dependence on established societal structures. It needs to be stated that punk deliberately chose to use DIY. Nowadays punk slowly fades away out of society. However DIY is still actively used. A company that propagates DIY is IKEA. Nevertheless, IKEA is as Do-It-Yourself as a supermarket where you can take your products from the shelves. Thus, IKEA abuses the concept of DIY as intended by the punk movement. These different examples of DIY show how widely the interest in this topic varies over time and space. In the search for what makes DIY so widely applied, DIY will be used as the central common feature in the analysis and comparison between values and goals of the subculture of punk and the multinational store IKEA. This article argues that IKEA has nothing in common with DIY and therefore it gets mistreated by IKEA. A comparison will be made between DIY as propagated by IKEA and DIY as used by the punk movement, which will clarify the statement made earlier. The 1960s and 1970s were the decades where a variety of subcultures arrived in Western society, namely in the United States and the United Kingdom. One of these subcultures was the punk subculture. Punk is known for their belief...

Words: 1587 - Pages: 7

Free Essay

History of Rock and Roll

...music. One of the popular figures who promoted LSD was writer Ken Kesey. One of the most prominent groups during this era of rock music was “The Grateful Dead”, who originated in San Francisco, and were heavily into improvising. There was a neighborhood at this time where the early psychedelic bands lived, and this place was called Haight Ashbury. This era also saw what was to be the end of the Beatle’s touring days, because they decided that they would rather experiment with new directions in the music industry. One of the first bands out of San Francisco to have success with pop was “The Jefferson Airplane”. Another major accomplishment from this era was in 1968 when LPs outsold 45s for the first time ever. This era of strong hippy movement which lasted a long while, came to an end by late 1969. In video 7, we learned about “The Velvet Underground” band and how they were associated with famous pop artist Andy Warhol. This same band which was popular in the 1960s, was also a major influence to Jim Morrison. Another extremely popular band during this era was “The Doors”. “The Doors” were major influence to “Iggy Pop”, along with “The Velvet Underground”. One of the most prominent figures in rock during this time was Alice Cooper, and his band. His band was really the definition of cultureless American society. Alice Cooper gained a lot of press for an incident in which he bit the head of a chicken on stage. During this period we also saw the rise of the “Rock Star”...

Words: 699 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Mus 303: History of Rock Notes

...Mayfield * First entirely original solo album, politically conscious, funk/psych influences, SUPERFLY Love’s Theme – The Love Unlimited Orchestra * Basis of disco string use, surprise hit for album, “Bad Girls” – Donna Summers * Queen of Disco, shit load of hits, Staying Alive – The Bee Gees * Contrast of machisimo and vocals, earlier a rock band, huge hit Search and Destroy – Iggy Pop & The Stooges * Punk, DIY attitude, stage diving, signed with MC5, Detroit, early punk Horses – The Patti Smith Group * Influential to Uk punk, female punk movement, CBGB Blitzkrieg Bop – The Ramones * Power chords, dirty, New York, short songs, CBGB Anarchy in the UK – The Sex Pistols * SEX, socio-economic condition, class tensions, Malcom McLaren, only lasted 3 years, media stunts, dropped by their label, inspired a ton of punk bands God Save The Queen – The Sex Pistols * Banned in the Uk, performed on a boat, London Calling – The Clash * Wider array of influences, more political, greater sound diversity, more new wave than punk Heart...

Words: 739 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Eng 100

...Instructor: David J. Estrada English 100 22 October 2013 First Draft Theory has traditionally been approached from an objective orientation. We can trace a progression however throughout the 19th and 20th century in the apparent evolution of social scientific theory from objective through to more subjective approaches. The question remains though, does the theory accurately reflect change in society or does the 'perspective' of theory and theoretical approach of the researcher only tease out particular aspects of a social phenomenon. By holding the topic of subculture constant, social scientific theory can be put into question. This essay examines subcultures from the 1950's to the present in order to revisit assumptions about theory. The Punk subculture is examined specifically through semiotic analysis within a broader Sociological framework in order to find out what a more subjective approach to theory over this time period can reveal. In the past, subcultural theory described subcultures as fairly uniform and static. Theorists referred to the 1960's and 1970's within a Modern paradigm which objectivist in nature understood subculture as a problem to be fixed. Subcultural delinquency was seen as noise and as unnatural. More recent subcultural theory describes subcultures as transient, informal and hybrid. But subcultures have always been about’ youth, about times of economic uncertainty, employment pressures and reliant on class distinction (Van Krieken et al. 2006, pp517-518)...

Words: 2666 - Pages: 11

Free Essay

Oi! Coming to America

...1970's in Europe the Punk music scene was expanding and developing. European punk music was an imitation of what musicians had heard while the Ramones (Stim 2006) and Sex Pistols (Morley 2006) played their shows in London. UK rock and roll bands would be seen speeding up their material and shows to emulate American punk music. As the punk scene would become more commercialized in the UK, several bands were breaking off from the punk songwriting standards; instead their sound would fuse ideas from early punk, British rock band, football chants, and pub rock bands. In 1977 a UK punk band named the "Cockney Rejects" (Turner and Bushell 2005) would form in East London, three years later in 1980 Garry Bushell, a rock journalist, would take a title from one of their songs to name this movement. The song "Oi! Oi! Oi!" would lend its name to describe this sub genre's style of music, and thus Oi!! was retroactively born. In the early 1980's Oi! would make its way to America, however changing from its UK roots. (Rollins 1994) Oi! would dovetailed with the punk, hardcore punk scene that was already prevalent in the early 80's in the US. The hardcore punk scene was comprised of punks, Neo-Nazi's, the American Front, Skinheads, and Boneheads, a different composition than found in the UK Oi! fan base. (Bushell n.d.) The Origination of Oi! The UK Oi! originated out of a wide array of people, the sub genre of punk would be comprised of punk rockers and non punk rockers, skinheads and...

Words: 4390 - Pages: 18

Premium Essay

Music Appreciation

...was called Chill on the Hill and it featured the following bands: The Wonder Years, All Time Low, Pierce the Veil, and A Day to Remember. The Wonder Years was the first band to hit the stage and get the crowd amp’d up and going. They are a punk rock band from Philadelphia, PA and first arrived on the music scene in 2005. They are a mash up of a couple bands that have since dismembered which created the Wonder Years. I really found nothing too unique about the Wonder Years music, as it seemed to contain the same timbre as any other punk band out there. The tempo was always upbeat in their performance, and I don’t recall them having any ballads to slow the tempo down. It was a very gritty performance as far as their chord assembly is concerned. They did not really have a theme based in their music, but it was a very dynamic performance that used cadence to break up parts of the songs and provide that whole punk feel. Next on the agenda was the band All Time Low or ATL as they are referred to by the trendy pop-punk kids. ATL is a pop-punk band that is out of Baltimore, MD that began their music career doing cover tunes of popular 90’s punk bands such as Blink-182 and New Found Glory. To me, this band did not really show a large disjunct punk...

Words: 1011 - Pages: 5