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David Bishop

ENC 2135-0031

Jessi Thomsen

31 October 2017

Punk Rock vs. Society

During the 1960s, teenagers were filling stadiums to hear their favorite rock and roll

bands such as the Beatles, Rolling Stones, and The Who. This new wave of music was taking the

world by surprise. However, super group bands, like The Who, were shadowing over other

genres of music. From the shadows casted by super group rock and roll bands emerged punk

rock. In the United Kingdom, punk rock was playing in underground pubs and music venues

during the 1970s and 1980s. The screech of electric guitars and the banging of drums were heard

throughout working class neighborhoods in London. God Save the Queen echoed through the

streets in Manchester. Iggy Pop was diving into a crowd in a New Jersey Pub. Tattoos and

piercings strolled down back alleys in Glasgow. The Ramones were playing gigs out of the back

of their beat down van. Another new wave of music was sweeping the United Kingdom and

United States, but rather in a rebellious sense. Teenagers and young adults were using punk rock

as a platform to intentionally break the norm and rebel against the ideals society upheld during

this time frame.

Rock and roll was shaped into existence during the 1950s. Teenagers at the time were

listening to rhythm and blues. The music industry saw this and began to promote musical artists

such as Elvis Presley and Buddy Holly to form an image suited for their white, teenage audience.

From that point forward, rock and roll began to blossom and would eventually branch off into
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different directions and styles, such as punk rock (Smith 239). However, punk rock was seen by

most as dangerous by the way punk concerts were performed. Think back to rock and roll in the

1960s. A typical rock and roll concert during the 1950s or 1960s for a band, such as The Beatles

or Simon and Garfunkel, would fill an arena of ecstatic young adults. Teenage girls would sob

tears of joy as they watched Paul McCartney strut across the stage. No, this isnt punk rock, but

explaining a typical rock and roll concert will help one to better understand the ways punk rock

rebelled against society. The violence that surrounded punk rock was used to distance punk rock

from the commercialized glam rock that was accepted by society at the time.

Punk rock bands were known to be extremely violent and vulgar on stage. While this was

distasteful to most, punk bands believed they were expressing themselves. One punk musician,

Iggy Pop, was known for his unique performances on stage. In an interview with Tom Snyder

in 1980 on Snyders late show, Iggy Pop discusses one of his more graphic moments during his

recent performance. Iggy stated, It was out of frustration and I felt very bad at the time. Music

is an expressive medium that sometimes it can get out of hand. Suddenly youll be playing a tune

and you really want to express the truth and the truth at the moment was that I ought to be cut,

so I cut myself (Iggy Pop Interview). As one can see, punk concerts were not of the norm. The

thing is, that was the whole goal. To break from the norm and rebel against society. Unlike most

bands at the time, punk bands chose to play in smaller, rundown venues such as underground

pubs or music halls. They enjoyed venues that didnt have a buffer between the stage and

audience so they could interact with the audience. Band members would interact with the crowd

in singing, dancing, or even in some cases, fighting. Punk rockers wanted everyone to know that

they are not what society wants them to be. If society accepts a sold out The Who concert at a

giant arena with a hundred security members, then you can believe a punk band was going to
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start a fight at a run-down bar during the middle of their set. This happened to be an ongoing

case for a famous punk band known as the Sex Pistols. The Sex Pistols were known for brawling

with audience members and eventually were banned from numerous venues in London (Bartelt).

The Sex Pistols, formed by a bunch of angsty teenagers, had very little musical talent yet

were still one of the most influential punk bands during the 1970s punk movement. This was the

case for most punk bands. Punk rockers saw this as another form of rebellion: starting a band

with little ability to play a musical instrument (Moyer). Crazy, right? Most punk bands during

this time frame formed with a do it yourself approach by using cheap, nearly broken instruments.

At this point, one can see that punk rock embodied the mindset of not following the rules, so it is

easily understandable why the do it yourself mentality fits with punk bands. They would

refurbish their instruments to fit their own style of sound. From what we know now, punk rock

can be seen as an attitude and a genre of music. If we focus more on the music side of punk,

punk rock is described as a genre of music played with a simple, high paced drum pattern and

quick tempo distorted electric guitar. Most punk guitarists were not very skilled, so a typical

punk song had a simple, four chord progression with a screeching, electric guitar. That is, the

song typically kept the same choppy guitar pattern throughout the entire song (Chalk). An iconic

picture that surfaced during the punk movement comes from a fan made magazine which shows

a crudely sketched drawing of fingers on a guitar neck in the shape of the chords A, E, and G

with a final caption saying Now form a band (Moon). When a punk band formed, the ensemble

of the band wouldnt consist of multiple guitarists, back up singers, tour managers, security, or

fashion artists. That went against the ideal of nonconformity that punk rockers upheld. So a punk

band was simple: guitarist, vocalist, drummer, bassist, and if youre lucky, band manager

