On punk.

“All punk is is attitude. That’s what makes it. The attitude.” – Joey Ramone

During the summer before grade 10, I made a bold decision – I cut my hair. Now, I don’t mean just a trim or even several inches, I cut it all off. I wanted my hair short and spiked. I wanted to feel different. I wanted to feel more like me. I also remember debuting this new haircut on the first day of school, wearing a plaid skirt and a shirt that read “girls rock”. Some may see this as a small act of teenage rebellion, but to this day, I think back on it as a moment in my life where I was not afraid to be myself. It is important to note that this was heavily influenced on my newfound love of punk music. Keep in mind that this is the year 2000, so the “punk” I was listening to was actually pop punk like Blink 182 and MXPX, but nonetheless, it was the music that encouraged me to be myself regardless of what anyone else thought.

Fast forward to today, and I am enjoying punk and post punk music more than ever before. This rediscovery actually came from my teaching. Last school year I taught a unit on the history of music in the 20th century to my grade 12 Adventures in World History class. When we got to the lesson about punk, I was so excited to expose my students to the loud sounds and outrageous looks that accompanied it. Even in 2019, the sights and sounds of the Sex Pistols still shocked my students. I even had students slow down as they were walking past my room and peak in, no doubt wondering what the heck I was playing. Later that night, I told Brandon that if I were to go back to school and get my Masters in History, I would definitely want to focus my research on punk rock. Brandon then did some quick researching himself, and purchased me books on this history of punk.

Punk Rock: An Oral History by John Robb made a major impact on me. Told by the actual musicians that were part of the British punk scene, this book opened me up to so many bands I had never listened to before, and taught me lessons I will keep with me forever. I especially became enamoured with the words of John Lydon, the frontman of the Sex Pistols and Public Image Ltd. In the book, he kept saying, as did many others, that punk wasn’t just the music, and it certainly wasn’t the fashion. It was the attitude. Punk is anti-establishment; it’s quite frankly saying “fuck you” to society. It’s about being yourself and not caring what other people think about you. It’s about doing what you want, ignoring societal norms. It’s about questioning the status quo, doing things yourself, and being free from the constraints of the expectations of others. The music was the vehicle for these messages.

I have to be honest, I have become a little obsessed with Lydon, the Sex Pistols, and PiL, but have also been loving The Clash, X-Ray Specs, the Buzzcocks, the Adverts, the Damned, and many more. The music makes me feel something. Not anger, but energy. It reminds me that I shouldn’t have to conform, but be myself. I don’t have have dress a particular way, and I definitely shouldn’t have to think a certain way. If I want to wear a super feminine outfit one day, and leopard print and leather the next, it doesn’t matter. I can do whatever the hell I want. It’s because I’m being me. This is the philosophy that I want to live by. To be true to myself, to question, and to challenge.

 

Punk has been seen as a fad. It ultimately reached its peak in 1977, then spurred into sub genres like oi punk, hardcore, and post-punk. The sounds may be different, but for me, the message remains the same. And it’s a message that is still incredibly important and relevant today. According to Lydon, labelling yourself as a punk, or anything at that matter, should be avoided. You can be influenced by something, but you need to progress to discover your own individuality. You can’t buy it in stores, it’s possibly something that you’re brought up with, your values, culture, or maybe it’s in your genetics. It’s not physical, but mental. And that’s the most important thing to remember.