You know I sometimes wonder how many of the original Punk Rock bands were really "Punk Rock" because there were a lot of rules put up on what is Punk Rock and what isn't and those original Punk Rock bands didn't always heed to those rules themselves.
So what are those rules about what is and what is not Punk Rock?
1. Lyric-wise Punk Rock should be about singing it like you lived it, songs about being angry with authoritative figures, boredom, being unemployed, being broke, being angry with the girlfriend. Ain't nothing but the truth, your honor, so help me god.
2. Punk Rock as music should be fast and loud, played by people who could barely play their instruments, the less proficient you were at playing your instrument the better.
3. Punk Rock should be played on cheap shitty instruments, you're on the dole, you simply can't afford better that's the cold truth here.
4. Punk is all about being the real deal, fakers will be found out right away.
5. Punk Rock bands will never help each other out, it's a dog-eat-dog world and a warzone at a punk rock concert.
6. Punk is all about rejecting what came before, Rock Dinosaurs were going to be extinct for a good reason.
So having mentioned all those rules, let's see which ones were followed to the letter and which ones were not by the original Punk Rock bands.
1. Lyric-wise Punk Rock should be about singing it like you lived it, songs about being angry with authoritative figures, boredom, being unemployed, being broke, being angry with the girlfriend. Ain't nothing but the truth, your honor, so help me god.
Very few Punk Rock bands actually sang it like they lived it. The Sex Pistols for example were art students, The Clash' Joe Strummer had his life in order, in fact the only Punk Rock song I can think off from the top of my head which told it like they lived it was "Boredom" by the Buzzcocks.
2. Punk Rock as music should be fast and loud, played by people who could barely play their instruments, the less proficient you were at playing your instrument the better.
Fast and loud was a rule that all Punk Rock bands gladly complied to. But Proficiency on their instrument was more important than they proclaimed it was. Listen to "Nevermind the bollocks" and hear how tight and well rehearsed Steve Jones and Paul Cook were. Or listen to "London Calling" and hear how the Clash were evolving musically with Paul Simonon and Mick Jones having mastered their instruments and bringing in self written songs.
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/e7/b4/34/e7b434ed23f5274610a866dcda660d58.jpg
And what about Nina Hagen, the princess of Punk Rock had a classical training as an Opera singer and her band consisted of seasoned professionals, also listen to a song like "Natur träne" and hear how intricate the music on that song was and that it is slow, dragging and intense. John Lydon (That's Johnny Rotten, mate) said that Punk Rock as the Pistols were playing it was in his opinion "Too Conventional" he envisioned Punk Rock to be dissonant, harsh, unlistenable. He manifested his true vision with PiL which again had very good musicians in their ranks.
3. Punk Rock should be played on cheap shitty instruments, you're on the dole, you simply can't afford better that's the cold truth here.
Steve Shelley of the Buzzcocks' best known instrument was a crappy Japanese made guitar with the top half broken off.
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/64/6f/10/646f10b6b7484f83a3b8a755f132efe1.jpg
But as soon as he could afford to buy himself a better guitar he did just that. Ditching that cracked guitar for a Gibson Marauder. It was the same with the other Punk Rock bands, Mick Jones of the Clash and Steve Jones (No relation) of the Sex Pistols both favored Gibson Les Paul Customs and even back then that was an expensive and fancy guitar, top of the range of Gibson electrics. Punk bass players favored the Rickenbacker 4001 Bass for its biting, rattling "Clank" sound and the Fender Precision bass for its deep "Punch" (Think J.J. Burnell on The Strangles' "No More Heroes") both those basses being proven workhorses and certainly not cheap. And look at the backlines: Fender and Marshall stacks, you couldn't buy those if you were on the dole...
4. Punk is all about being the real deal, fakers will be found out right away.
http://cps-static.rovicorp.com/3/JPG_400/MI0000/740/MI0000740362.jpg?partner=allrovi.com
Ask Plastic Bertrand what it was like being a fake punk. NOBODY took him seriously Certainly not when it came out that he never even sang on his songs. "Ca plan pour moi merde" But "White Punks on dope" by the Tubes was accepted as a punk rock anthem while the song itself was meant to be a spoof on Glam Rock, making fun of bands like T-Rex and Alice Cooper.
5. Punk Rock bands will never help each other out, it's a dog-eat-dog world and a warzone at a punk rock concert..
Just with any grassroots movement, where word of mouth is the way to spread the word around on where Punk Rock bands were playing, the bands would tell other bands what a good venue was, who they should check out and they would often lend backlines to the other bands, so they didn't need to sound check in between performances, it s a Dog-eat-dog world united they stood tall.