(Chalk).
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To go along with the way punk bands conducted themselves on stage, punk rockers

dressed themselves in a way to go against the norm of society. The clothes punk rockers wore

suited the lifestyles of British teenagers during the late 1960s and early 1970s. Unemployment

rates were high and teenagers conserved what little cash they had by wearing clothes from

charities or thrift stores. Punk rockers would wear torn and frayed articles of clothing to not only

show dirty arms and legs, but to deface the labels of the clothes they wore. While frayed and torn

clothing is seen constantly in the 21st century, this was considered strange and abnormal during

the 1970s. Again, this do it yourself attitude towards clothing stood against everything that was

conventional (Thomas). As the punk scene grew towards the later part of the 1970s, the clothing

started to have more symbolism and meaning. The clothes were still tattered and torn, but

rebellious and nihilistic phrases and symbols were displayed across the clothing. On a Sex

Pistols inspired T-shirt quoted rebellious lyrics, there is no future in England/dont be told what

you want/dont be told what you need/no future no future no future (Lister).

To go along with clothing, unconventional hairstyles came into play as the punk scene

flourished. Punk members would dye their hair a variety of unusual colors such as green or red to

represent the anarchism they stood for. With this came the infamous hair dew of the punk scene:

the mohawk (Chalk). Also, the punk scene in the 1970s and 1980s was the beginning of body

piercings. Like the torn clothing, body piercings are quite mainstream in modern culture.

However, it was quite unusual during the 1970s. Punk fashion included piercings in different

parts of the face such as the eyebrow, nose, and lips. This self mutilation of the body and

rejection of prettiness was new, yet frightening to society at the time (Ryan). However, the

chosen body placement of the piercings, studs, and tattoos deliberately intended to offend the rest

of society. With this movement of body piercings, men began to hover towards piercings,
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representing a unisex fashion as they sported lip rings and nose studs. Again, today this is a

normal fashion but was considered bizarre during the 1970s punk scene (Thomas).

As stated earlier, punk rock can be seen as an attitude and a genre of music. However,

punk rock was also used as a platform to voice punk rock bands views on politics at the time.

Yes, smashing guitars and wearing tattered clothing signify rebellion against the conformity of

society, but the musical lyrics really stood out. During this time frame in the 1970s and 1980s,

the Cold War was dragging on as the United States and Soviet Union taunted one another with

nuclear warfare. Many American punk bands expressed their dissent with their government. The

Adolescents showed their dissatisfaction with the government through the song Democracy

with the lyrics, Did you really think you could make it big/Living among these nuclear pigs/If

you didnt know youll never see/ Were too far gone for democracy (Democracy). Another

punk band that was dissatisfied with what they saw as an overcontrolling government was Black

Flag. Black Flag was one of the most popular punk bands that emerged out of the punk scene.

Along with many other American punk bands at the time, they saw music as an opportunity to

express their anti-authoritarian views that combatted with society. In their top hit, Rise Above,

singer and songwriter Keith Morris voiced his opinion through the lyrics, Jealous cowards try to

control/Rise above! Were gonna rise above!/They distort what we say/Rise above! Were gonna

rise above (Rise Above).

Across the pond, bands like The Clash also showed their distaste with the government. So

as one can see, the punk movement wasnt just a local ideology. Punk was a global movement

that represented the same ideals in various countries, primarily in the United States and United

Kingdom. In the United Kingdom, most people viewed the ideologies of punk bands of just

merely rebellion. People would obtain this mindset from watching performances from Iggy Pop
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and the Sex Pistols. While The Clash did represent rebellion, they also stood for a change in

political policy and were actually viewed as political activists during their active years as a band.

Along with the United States, the United Kingdom had high racial tensions during the 1970s.

The Clash were very active in supporting the anti-racism movement and in fact, were the driving

force behind the anti-racism rally, Rock against Racism, that took place in the East End of

London in 1978 (Goodyer). Believing the government didnt back racial equality, The Clash

devoted countless songs towards anti-establishment and promoting racial equality such as the

1977 hit White Riot. They lyrics follow as, Black people gotta lot a problems/ But they [white

people] dont mind throwing a brick/ White people go to school/ Where they teach you how to

be thick (White Riot).

While gaining information and research from books, databases, and online articles, I felt

the need to gain some knowledge and inside experience from someone who was present during

the punk rock movement. Fortunately, a family friend and previous employer of mine, Keith

Keller, was willing to have a conversation with me over the phone about his experiences as a

teenager. From what I received from Keith, I was able to actually gain personal insight on what

punk rock looked like in typical America. I was able to identify the fact that punk rock music

made him do the dangerous, rebellious things he did as a teenager. I asked Keith what his

favorite band was at the time and he told me Black Flag. He went on to describe the first time he

saw them live in concert. Keith had seen other punk concerts beforehand, but apparently nothing

compared to the Black Flag show. He said bodies were slamming into each other as Greg Ginn,

the lead guitarist, would strum through an electric riff. Keith used words such as thrashing,

head banging, and violent throughout his description of the show. When I asked what his

parents thought of him going to the show he replied, oh, they couldnt stand me listening to
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them, but I didnt give a damn. Punk was not just a movement that took place during concerts

and political rallys, but it was a day to day event that effected the lives of numerous people.

