DIY

I admit I can be pretentious at times, but essentially I am a simple guy. A simple guy who appreciates the simpler things in life. This sentiment is presently manifesting itself in my renewed interest in the Punk rock genre of music. Punk rock started as somewhat of a cultural revolt against what rock music in the 60s had become. The intricate themes and elaborate stage performances of bands such as Pink Floyd and Velvet Underground were definitely significant contributions to music, but they were taking rock music away from the masses. Not everybody had the sophistication and literary background of Syd Barrett, neither was the artistic flair that Andy Warhol brought to Velvet Underground available to all. Anyways, these things are not essential to the art of song writing or performance.

From within the frustrating and decaying social scene of New York, The Ramones came and reclaimed rock music for the common man. Their finest hour was the song ‘Blitzkrieg Bop’. The rallying cry that the song starts with, sparked a revolution marked by the pursuit of independence and dissent towards any and all things that signified the corruption of the erstwhile establishment. On the other side of the Atlantic, London’s Sex Pistols did their bit with timeless classics such as –‘Anarchy in the UK’ and ‘God save the queen’. More than anything else, it was the unconventional image of John Lydon and Sid Vicious that so endeared them to the masses. People must have thought, if these boys from Finsbury Park can speak up, why can’t we? It was unfortunate, however, that Sid Vicious died at the age of 21 because of a reckless life style, marred by drug abuse.

While New York’s famous nightclub CBGB was the birthplace of Punk Rock, it was definitely the UK where the genre found its best ambassadors. Apart from the Sex Pistols, bands like Buzzcocks and The Clash took Punk to the next level. The clash touched upon sensitive political themes, often encouraging their audiences to think for themselves and question the establishment. My personal favorite from The Clash’s work is the song – ‘London Calling’. This 1979 classic was inspired by issues such as the three miles island nuclear accident, flooding in Thames and urban riots in London. All in all, what the Punks achieved was that they could bring to mainstream issues which concerned the man of the street every day, but were never articulated.

P.S. – For rock fans, I recommend listening to the albums ‘Zen Arcade’ and ‘Candy Apple Grey’ by Husker Du. Husker Du were among the better bands around in the 80s, and have been cited as influences by bands such as Nirvana and Green Day.