33 – PUNK ROCK

Punk RockThe music scene in general had become rather stale and predictable by the mid 1970's. Established rock stars, considered by many too old to relate to current teen culture were now being referred to as dinosaurs. The hippie movement had fizzled out and the once revolutionary love generation had gone establishment. Disco had emerged, but for any true rebel, it was just too boring and plastic, much too close to the taste of their parents. Teens were ultimately depressed with mainstream pop.

The music industry needed an immediate shot of adrenalin and the injection was deftly administered by an unruly bunch of British tuffs who had the sheer audacity to call themselves The Sex Pistols. As harbingers of the new regime, their music assaulted the ears with a ferocity never experienced before or since.

The Pistols were the first visible symbols of a movement which had been festering for several years. Although the punk phenomenon occurred on both sides of the Atlantic, it virtually exploded in the U.K. In May of 1977, the British unemployment rate was 5.4% - the worst since World War Two. The country was in a sad state of affairs. There was no money and no jobs. Punk became a symptom of the overwhelming frustration and distress felt by most Brits. Its angry platform had tremendous potential and quickly gained momentum.

Disgusted by their pacifist hippie predecessors, punks instead gave the establishment the finger. Everyone over thirty was the enemy. Punks had no political agenda whatsoever. They thought it useless to try to change things. That didn't work. Traditional values were abandoned and the basic reactions were apathy, anarchy and violence.

Until the emergence of punk rock, lower class youths had no music expressing their anxieties and anger. Basically, it was created by a bunch of poor kids forming bands and playing their own kind of music in pubs and small clubs. Punk was an antidote to a stagnant rock scene and a thumbed nose to disco music. Musical training was definitely not a requirement. Rehearsals were generally non-existent. Practice occurred on stage. Musically illiterate, many of the groups rarely concerned themselves with tuning or balance. Life was lived for the moment and the music was disposable. Performances could be either inspired or disastrous. If it happened - it happened.

Punk rock was a style indigenous to small halls. Its gripping intensity would have been lost in large venues. The distance between the stage and the audience shrunk. Audience participation was as important as the music, not only encouraged but demanded. Spitting on performers was considered complimentary and throwing chairs and banging heads was common fare. The entire scene was utterly chaotic.

Dancing was frenzied and often dangerous. The most common dance was the pogo, which consisted of jumping spastically up and down as if on a pogo stick - the more erratic and haphazard the better. Another unique occurrence was slam dancing. Almost like jousting, it featured participants intentionally smashing into each other. A release of sorts and a show of courage, slam dancing scars were worn like badges of honour. Later, there was moshing, where certain individuals jumped onto a crowd and were supported by the audience and passed hand to hand overhead. The fad continued well into the 1990's, mostly in alternative rock factions.

Clothing was extremely creative, assuming a dangerous anti-fashion rebel stance. Hippie bell bottoms were out and skin tight black peg jeans were in. Ripped and shredded garments were adorned with straps, studs and other S&M accoutrements. Leather was a hot commodity if one could afford it. Doc Marten boots made their appearance as a fashion statement. Jewelry was improvised, often consisting of chains, spikes and safety pins. Long hair was either cut into odd patterns or abandoned completely. For the most part, hair was glued up, spiked, shaved and coloured garishly. The Mohawk hairdo became a stereotypical punk trademark. Piercing was a popular trend - ears, noses, cheeks and even nipples. Heavily mascaraed eyes on both sexes gave a ghoulish touch to the look. Tans were out and the sickly look was in. Tattoo parlors made a killing and shops specializing in punk paraphernalia and x-rated merchandise cashed in on the new scene. Future Sex Pistols manager Malcolm McLaren had set a trend in punk fashion with designer Vivienne Westwood (1941 – ) when he opened his revolutionary Sex boutique in London.

Later, the mainstream fashion industry picked up on the styles, converting them into what came to be known as punk chic. Punk was also a titillating kick in the pants to a sagging, sluggish art scene.

The underground clubs in New York City became inundated with punks, members of the art community, thrill seekers, celebrity slummers, tourists and an incredible array of characters of every shape, colour and sexuality. The most outrageous venues of the period were CBGB's, Max's Kansas City, The Mudd Club and Interferon. The great majority of punk and new wave artists made their debut in this particular circuit.

PROTO PUNK

The very roots of punk rock can be traced back to the rockers of the 1950's and especially the barebones garage bands of the mid 1960's. Groups such as The Troggs, Love and The Seeds left an indelible mark on the history of hard rock and punk. The influence of metal pioneers such as Black Sabbath, the trashy style of The New York Dolls and the bombastic impact of The MC5 and The Stooges laid the ground rules for mid 1970's punkers. Also, an appreciative nod must be given to Lou Reed and The Velvet Underground whose power and influence can be felt in almost every punk, metal and alternative act since.

PUNK ELEMENTS


PUNK IMPACT

PROS

CONS

BRITISH PUNK ARTISTS

THE SEX PISTOLS

THE STRANGLERS

THE CLASH

X-RAY SPEX

THE BUZZCOCKS

THE JAM

THE ADVERTS

THE VIBRATORS

THE DAMNED

SIOUXSIE & THE BANSHEES

GENERATION X Featuring BILLY IDOL

BILLY IDOL

THE MONKS

THE JAGS

THE VAPORS

BOW WOW WOW

THE SKIDS

A SELECTED LISTING OF OTHER BRITISH PUNK RECORDINGS

AMERICAN PUNK ARTISTS

THE RAMONES

PATTI SMITH

THE DEAD BOYS

WAYNE COUNTY & THE ELECTRIC CHAIRS

THE RUNAWAYS

BLACK FLAG/THE ROLLINS BAND

CHERRY VANILLA

BLONDIE

X

THE PRETENDERS

PLASMATICS

ROMEO VOID

THE DEAD KENNEDYS

GREEN DAY

THE CANADIAN PUNK SCENE

Along with London and New York City, the Canadian cities of Toronto, Ontario and Vancouver, British Columbia were major punk/ new wave centres, boasting an incredible array of exciting and creative acts such as D.O.A., Teenage Head, Pointed Sticks, The Diodes and The Viletones.

In Toronto during the mid to late 1970's, the mecca for the new music was the Queen St. strip which later gave birth to a great variety of alternative artists. The famous Colonial Tavern, then called The Underground, and the notorious Horseshoe Tavern were important venues for punk rock. The managers of the punk group The Diodes opened the legendary Crash And Burn for the month of August in 1977. Situated in the basement of an old warehouse on Duncan Street, it was the fuse which ignited Toronto's love affair with alternative rock. Punk reached its apex with the filming of "The Last Pogo" at The Horseshoe Tavern. In 1979, a concert at The O'Keefe Centre featuring The Clash resulted in rioting and considerable damage to the theatre, putting a damper on the future of the punk concert scene.

Vancouver, always a leading centre for all kinds of new music, presented punk and new wave artists primarily at The Japanese Hall. In Feb., 1978, D.O.A. played their first gig there. The Gastown area later became the birthplace of many heavy duty acts including Skinny Puppy.

The Canadian music scene in general is a treasure trove of unsung heroes, artists of great influence and remarkable talent.

TEENAGE HEAD

THE DIODES

THE VILETONES

D.O.A.

B. B. GABOR

INTERNATIONAL PUNK ARTISTS

PLASTIC BERTRAND

OTHER NOTABLE PUNK RECORDINGS

ALSO SEE

BIBLIOGRAPHY