6. Punk is all about rejecting what came before, Rock Dinosaurs were going to be extinct for a good reason.
Pete Townshend once ran into John Lydon and Paul Cook and being totally into what Punk Rock was about apologized to them about having become a Rock Dinosaur. At which Lydon went "No, not at all, we really love the 'Oo." a Point proven by the fact that the Sex Pistols played "Substitute" live. Also old rockers such as "Summertime Blues" and "Come on everybody" by Eddie Cochran were firm live favorite shows that Punk not only accepted where the roots came from but also sang their praises. And I haven't even mentioned Sid Vicious' version of "My way..."
So was Punk Rock really all that it claimed it was?
The interesting part of the story was that the Post-punk era was much closer to what Punk Rock was setting itself up to be. I already mentioned Public Image Limited, but New wave bands like The Cure and Joy Division but also ska bands like The Specials adopted the "sing it like you live it" mantra."Message to you Rudy" and "Ghost Town" by the Specials accurately showed the bleak late seventies Britain.
In the USA, Hardcore bands took the mantra of no proficiency needed at playing your instrument to heart, bands like Fear, Big Black, The Germs and Shellac had no experience and didn't even bother to tune their guitars.
Again in Hardcore and new wave crappy instruments were used, Japanese made copy guitars bought in pawnshops were firm favorites because of them being affordable. Robert Smith of the Cure recorded "Three Imaginary boys" on a crappy plywood Woolworths top twenty guitar and didn't switch to playing Fender jazzmasters until the producer pushed a wad of cash in his hands and begged him to buy a better guitar. Pat Smear during the entire time that The Germs existed didn't even OWN a guitar, always relying on loaners to play shows. In true punk rock style, when Smear joined Nirvana, he sold his guitars to afford the plane ticket to Seattle, at which Kurt Cobain told him "Don't worry, we have a deal with Fender, I'll hook you up." and a few days after Joining Smear was given three brand new Fender guitars that he continues playing to this day.
http://www.alternativenation.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/patsmearguitar.jpg
But being completely disillusioned by what Punk Rock became in very little time, it became a fashion, corporate firms began to run with it, the whole "Voice of the angry young man" was taken out, Malcolm McLaren brought out "the Rock N Roll" swindle" movie, And letś not forget that THE punk rock club CBGBś is now a clothing store and a restaurant in JFK airport.
John Lydon made a statement at the Final Sex Pistols show which sums it all up...
"Ever get the feeling you've been cheated?"
So what are those rules about what is and what is not Punk Rock?
1. Lyric-wise Punk Rock should be about singing it like you lived it, songs about being angry with authoritative figures, boredom, being unemployed, being broke, being angry with the girlfriend. Ain't nothing but the truth, your honor, so help me god.
2. Punk Rock as music should be fast and loud, played by people who could barely play their instruments, the less proficient you were at playing your instrument the better.
3. Punk Rock should be played on cheap shitty instruments, you're on the dole, you simply can't afford better that's the cold truth here.
4. Punk is all about being the real deal, fakers will be found out right away.
5. Punk Rock bands will never help each other out, it's a dog-eat-dog world and a warzone at a punk rock concert.
6. Punk is all about rejecting what came before, Rock Dinosaurs were going to be extinct for a good reason.
So having mentioned all those rules, let's see which ones were followed to the letter and which ones were not by the original Punk Rock bands.
1. Lyric-wise Punk Rock should be about singing it like you lived it, songs about being angry with authoritative figures, boredom, being unemployed, being broke, being angry with the girlfriend. Ain't nothing but the truth, your honor, so help me god.
Very few Punk Rock bands actually sang it like they lived it. The Sex Pistols for example were art students, The Clash' Joe Strummer had his life in order, in fact the only Punk Rock song I can think off from the top of my head which told it like they lived it was "Boredom" by the Buzzcocks.
2. Punk Rock as music should be fast and loud, played by people who could barely play their instruments, the less proficient you were at playing your instrument the better.
Fast and loud was a rule that all Punk Rock bands gladly complied to. But Proficiency on their instrument was more important than they proclaimed it was. Listen to "Nevermind the bollocks" and hear how tight and well rehearsed Steve Jones and Paul Cook were. Or listen to "London Calling" and hear how the Clash were evolving musically with Paul Simonon and Mick Jones having mastered their instruments and bringing in self written songs.
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/e7/b4/34/e7b434ed23f5274610a866dcda660d58.jpg
And what about Nina Hagen, the princess of Punk Rock had a classical training as an Opera singer and her band consisted of seasoned professionals, also listen to a song like "Natur träne" and hear how intricate the music on that song was and that it is slow, dragging and intense. John Lydon (That's Johnny Rotten, mate) said that Punk Rock as the Pistols were playing it was in his opinion "Too Conventional" he envisioned Punk Rock to be dissonant, harsh, unlistenable. He manifested his true vision with PiL which again had very good musicians in their ranks.
