US Punk Rock
Created | Updated Aug 19, 2003
When most think the word punk (webster definition; Punk: a rebellious youth) they think of some skuzzy little kid who has no respect for anything and should be delivered a swift kick in the head. Most people these days don't know about a more accurate definition. No one is really able to come up with an exact definition, but if you see a punk, much like punk music, you know it.
Punk rock is a stlye of Music started in the late 1970's by one of two bands: The Ramones of New York city, or the Sex Pistols of Engeland. Many punk rockers have several heated arguments about which one started it, but no one really knows for sure. Punk music is fast, loud, ocaisionally obnoxnious(but still good) and speaks about the truth.
Now, this article surounds the US side of punk rock. As the guide is quite extensive on UK punk, there's virtually nothing about the American scene. US punk differs in that it doesn't go against the old rock ways. In fact, that is what it was trying to revive. Though back when US punk started there was none of the 8 minute songs with 2 minute guitar solos. Though when that arose, US punk had nothing to do with it.
In these days with poppy teen divas, monotonous rap, and what's left of rock and roll cirling the drain, punk is one of the few genres that is staying true to itself. In fact that's how things began. When most people think 70's they think of disco. Disco is not music. Disco is created by computers for people to take lots of drugs to. All punk in the 70's was out to make sure Rock didn't die under the preasure of these slick trendy morons. When disco died punk took ten years to clelebrate. This periodin history was called the 80s.
When most people think 80's, they don't conjure up images of a scrawny kid with a mohawk screaming into a microphone about how his government is failing. Most people think about David Bowie wining in an atempt to get laid (even though he had more sex than was healthy back then). The 80s was the golden age of the punk revolution. With bands like Minor Threat, The Exploited, and Social Distortion, things were looking prety good. Then, came the 90s.
In the 90s punk was greeted by a new foe, which seems to have conquered in these days. This new foe was called pop punk. Pop punk is bands like Green Day, Blink 182, or (dare I utter the name of the evil one) Avril Lavigne. This genre claimed to be the most hardcore thing since the 80s while wining that the popular girls wont' go to the prom with them. THough real punk music was still intact, all society saw was this poser brand of punk. Therefore society lost interest.
Now, I've talked quite a bit about the history of punk, about what isn't punk, about who are punks, but what is punk? Punk is an abrasive style of music involving not much more than three chords (there are exeptions to that) very fast and loud, and they're out before two and a half minutes. It's a genre that stands for freedom, for truth, and of course, fun. So if you're tired of Slick corperate poppy teen divas telling you to drink pepsi, grab a punk album. Whether it's Operation Ivy, Minor Threat, or Anit-Flag, you'll be pleasently surprised.
Punk rock is a stlye of Music started in the late 1970's by one of two bands: The Ramones of New York city, or the Sex Pistols of Engeland. Many punk rockers have several heated arguments about which one started it, but no one really knows for sure. Punk music is fast, loud, ocaisionally obnoxnious(but still good) and speaks about the truth.
Now, this article surounds the US side of punk rock. As the guide is quite extensive on UK punk, there's virtually nothing about the American scene. US punk differs in that it doesn't go against the old rock ways. In fact, that is what it was trying to revive. Though back when US punk started there was none of the 8 minute songs with 2 minute guitar solos. Though when that arose, US punk had nothing to do with it.
In these days with poppy teen divas, monotonous rap, and what's left of rock and roll cirling the drain, punk is one of the few genres that is staying true to itself. In fact that's how things began. When most people think 70's they think of disco. Disco is not music. Disco is created by computers for people to take lots of drugs to. All punk in the 70's was out to make sure Rock didn't die under the preasure of these slick trendy morons. When disco died punk took ten years to clelebrate. This periodin history was called the 80s.
When most people think 80's, they don't conjure up images of a scrawny kid with a mohawk screaming into a microphone about how his government is failing. Most people think about David Bowie wining in an atempt to get laid (even though he had more sex than was healthy back then). The 80s was the golden age of the punk revolution. With bands like Minor Threat, The Exploited, and Social Distortion, things were looking prety good. Then, came the 90s.
In the 90s punk was greeted by a new foe, which seems to have conquered in these days. This new foe was called pop punk. Pop punk is bands like Green Day, Blink 182, or (dare I utter the name of the evil one) Avril Lavigne. This genre claimed to be the most hardcore thing since the 80s while wining that the popular girls wont' go to the prom with them. THough real punk music was still intact, all society saw was this poser brand of punk. Therefore society lost interest.
Now, I've talked quite a bit about the history of punk, about what isn't punk, about who are punks, but what is punk? Punk is an abrasive style of music involving not much more than three chords (there are exeptions to that) very fast and loud, and they're out before two and a half minutes. It's a genre that stands for freedom, for truth, and of course, fun. So if you're tired of Slick corperate poppy teen divas telling you to drink pepsi, grab a punk album. Whether it's Operation Ivy, Minor Threat, or Anit-Flag, you'll be pleasently surprised.
