People have been asking the question "What is punk?" for as long as I can remember. And it's not just parents or clueless individuals either, punks themselves ask it too. I suppose it's whatever the fuck you think it is, because giving it a set definition and turning it into a cliche pretty much goes against everything that it really stands for. I can tell you what punk is not, although some people may disagree. Punk IS NOT a wardrobe, although I highly doubt you'll see any of us wearing Tommy Hilfiger clothes or designer jeans because we're just not stupid enough to pay $80 to advertise for some guy we've never met and who has never done a damn thing for us. But we may pay ten bucks for a shirt of a band that kicks ass and actually deserves the support. Punk is not a hair style, and it's just plain idiotic to have a "punker than thou" attitude because you're hair could be registered as a lethal weapon in most states. Hair is dead matter growing out of your head, and does not make a person who they are inside. Punk is not some asshole jock who's trying to impress his cheerleader girlfriend by bloodying up everyone in the pit with his bizarre idea of moshing. Nor is it going out and starting shit just to seem cooler than everyone else when really all you're proving is that you're a sociopathic lunatic , although I do believe that it's alright to start shit if it's for a cause that you really believe in. In a way, it's not even in the music because half the time none of us can agree on what bands are truly punk as fuck and which are just trying to be. Really, none of us are more punk than anyone else in the scene because we all have our good points and our bad, and the scene would blow if we were all the same. Unfortunately there are a lot of people out there who think they are more punk than you and I because their zine is put together better than ours (all this means is that they are either more computer literate or have a whole lot more money than we do), or because they've heard of a band that we haven't (which probably means that we don't get out often enough, or again, they have more money so they can buy more shit), or for whatever other lame reason that they come up with in the middle of the night to help them feel more unique and powerful. On the plus side, these people are in the minority and they can just cease to exist in our minds, The majority of the people in the punk community are very kind, helpful people who really do make it worth leaving my home.
LINKS OF INTEREST
VANDALS used to have a better page, but this one still serves it's purpose.
GOOSENECK PRODUCTIONS home of the great "Making Decisions about Punk" comp. that I insist everyone buy. Also probably one of the only good things to come out of E. Burg besides me.
