Punk culture
From Freepedia
Punk culture as it is seen today started in the mid 1970s as a movement or rebellion against some styles of music which existed at the time such as Prog Rock and Heavy Metal whose stars were seen as out of touch with their fans. Followers of punk culture developed their own, dystopian styles of music, which were originally like underground, minimalist rock and roll. The Sex Pistols are a well known example of Punk rock bands of this era.
Gradually punk became more varied and less minimalist with bands such as The Clash incorporating other underground musical influences like ska and rockabilly and even hip-hop into their music, but the message of the music remained the same; it was subversive, rebellious, politically incorrect and often anarchist. It dealt with topics such as problems facing society, oppression of the lower classes, etc. Punk culture was a message to society that all was not well and all were not identical.
Punk Rock has its original roots in the United States in the late 1960s and early 1970s, taking much influence from pre-punk bands from Europe and North America alike. The influence of The New York Dolls, can still be seen in many punk bands. However, punk style and fashion has its roots more prominently in the UK, specifically the incorporation of the mohawk in punk style. The influence of the mohawk originally came from the movie Taxi Driver, starring Robert DeNiro sporting one later in the movie. Hair dye was a UK innovation on the hair-style. Another influence on punk hair was Richard Hell, who cut his own hair and created the typical "punk" look.
Punk culture in the United Kingdom spilled over into North America in the 1980s and 1990s where people created a new musical style called hardcore which is known for faster, more aggressive beats than its European counterpart. Other styles emerged from this new genre including skate punk and straight edge.
Since the beginning of punk, major label record companies have tried to profit from underground punk culture. For the most part this is met with much resistance because of the punk ethic of musical integrity which punks often feel is threatened by record label profit motivation.
Beginning in the late 1980s, the punk music of the Pacific Northwest of the United States began to be marketed as "grunge". Successful grunge bands like Nirvana and Pearl Jam showed a heavy punk influence in their music. This early commercial success gave way to another style of punk successful in the mainsteam called power-pop or pop-punk. Examples of power-pop bands include Simple Plan, Good Charlotte, and Sum 41.
Many people of the original punk subculture find commercialization of punk disillusioning. They argue that punk is by definition unpopular (seeing "pop punk" as a contradiction in terms) and should remain that way because it provides a needed challenge to mainstream culture.
See also
Punk Rocks
