Some are promoting it as a cause for celebration- possibly the last youth movement that made a difference & had a real lasting impact.
Certainly there will be a lot of chat looking t things with rose tinted glasses.
I see many sites where old punks cant even agree about what Punk was all about- the music, the clothes, politics, a way of life.
For me I shall treat this year as a celebration- Punk the music was the first form of music that I liked for myself, that I had chosen off my own back and not because I had heard it via friends or family.
For me it was about deciding for myself what to say, think or wear. Question everything, accept nothing on trust. Punk taught me to see everyone as equals until you know different.
Punk wasnt about barriers or uniforms, although PUNKS themselves made the punk image a uniform, which most of us eventually bought into. We also then divided ourselves & created our own barriers, which in my opinion was so negative. One example I still remember is CRASS punks saying things about Exploited fans and vice verse.
PUNK diluted itself and lost its voice, but I was left with some great music and bands that still excite me today. Not so much a movement anymore but still a great source of joy.
I expect EBAY to be flooded with shit loads of memorabilia this year and all for silly prices and I expect collectors looking for an investment will outbid the fans that really care about it all. I expect many Corporate entities to jump on the band wagon & milk us for our hard earned cash. Loads of compilation albums and magazines all ready to distribute, I must admit that I'm bound to buy a few things here and there.
But there will be smaller independent groups doing their own thing in celebration- make sure they are supported as well.
I hope this year will show the younger generation that they can have a go if they are determined enough - they dont need Simon Cowell or his X Factor generation- with effort & hard work dreams can come to- you dont need a record label, a manager- you can DO IT YOURSELF.
I will enjoy this Year with absolutely no guilt at all - it was a part of my life that introduced me to music that I still love, I met friends that I still know today.
Some of You FUCKERS out there will talk about how wonderful PUNK was, but at the time you were NOT a fan. I was a PUNK, I remember all of you cunts that sneered at us, attacked us physically & verbally, put us down, treated us like shit. You can jump on the bandwagon this year you shallow fools... the rest of us will carry a bit of pride that we were part of it.
We lived it we love it
PUNKS NOT DEAD
6 comments:
There is an old song by the tubes called "i was a punk before you were a punk" an USA vs UK skit as i remember.
2016 i am 53 in may, which means i was not a proper punk in 1976, i was 14 or 15, but at the time as a previously obsessive slade fan up to about 75 when they foolishly tried to crack the usa.
so there is a 2 year gap as far as a young kid pop fan
so no slade records to buy and nothing else i started to buy toys, at 14 / 15 that was brilliant, cos i hadn`t had many NEW toys xmas or birthdays, all hand me downs, in fact my first action man came naked and my mum a seamstress made clothes for him.
i do remember seeing a report on the local news (leeds area)about this group, that must have been around the anarchy tour,
cut to the chase?
the first record i heard?
god save the queen
the first record i bought?
pretty vacant, also went to blackpool that summer 77 and lo and behold found a record on the wall "anarchy in the UK" by my new obsesive £25 i think they wanted , didn`t get it that day, but i`m now at 53 sitting on many, but i wouldn`t sell them on ebay, instead i would send out a questioaire to the prospective buyer
Hi Glyn, thanks for your comment. All that I own has a personal memory for me, I own it cos I love it, if its now worth a few quid then great! I wont be selling fuck all. Your collection means something to you and thats what I love- it has a meaning. I hope this years celebrations bring back some forgotten happy memories from your youth - dust off the vinyl & play it loudly. All the best
Steve
My music conciousness came into being fully in 1978 when I was 10, with The Stranglers - then I saw PiL's 'Public Image' video on Tiswas and my world changed, I only have a few (not useless) memories of Pistols 76/77 but in 1978 they were playground chat currency and we all talked about what was happening to the band and following on from that, the troubled days of Sid and Nancy. With the first PiL single I heard John articulating the howl of someone defining their identity in the face of a hostile world which thought they had him under their control, backed by the most beautiful music I had ever heard....and it still has that effect today. so more power to everyone then that said NO to the establishment, music or otherwise and more power to the people who wern't there, alive or subsequently came to the party later that still feel the need to do something their own way to possibly enrich the lives of everyone. anger is STILL an energy.
Thanks for leaving your thoughts Allan, I can definitely relate to what you said, as I think a lot of our generation can. I still believe that we should support the independent artists - whether that's a band, film maker, artist photographer etc - People should remember that all they need is an idea and then the ability to motivate themselves. I'm not saying it will be easy or happen over night but DONT ACCEPT the rules and boundaries set by others. That's just bollocks.
All the best to you Allan
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