Punks Not Dead

I was fortunate enough to see the 2007 documentary Punk’s Not Dead on the weekend and thought to let you know a little about it. Firstly let me say that it was an excellent film with a whole range of interviews and clips from different artists – such as Henry Rollins (BlackFlag), members of Bad Religion, The Addicts, Subhumans, The Offspring, Sex Pistols GreenDay, Fugazi, My Chemical Romance, Good Charlotte and many others.

A lot of discussion was given to the nature and purpose of punk in so much as it offers a vehicle to comment on and criticise society. With working class roots the genre circumvents musical rules and boundaries and very much consists of a D.I.Y. culture. Jello Biafra of the Dead Kennedys suggests that punk was the rebirth of the spirit of rock’n’roll that the corporations and major labels had killed off as they commercialised that style. For a very long time punk existed on the fringes of society. It was developed by the youth who formed their own bands, wrote their own songs, put on concerts for themselves, developed their own networks, published their own promotional material including magazines, and recorded and distributed their own music. This was all accomplished without the support of major record labels who saw the genre as commercially unviable.

From its inception in the 1970s through to the early 1980’s the popularity of punk grew. Some suggest that in the mid to late 1980’s the style disappeared but others argue that it simply went further underground. It has enjoyed a type of renaissance since the early 1990s and remains very popular today. Bands such as Bad Religion, Nirvana, Pennywise and Rancid all helped reignite support for the style with bands such as Green Day and The OffSpring also helping it to become more widely known.

Many artists commented on the way that the style has gained more mainstream support over this period with some suggesting that those bands signed to major labels that no longer give primacy to social commentary in their lyrics are betraying the culture and values of the genre. Others suggest that commercial support can help them to take their reflections on society to a larger audience and to achieve the purpose of the style more effectively. Highlighting the importance of the underlying messages to true punk music, Billie Joe Armstrong from Green Day states that as a child he learnt about politics from punk music rather than from the education system.

The film concludes by considering whether or not punk has changed the world. One artist notes that there is political corruption and environmental damage on a much greater scale than there was when punk first developed and that this suggests that the impact has been on an individual rather than a global level. Personally I would challenge this suggestion. It is possible that political corruption, environmental destruction and social injustice would be worse now if it had not been for punk music.

I really enjoyed this film both because it brought back some fond memories of my earlier days and because I find this genre inspirational both from the determination and dedication of the artists as well as the educational and political nature of the lyrics. Rock Against Bush is just one example of this community uniting to entertain and educate others about political issues.

The film lists some of the following websites for those that wish to find out more about the style and what’s happening in the punk scene:

Links:

Punk Voter: http://www.punkvoter.com/
Punk News: http://www.punknews.org/
Punk Network: http://www.punknetwork.com/
Punk Radio Cast: http://www.punkradiocast.com/
Punk Connection: http://www.punkconnection.com/index.php