The punk subculture includes music, ideologies, fashion, visual art, dance, literature, film, and other forms of expression, largely characterised by anti-establishment views, the promotion of individual freedom, and DIY ethics.
Originating in punk rock music, the punk ethos is primarily made up of beliefs such as non-conformity, anti-authoritarianism, anti-corporatocracy, a do-it-yourself ethic, anti-consumerist, direct action, and not selling out.
Punk fashion, includes T-shirts, leather jackets, Dr. Martens boots, hairstyles such as brightly coloured hair and spiked mohawks, cosmetics, tattoos, jewellery, and body modification. Women in the hardcore scene typically wore clothing categorised as masculine. This included black, ripped jeans and tops.
Punk aesthetics determine the type of art punks enjoy and create, which typically has underground, minimalist, iconoclastic, and satirical sensibilities. The subculture has spread to many countries and has generated a considerable amount of poetry and prose, and its own underground press in the form of zines. Many punk-themed films have been made.
History
The punk subculture emerged in the mid-1970s; in New York in 1974 and in the United Kingdom in 1976. Some suggest the name "punk" was borrowed from prison slang. Early punk had an abundance of antecedents and influences, and Jon Savage describes the subculture as a "bricolage" of almost every previous youth culture in the Western world since World War II, "stuck together with safety pins".Savage, Jon. Teenage: The Creation of Youth Culture. p. xvi. 2007. Viking. England.
In the late 1970s, the subculture began to diversify, which led to the proliferation of factions such as new wave, post-punk, 2 Tone, hardcore punk, no wave, street punk, and Oi!. Hardcore punk, street punk, and Oi! sought to do away with the frivolities introduced in the later years of the original punk movement.AllMusic, [|Punk]. Retrieved 18 April 2009. The punk subculture influenced other underground music scenes such as alternative rock, indie music, crossover thrash, and the extreme subgenres of heavy metal (mainly thrash metal, death metal, speed metal, and the NWOBHM).
Music
The punk subculture is centred on a loud, aggressive genre of rock music called punk rock, usually played by bands consisting of a vocalist, one or two electric guitarists, an electric bassist, and a drummer.
While most punk rock uses distorted guitars and noisy drumming sounds derived from 1960s garage rock and 1970s pub rock, some punk bands incorporate elements from other subgenres, such as surf rock, rockabilly, or reggae. Most punk rock songs are short, have simple and somewhat basic arrangements using relatively few chords, and typically have lyrics that express punk ideologies and values, although some punk lyrics are about lighter topics such as partying or romantic relationships.
Different punk subcultures often distinguish themselves by having a unique style of punk rock, although not every style of punk rock has its own associated subculture.
The earliest form of music to be called "punk rock" was 1960s garage rock, and the term was applied to the genre retroactively by influential rock critics in the early 1970s.Bangs, Lester. Psychotic Reactions and Carburetor Dung. Anchor Books, a division of Random House. 2003. pp. 8, 56, 57, 61, 64, 101: reprints of articles which appeared in 1971 and 1972, that refer to garage bands such as the Count Five and the Troggs as "punk"; p. 101 associates "Iggy" and "Jonathan of Modern Lovers" with the Troggs and their ilk (as being punk); pp. 112–113 speak of the Guess Who as "punk" – The Guess Who had made recordings (i.e. their hit version of Shakin' All Over," 1965) as a garage rock outfit in the mid 60s; p. 8 makes a general statement about "punk rock" (garage) as a genre: "...then punk bands started cropping up who were writing their own songs but taking the Yardbirds' sound and reducing it to this kind of goony fuzztone clatter...oh, it was beautiful, it was pure folklore, Old America, and sometimes I think those were the best days ever."; p. 225 is a reprint from article which appeared in late-70s, that refers back to garage bands as "punk"Laing, Dave. One Chord Wonders: Power and Meaning in Punk Rock. PM Press. Oakland, CA 2015, 1984. pp. 22–23. "Ellen Willis stated ... that 'the word punk was not used generically until the early seventies when critics began applying it to unregenerate rock-and-rollers with an aggressively lower-class style' ... Greg Shaw wrote that: 'Punk rock in those days was a quaint fanzine term for a transient form of mid-60s music'"Marsh, D. Creem. May 1971—from a review of live show by ? & the Mysterions – Marsh refers to their style as "a landmark exposition of punk rock."; >Christgau, Robert. The Village Voice. October 1971 – refers to "mid-60's garage rock as "punk"Shaw, Greg. Who Put the Bomp. 1971. – In 1971 article in Who Put the Bomp, Greg Shaw wrote about "...what I have chosen to call 'punk rock' bands—white teenage hard rock of '64–66 (Standells, Kingsmen, Shadows of Knight, etc.)"Kaye, Lenny. "Headed, Decked, and Stroked..." – original liner notes for Nuggets LP. (Elektra, 1972): uses the term "punk rock" to describe whole genre of 60s garage bands: "..the name that has been unofficially coined for them – "punk rock" – seems particularly fitting in this case..." >Shaw, Greg. Rolling Stone, 4 January 1973 – review of original Nuggets LP: speaks of whole phenomenon of 60s garage bands as an actual genre called "punk rock": "Punk rock at its best is the closest we came in the 60's to the original rockabilly spirit of Rock 'n Roll..." In the late 1960s, music now referred to as protopunk originated as a garage rock revival in the northeastern United States.[ "Protopunk"] from Allmusic.com The first distinct music scene to claim the punk label appeared in New York City between 1974 and 1976.Harrington, Joe S. Sonic Cool: The Life & Death of Rock 'N' Roll. pp. 324–330. 2002. Hal-Leonard. US. Around the same time or soon afterward, a punk scene developed in London.Harrington, Joe S. Sonic Cool: The Life & Death of Rock 'N' Roll. pp. 344–350. 2002. Hal-Leonard. US. Los Angeles subsequently became home to the third major punk scene.AllMusic, [|Punk:LA Punk]. Retrieved 18 April 2009.