3. Punk Rock should be played on cheap shitty instruments, you're on the dole, you simply can't afford better that's the cold truth here.
Steve Shelley of the Buzzcocks' best known instrument was a crappy Japanese made guitar with the top half broken off.
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/64/6f/10/646f10b6b7484f83a3b8a755f132efe1.jpg
But as soon as he could afford to buy himself a better guitar he did just that. Ditching that cracked guitar for a Gibson Marauder. It was the same with the other Punk Rock bands, Mick Jones of the Clash and Steve Jones (No relation) of the Sex Pistols both favored Gibson Les Paul Customs and even back then that was an expensive and fancy guitar, top of the range of Gibson electrics. Punk bass players favored the Rickenbacker 4001 Bass for its biting, rattling "Clank" sound and the Fender Precision bass for its deep "Punch" (Think J.J. Burnell on The Strangles' "No More Heroes") both those basses being proven workhorses and certainly not cheap. And look at the backlines: Fender and Marshall stacks, you couldn't buy those if you were on the dole...
4. Punk is all about being the real deal, fakers will be found out right away.
http://cps-static.rovicorp.com/3/JPG_400/MI0000/740/MI0000740362.jpg?partner=allrovi.com
Ask Plastic Bertrand what it was like being a fake punk. NOBODY took him seriously Certainly not when it came out that he never even sang on his songs. "Ca plan pour moi merde" But "White Punks on dope" by the Tubes was accepted as a punk rock anthem while the song itself was meant to be a spoof on Glam Rock, making fun of bands like T-Rex and Alice Cooper.
5. Punk Rock bands will never help each other out, it's a dog-eat-dog world and a warzone at a punk rock concert..
Just with any grassroots movement, where word of mouth is the way to spread the word around on where Punk Rock bands were playing, the bands would tell other bands what a good venue was, who they should check out and they would often lend backlines to the other bands, so they didn't need to sound check in between performances, it s a Dog-eat-dog world united they stood tall.
6. Punk is all about rejecting what came before, Rock Dinosaurs were going to be extinct for a good reason.
Pete Townshend once ran into John Lydon and Paul Cook and being totally into what Punk Rock was about apologized to them about having become a Rock Dinosaur. At which Lydon went "No, not at all, we really love the 'Oo." a Point proven by the fact that the Sex Pistols played "Substitute" live. Also old rockers such as "Summertime Blues" and "Come on everybody" by Eddie Cochran were firm live favorite shows that Punk not only accepted where the roots came from but also sang their praises. And I haven't even mentioned Sid Vicious' version of "My way..."
So was Punk Rock really all that it claimed it was?
The interesting part of the story was that the Post-punk era was much closer to what Punk Rock was setting itself up to be. I already mentioned Public Image Limited, but New wave bands like The Cure and Joy Division but also ska bands like The Specials adopted the "sing it like you live it" mantra."Message to you Rudy" and "Ghost Town" by the Specials accurately showed the bleak late seventies Britain.
In the USA, Hardcore bands took the mantra of no proficiency needed at playing your instrument to heart, bands like Fear, Big Black, The Germs and Shellac had no experience and didn't even bother to tune their guitars.
Again in Hardcore and new wave crappy instruments were used, Japanese made copy guitars bought in pawnshops were firm favorites because of them being affordable. Robert Smith of the Cure recorded "Three Imaginary boys" on a crappy plywood Woolworths top twenty guitar and didn't switch to playing Fender jazzmasters until the producer pushed a wad of cash in his hands and begged him to buy a better guitar. Pat Smear during the entire time that The Germs existed didn't even OWN a guitar, always relying on loaners to play shows. In true punk rock style, when Smear joined Nirvana, he sold his guitars to afford the plane ticket to Seattle, at which Kurt Cobain told him "Don't worry, we have a deal with Fender, I'll hook you up." and a few days after Joining Smear was given three brand new Fender guitars that he continues playing to this day.
http://www.alternativenation.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/patsmearguitar.jpg
But being completely disillusioned by what Punk Rock became in very little time, it became a fashion, corporate firms began to run with it, the whole "Voice of the angry young man" was taken out, Malcolm McLaren brought out "the Rock N Roll" swindle" movie, And letś not forget that THE punk rock club CBGBś is now a clothing store and a restaurant in JFK airport.
John Lydon made a statement at the Final Sex Pistols show which sums it all up...
"Ever get the feeling you've been cheated?"
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