Keith told me that he and his friends, who also listened to punk, were always causing trouble. He

said they would cut class, smoke cigarettes in the bathroom, constantly be out of uniform, or

anything to prove he was above the so called system which I inferred as society. The

information I gained from Keith backed my argument on the ways in which punk rock conflicted

against society at the time (Keller).

The Punk scene was a new and exciting time in the 1970s, but it was viewed as

dangerous and radical by most. Yes, a lot of punk rockers were booed off stage and criticized

throughout the media, but they simply just did not give a damn. Quite frankly, in a sense that was

what they were looking for. The 1970s and 80s punk scene purposely went against the norms of

society just to say, Hey, we dont care. Through the vulgar ways of performing music, the do it

yourself fashion, and the anti-political lyrics within the music, punk rockers expressed their

ideals of rebelling against society. However, the once true, burning flame of the punk scene

slowly died out. Ironically, punk came to become mainstream after it blew up in the 1970s.

Clothes were commercially made tattered and torn then sold in department stores. Bands began

writing lyrics to satisfy their audience rather than to express their own ideals. However, the

influence of punk rock in the 1970s and 1980s is present in some cases. I myself had the

experience of seeing a modern punk rock band in concert. One of my favorite bands, Faze Wave,

performed in Jacksonville on October 22, 2017. From what I observed, the band had the same

musical style, choppy guitar riffs and high pace drumming, as punk bands in the 70s and 80s

(Faze Wave). However, they did not embody the same element of rebellion and total anarchy as

an Iggy Pop show or the Black Flag concert Keith had described to me. However, other
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movements that dont revolve around music are very similar to the punk movement in how they

begin so strongly but eventually fade away into the norm of society. While they may fade away,

there will always be a lasting influence on the world.

Works Cited

Bartelt, Megan. No Future: The Conception and Evolution of Punk Music and Culture in the

United States and Great Britain from 1965 to the Present. Marquette University,

academic.mu.edu/meissnerd/punk.html.

Black Flag. Rise Above. Damaged, SST Records, 1981, Spotify,

https://open.spotify.com/track/4kFfFe38CRVnTsakUTL4E4

Chalk. A Beginner's Guide to Punk Rock. Toobbox, 6 July 2012, toobbox.com/blog/a-

beginners-guide-to-punk-rock/.

Faze Wave. Jack Rabbits Live, Jacksonville. 22 Oct. 2017. Concert

Goodyer, Ian. Crisis Music : The Cultural Politics of Rock against Racism. Manchester,

Manchester University Press, 2009. WorldCat,

https://floridastateuniversity-on-worldcat-org.proxy.lib.fsu.edu/oclc/818847398.

Iggy Pop interview on the Tom Snyder Show 1980. YouTube, uploaded by Steve, 9 June 2007,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5CxyDX8kN6s.
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Keller, Kieth. Personal interview. 24 October 2017.

Lister, Kat. Anarchy in the UK: A brief history of punk fashion. MarieClaire, 2 Mar. 2017,

http://www.marieclaire.co.uk/fashion/a-brief-history-of-punk-fashion-79145. Accessed

24 March 2017.

Moon, Tony. Stranglers. Sideburns, Dec. 1976.

Moyer, Matthew. "The Filth and the Fury 101." Library Journal, vol. 132, no. 18, 2007, pp. 34,

ABI/INFORM Global; ABI/INFORM Trade & Industry; Education Database; Library

Science Database, https://login.proxy.lib.fsu.edu/login?url=https://search-proquest-

com.proxy.lib.fsu.edu/docview/196814644?accountid=4840.

Ryan, Maureen. "Entertaining Fantasies: Lifestyle and Social Life in 1980S America." Journal of

Communication Inquiry, vol. 39, no. 1, Jan. 2015, pp. 82-101. EBSCOhost,

doi:10.1177/0196859914552705.

Smith, Julie E. From American Invasion to British Innovation: The Evolution of Rock Music in

Great Britain, 19541967, University of Arkansas, Ann Arbor, 1999, ProQuest

Dissertations & Theses Global: The Arts,

https://login.proxy.lib.fsu.edu/login?url=https://search-proquest-

com.proxy.lib.fsu.edu/docview/304512702?accountid=4840.

The Clash. White Riot. The Clash, Sony Music UK, 1977, Spotify,

https://open.spotify.com/track/0brrVj6VnvrG70SjRTnEJA.
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Thomas, Pauline. 1970s Punk Fashion History. Fashion-Era,

http://www.fashion-era.com/punks_fashion_history1.htm#Anti Fashion - Torn Fashion

Becomes Punk Fashion. Accessed 24 March 2017.