In the 1980s, punk went through an internal conflict over which the direction the music would go, the authenticity of the genre, and the commercial compromise from the bands. Some scholars described this period as an "identity crisis" where bands debated over what issues were truly essential to punk and how the music was meant to be played. Bands such as Hüsker Dü, 7 Seconds (band), Government Issue, and Dag Nasty played with a slower tempo and melody, drawing inspiration from jazz, classic rock, and more. Some fans viewed this change as necessary for the development of the genre while others said it was punk band changing for major record labels. This experimentation is what produced the sub-genres of punk such as pop-punk (like green day and blink 182), alternative rock, punk metal (rage against the machine and system of a down) and grunge.
The New York City punk rock scene arose from a subcultural underground promoted by artists, reporters, musicians, and a wide variety of non-mainstream enthusiasts. The Velvet Underground's harsh and experimental yet often melodic sound in the mid to late-1960s, much of it relating to transgressive media work by visual artist Andy Warhol, is credited for influencing 1970s bands such as the New York Dolls, the Stooges, and the Ramones.
Ideologies
The punk subculture is often associated with a do-it-yourself (DIY) ethic; however, some critics suggest that the DIY image often placed on punk is partly a delayed interpretation rather than an accurate reflection of early punk. During the subculture's infancy, many members were from a working-class background and expressed dissatisfaction with the affluence that was associated with popular rock music at the time. In response, some punks published their own music or sign with small independent labels, in hopes to combat what they saw as a dominant commercial music industry. Although punk is now closely linked to DIY, British punk scenes rarely used the term "DIY" explicitly. Punk bands are often described as promoting anti-establishment stances. However, some scholars argue this was inconsistent in practice. In some cases, punk bands signed with major record labels after achieving success. Critics have also noted that punk bands advertised their music through mainstream outlets, such as BBC radio 1, and relied on factories to press their records. In spite of the criticism, the DIY ethic is still popular with punks.
Punk political ideologies are mostly concerned with individual freedom and anti-establishment views. Common punk viewpoints include anti-capitalism, individual liberty, anti-authoritarianism, a DIY ethic, non-conformity, anti-corporatism, anti-government, direct action, and not selling out.
Some groups and individuals that try to self-identify as being a part of the punk subculture hold pro-Nazi or Fascist views. However, these Nazi/Fascist groups are rejected by almost all of the punk subculture. The belief that such views are opposed to the original ethos of the punk subculture, and its history, has led to internal conflicts and an active push against such views being considered part of punk subculture at all. Two examples of this are an incident during the 2016 American Music Awards, where the band Green Day chanted anti-racist and anti-fascist messages, and an incident at a show by the Dropkick Murphys, when bassist and singer Ken Casey tackled an individual for giving a Nazi-style salute and later stated that Nazis are not welcome at a Dropkick Murphys show. Band member Tim Brennan later reaffirmed this sentiment. The song "Nazi Punks Fuck Off" by hardcore punk band Dead Kennedys is a standout example.
Early British punks expressed nihilistic and anarchist views with the slogan No Future, which came from the Sex Pistols song "God Save the Queen". In the United States, punks had a different approach to nihilism which was less anarchistic than the British punks. Punk nihilism was expressed in the use of "harder, more self-destructive, consciousness-obliterating substances like heroin, or methamphetamine".
Fashion
Early punk fashion adapted everyday objects for aesthetic effect: ripped clothing was held together by safety pins or wrapped with tape; ordinary clothing was customised by embellishing it with marker or adorning it with paint; a black bin liner became a dress, shirt or skirt; safety pins and razor blades were used as jewellery. Also popular have been leather, rubber, and PVC clothing that is often associated with transgressive sexuality, like BDSM and S&M.Walker, John. (1992) "Punk" . Glossary of Art, Architecture & Design since 1945, 3rd. ed. A designer associated with early UK punk fashion was Vivienne Westwood, who made clothes for Malcolm McLaren's boutique in the King's Road, which became famous as "SEX".
Many punks wear tight "drainpipe" jeans, plaid/tartan trousers, kilts or skirts, T-shirts, leather jackets (often decorated with painted band logos, pins and buttons, and metal studs, chains or spikes), and footwear such as high-cut Chuck Taylors, trainers, skate shoes, brothel creepers, Dr. Martens boots, and army boots. Early punks occasionally wore clothes displaying a swastika for shock value; Vivienne Westwood's DESTROY shirt featured an upside-down crucified Jesus and a swastika, notably worn by members of the Sex Pistols. Most contemporary punks are staunchly anti-racist and are more likely to wear a crossed-out swastika symbol than a pro-Nazi symbol. Some punks cut their hair into mohawks or other dramatic shapes, style it to stand in spikes, and colour it with vibrant, unnatural hues.