Punk subculture Totally Explained

Everything about The Punk Subculture totally explained

The punk subculture is a subculture that's based around punk rock. It emerged from the larger rock music scene in the mid-to-late-1970s in the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada and Australia. The punk movement has spread around the globe and developed into a number of different forms.
Punk culture encompasses distinct styles of music, ideologies, fashion, visual art, dance, literature, and film. Punk also lays claim to a lifestyle and community. The punk scene is composed of an assortment of smaller subcultures, such as Oi! and pop punk. These subcultures distinguish themselves through unique expressions of punk culture. Several subcultures have developed out of punk to become distinct in their own right, including hardcore, goth and psychobilly. The punk movement has had a tumultuous relationship with popular culture, and struggles to resist commercialization and appropriation.

History

Dance The punk subculture has developed a variety of dancing styles, some which appear chaotic and violent. This has led some punk concerts to look like small-scale riots. The dance styles most associated with punk rock are pogo dancing (allegedly invented by Sid Vicious of the Sex Pistols as he attempted to see above the heads of fellow punks at a show) and moshing (a term credited to the early hardcore band The Bad Brains, known earlier as slam dancing). Stage diving and crowd surfing were originally associated with protopunk bands such as The Stooges, and have appeared at punk, metal and rock concerts. Ska punk promoted an updated version of skanking and Hardcore dancing is a later development influenced by all of these styles.

Literature

Punk has generated a considerable amount of poetry and prose. Punk has its own underground press in the form of punk zines, which feature news, gossip, cultural criticism, and interviews. Some zines take the form of perzines. Important punk zines include Maximum RocknRoll, Punk Planet, Cometbus, and Search & Destroy . Several novels, biographies, autobiographies, and comic books have been written about punk. Love and Rockets is a notable comic with a plot involving the Los Angeles punk scene.
Examples of punk poets include: Jim Carroll, Patti Smith, John Cooper Clarke, Seething Wells, Raegan Butcher, and Attila the Stockbroker. The Medway Poets performance group included punk musician Billy Childish and had an influence on Tracey Emin. Jim Carroll's autobiographical works are among the first known examples of punk literature. The punk subculture has inspired the cyberpunk and steampunk literature genres.

Film

Many punk films have been made, and punk rock music videos and punk skate videos are common. The use of stock footage typifies punk film. Several famous groups have participated in movies, such as the Ramones in Rock 'n' Roll High School and the Sex Pistols in The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle. Some well-known punks have even had biopics made about them, such as Sid and Nancy, which tells the story of Sid Vicious (portrayed by Gary Oldman) and Nancy Spungen (portrayed by Chloe Webb).
Original footage of punk bands is also often used in music documentaries. The seminal punk documentary is The Filth and the Fury, detailing the rise of the Sex Pistols. In addition to the members of that band and its affiliates (Malcolm McLaren, Vivienne Westwood, Nancy Spungen, etc.) it also features archival footage of Billy Idol, Sting, Shane McGowan, and a young teenaged girl who would grow up to be Siouxsie Sioux, among others. One of the highlights of the movie is footage of the Sex Pistols playing "God Save the Queen" on a barge in the middle of the Thames during the Silver Jubilee of Elizabeth II, and their subsequent arrest.
The No Wave Cinema and Remodernist film movements owe much to punk aesthetics. Derek Jarman and Don Letts are notable punk filmmakers. Many other films are associated with punk, such as 24 Hour Party People, which presents the evolution of punk rock into New Wave and Madchester, and Threat, which focuses on militant Straight edge punks in the New York hardcore scene.

