[quote]entheogens wrote:
A-Dizz wrote:
I’m a punk rocker at heart and would love to discuss this stuff ad naseum if anyone does so desire.
-dizzle
What got you into punk? For me, I am almost the same age as
Biafra. You wouldn’t believe the shit we had to listen to on the radio in the mid to late seventies (or maybe you would). I mean, you had the 60s where this new music was born amongst the idealism , then in the 70s rock got pretty much co-opted and you had to listen to corporate rock. If I ever hear Peter Frampton again, I swear I am going to barf, so stay clear! This was the age of such <> as Barry Mannilow, Neil Sedaka, the Captain and Tanille (sic) and other butt-wipes of that genre. And, yes, this was the me-generation’s dizzying descent towards the Reagan “Revolution” in 1980. People were wearing shit like LaCoste sweaters to class.
Then I started hearing through friends these albums by groups like the Sex Pistols, Dead Kennedys, the Gang of Four, the Ramones. Man, what a relief! They created a vortex that drew in youth like myself who were tired of the conservative worldview and the fucking boring, soulless music it was producing.
I can almost say that Punk music saved my soul, because I was feeling really alienated by the culture around me.
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Cool story. It seems like a lot of people get into punk rock simply because they see through the vain attitudes and general lameness that comes with listening to the pop stuff.
For me, I was assimiliated into the punk rock brotherhood from my first Warped Tour. It was Warped Tour '99. (If you’ve been to a Warped Tour post 2001, please don’t judge me because of that. The Warped Tour now is rampant with craptastic bands, sky-high prices for everything, and 15 year old girls chapperoned by their mommies and daddies who come to see Fall Out Boy and other non-threatening cookie cutter douche bag bands. Make no mistake though, the Warped Tour used to be legit and all the die-hard punk rockers used to find their homes there.) I went and it was just a sea of mohawks, tattoos, piercings, loud music, free stickers/patches/shirts/CDs/etc., and aggression. It was contained chaos. ALthough everyone there looked like they wanted to kill your mom, they were also the first ones to help you up if you fell down in a mosh pit or engage in friendly conversation while waiting in line for something.
It was this overwhelming sense of community that just drew me in. Everyone was there for a purpose and you could see it in their eyes. It was so collectively in your face and badass that I couldn’t turn the other cheek. I got a bunch of free CDs and listened to the music when I got home and it literally sucked me in. I couldn’t stop listening to it (and still can’t). I went back the next year and instead of observing this crazy lifestyle I felt like I was living the lifestyle. I was in the pits, singing the songs, talking the talk and walking the walk and I just felt so at home. All my friends from there on out were punk rockers just by circumstance because we connect on a different level than most people can understand.
I feel like when punk rockers come together it’s always about the group and not the individual. We’ve gone through so much ridicule and torment outside of our meeting grounds that we truly understand the value of community and brotherhood than most other groups. It’s not just about the music, it’s about living the life and connecting with your true inner self and other people. Punk rock didn’t necessarily save my life as much as it shaped it to the point where I didn’t have to worry about salvation. For almost as long as I’ve been really deep into music I’ve loved punk rock, and it helped me find my place in the world.
Just to name a few more bands that I love:
Punk - F-Minus, Lars and the Bastards, Dropkick, Bouncing Souls, Anti-Flag, the Suicide Machines, Nekromantix, Clit 45, Patriot, All, Ten Foot Pole, Death By Stereo, 98 Mute, Zeke, Dwarves, Union 13, New Bomb Turks, Agnostic Front, The Humpers, Vision, Bombshell Rocks, Down By Law, and Osker.
Ska - New York Ska Xchange, The Toasters, the Slackers, the Pietasters, Catch 22, Streetlight, Hub City Stompers, Skatellites, Mustard Plug, Big D, Hyjinx.
That’s all I can think of right now. Long post, my bad.
-dizzle
