PUNX RAWK

There’s has been much discussion among the ranks about punk rock (see the Black Flag post and the prog v. punk shits), all about its implications and consequences and importance. I am far from an expert on the subject even though I act like I am. But I had an epiphany last night that came to me like a dream only I was awake or actually it came to me like a daydream only it was nighttime. What made punk so cool was D.I.Y.: do it yourself. This gave kids the opportunity that they never had before: to be rock and roll stars. Before punk to be a musician you had to be an impish British guy with either a Les Paul or the voice of a prepubescent girl or both preferably. Thanks to punk you could start a band with little to no talent and shitty equipment then head out on tour with a self-released 7” to promote. Sure kids started bands while listening to Aerosmith and Led Zeppelin but it was a pipe dream. There was no real possibility to move outta the basement.

The other real awesome thing is that punk opened the market for independent labels. Once labels got out of the hands of business men and into the hands of music lovers it allowed for some real great art to flourish. Bands like Magazine, Sonic Youth, the Butthole Surfers, the Minutemen, the Dead Kennedy and every other band that is discuss as influential or important in the underground scene would have never been left alone long enough to develop on RCA of Reprise. Instead they would have been dropped since they weren’t moving enough units and where would music be? We’d be hearing goddamn Poison still because without those aforementioned bands there is NO Nirvana and NO Nirvana means hair metal doesn’t die. And who wants that? Fucking idiots in spandex that listen to girls’ metal. Are you a goddamn idiot in spandex that listens to girls’ metal? I didn’t think so. So essentially the punk movement allowed bands to do things their way and let artists take over; which when you’re dealing with art is good since audiences are usually morons who care more about a pretty face than a good song.

Now any one can start a band and let loose. You can get noticed too and maybe even not have to get a real job. Sure it might have over saturated the market with a bunch of teenagers but I’d rather listen to a thousand bands that absolutely love playing music than REO Speedwagon any day of the week.

OH YEAH ASSHOLES CHECK OUT THOSE ELLIOTT SMITH B-SIDES. YES THEY ARE IMPORTANT ENOUGH TO GET TWO MENTIONS AND ALL CAPS. THEY ARE THE LAST TESTAMENTS FROM THE SONGWRITER OF OUR GENERATION. See here and here for further details.