Lifestyle

Punks can come from any and all walks of life and economic classes. The subculture is predominantly male, with the exception of the riot grrrl movement. Compared to some alternative cultures, punk is much closer to being gender equalist in terms of its ideology. Although the punk subculture is mostly anti-racist, it's vastly white (at least in predominantly-white countries). However, members of other groups (such as Blacks, Latinos, Asians and Cambodians) have also contributed to the development of the subculture. Substance abuse has sometimes been a part of the punk scene, with the notable exception of the straight edge movement. Violence has also sometimes appeared in the punk subculture, but has been opposed by some subsets of the subculture, such as the pacifist strain of anarcho-punk. | Includes styles associated with 1980s UK punks and skinheads, such as: Dr. Martens, flat caps, Levi' jeans, rocker jacket or flight jacket |- | Pop punk | Late 1970s United Kingdom and United States | Punk rock fused with various styles of pop music | Ramones, Buzzcocks, Green Day, Blink-182, The Queers, The Offspring, NOFX | Relationships, sex, Off-color toilet humour and various other themes | Rocker jackets, Chuck Taylor All-Stars, trucker hats, neckties, elements of other punk fashions |- | Queercore | Mid 1980s American hardcore punk | Range of punk styles | God Is My Co-Pilot, The Dicks, Pansy Division, Team Dresch, Limp Wrist, | Homosexuality, gay rights, marginalized sexuality, Štefan ml. | Similar to hardcore styles |- | Riot grrrl | Early 1990s Seattle, Olympia, and Washington, D.C. hardcore punk | Alternative rock-influenced punk | Bratmobile, Bikini Kill, Free Kitten, Sleater-Kinney | Feminism, female empowerment, and some themes similar to queercore | Kinderwhore |- | Scum punk | 1990s American hardcore punk and shock rock artists like Alice Cooper | Intentionally abrasive and loud, with poor musicianship | GG Allin, The Scumfucs, Antiseen | Transgressive art, sexual and violent lyrics with taboo subjects | |- | Ska punk | 1980s North America and United Kingdom | Typical punk instrumentation plus brass instruments and other wind instruments; influenced by 2 Tone, hardcore punk and pop punk | Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Operation Ivy, Rancid, Goldfinger, Less Than Jake, Reel Big Fish | Anti-racism, unity, light personal themes | Styles influenced by the 2 Tone, pop punk and hardcore punk scenes |- | Skate punk | Early 1980s California skateboarding and surfing scenes | Similar to hardcore punk | JFA, Big Boys, Suicidal Tendencies, Drunk Injuns, Septic Death (to some degree) | Anti-authoritarianism, extreme sports | Sagging clothes, skate shoes, trucker hats |- |Surf Punk | 1980s California hardcore punk, surfing scenes | hardcore punk, Surf Rock | Agent Orange (band), and others led the way for the surf punk movement. | Surf punks share similar views as every hard-core punk rocker adding environmental issue's. They are simply surfers who love punk rock as much as they love the ocean. Surf all day and Rock all night. | Varies, but usually surf punks don't share the same anit-fashion style as other subcultures. Every surfer is different just like the waves they ride, but most surf punks have shaved heads, boardshorts/cargo shorts, and skate shoes. |-
| UK 82 | 1980s United Kingdom | Elements of Oi! and hardcore; fast, angry and rough | The Exploited, Charged GBH, The Varukers, Vice Squad | Working class life, inner-city themes; sometimes political | Includes styles associated with 1980s UK punks |- |}

Subcultures influenced by punk

Several subcultures started out closely related to the punk subculture but broke away, becoming distinct and separate cultures. Some of these groups have retained friendly and cooperative relations with punks, but others have developed a feeling of mutual animosity.

Subculture	Origins	Music	Major bands	Ideology & Lyrics	Fashion
2 Tone	1970s UK punk, ska, rocksteady, reggae, pop	Typical punk instrumentation plus brass instruments and other wind instruments	The Specials, The Selecter, The Beat, Madness	Escapism (dancing), anti-racism, working class populism	Suits, Trilby hats, & other skinhead/rude boy/mod fashion
Emo	Late 1980s Washington, D.C. hardcore punk	Emotional hardcore	Rites of Spring, Embrace, The Promise Ring,Sunny Day Real Estate	Personal emotional subjects, Straight-edge	Emo fashion (Males typically wear extremely Tight Jeans, comb their often-long black hair over one or both eyes, and some wear black eyeliner, sometimes with red, black or brown eye shadow)
Goth	Late 1970s UK post-punk and positive punk	Gothic rock	Bauhaus, The Sisters of Mercy, Siouxsie & the Banshees	Horror film themes, macabre outlook and fascination with dark subjects	Punk fashion Goth fashion
Grindcore	Late-1980s, US hardcore punk and UK crust punk	Grindcore and its sub-genres	Napalm Death, Extreme Noise Terror, Carcass, Terrorizer	Anarchist/leftist politics, gore and death, explicite sexual/pathological themes, black comedy	Various, heavy metal fashion, anti-fashion etc
Grunge	Mid-1980s Seattle, Washington	Grunge, post-grunge	Nirvana, Mudhoney, Soundgarden, Alice in Chains	Social alienation, angst, nihilism, anti-sexism, anti-media, Generation X	Unkempt, flannel shirts, ripped jeans, long hair, Converse and Dr. Martens boots
Hardline	Late 1980s/early 1990s straight edge	Hardcore, heavy metal and metalcore	Vegan Reich, Raid	Authoritarianism, anti-abortion, heterosexism, veganism, deep ecology, straight edge lifestyle. Many also have affiliation with Abrahamic religions, especially Islam and Rastafarianism.	Varies, but usually typical hardcore styles
Indie	Mid-1980s US and UK	Alternative rock, Garage Punk, experimental, glitch, power pop and other genres	R.E.M., The Smiths, Sonic Youth, Pavement,The White Stripes	Independent labels, regional diversity, grassroots fanbases	Various styles
Mod revival	Late 1970s UK	Influences from 1960s mod-related genres; 1970s punk and pop punk; power pop	The Jam, Secret Affair, Purple Hearts	Aestheticism, narcissism, escapism (dancing), youth issues, working class populism	Suits, military parkas, Fred Perry and Ben Sherman shirts
New Wave	Mid-1970s New York City protopunk	New Wave (music)	Blondie, Elvis Costello, Talking Heads	More pop-oriented, but still edgy	More mainstream punk styles, suits, pop art influences
Psychobilly	Late 1970s US & early 1980s UK	Mixture of Rockabilly, Horror Punk and Deathrock with upright bass instead of an electric bass	The Cramps, The Meteors, Demented Are Go, Nekromantix	Rockabilly, horror film and science fiction themes	Rockabilly fashion mixed with punk fashion
Straight Edge	1980s Washington, D.C. hardcore punk	Hardcore, heavy metal, metalcore, Hip-Hop some indie rock and Emo	Minor Threat, Youth of Today, Slapshot, Earth Crisis	Abstinence from alcohol, tobacco, recreational drug use, and promiscuity	Athletic apparel, camouflage shorts, black X drawn on hand
Taqwacore	Late 1990s hardcore (name comes from the novel The Taqwacores)	Fast and heavy punk/metal	The Kominas	Islamism, progressive and more syncretic forms of Islam (such as the MKO, who follow a syncretic hybrid of Marxism and Islam, for example)	Varies, but Hardcore fashion or even traditional Islamic dress with punk influences are common

Interactions with other subcultures

The late-1960s skinhead subculture had largely died out by 1972, but was revived in the late 1970s, partly because of the influence of punk rock. This led to the development of the working class Oi! movement. Conversely,soul, ska and reggae, popular among traditionalist skinheads, has had an influence on punk music. Punks and skinheads have had both antagonistic and friendly relationships, depending on the social circumstances, time period and geographic location.
   Punk and hip hop emerged around the same time in New York City, and there has been some interaction between the two subcultures. Some of the first hip hop MCs called themselves punk rockers, and some punk fashions have found their way into hip hop dress. Malcolm McLaren played roles in introducing both punk and hip hop to the United Kingdom. Hip hop has influenced some punk and hardcore bands, such as Blaggers I.T.A., Biohazard, The Transplants and Refused.
   The punk and heavy metal subcultures have shared similarities since punk's inception. The early 1970s metal scene was instrumental in the development of protopunk. Glam rockers New York Dolls were massively influential on early punk fashion, and also influenced glam punk and glam metal. Alice Cooper was a forerunner of the fashion and music of both the punk and metal subcultures. Motörhead, since their first album release in 1977, have had continued popularity in the punk scene, and singer Lemmy is a fan of punk rock. Punk-related genres such as metalcore, grindcore and crossover thrash were greatly influenced by heavy metal. The New Wave of British Heavy Metal influenced the UK 82 style, and hardcore punk was a primary influence on thrash metal bands such as Metallica and Slayer; and by proxy, was an influence on death metal and black metal. The grunge subculture was in large a fusion of punk and metal styles in the late 1980s. However, metal's mainstream incarnations have proven anathema to punk. Hardcore and grunge developed in part as reactions against the metal music popular during the 1980s. The industrial subculture also has several ties to punk, in terms of music, fashion and attitude.
   In punk's heyday, punks faced harassment and violent attacks from the general public and from members of other subcultures. It has been reported that in the UK, punks were involved in brawls with Teddy Boys, greasers and bikers. There was also considerable enmity between positive punks and the New Romantics. In the United States, punks sometimes faced abuse from rednecks and other right-wing groups such as white power skinheads. In Sweden, the raggare have sometimes attacked punks.

Footnotes

Bibliography

Willoughby Sharp Joseph Nechvatal, Machine Language Books, 1984, 74 pages
Alan Moore and Marc Miller, eds., ABC No Rio Dinero: The Story of a Lower East Side Art Gallery (Colab, for example Collaborative Projects, NY, 1985)
Marty Munsch All Grown Up the Movie, 2006, 2.2 Hrs

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