For me, this question has always been a hard one. I usually reply, "Punk, I guess," but I'm never really happy with that answer, and here's why:
Words work because of the connotation people ascribe to them. When people say that Barack Obama is Hitler, they do not actually mean that Obama is the Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945 that invaded Poland, started World War II, and was the mastermind of one the most successful acts of genocide in recorded history, they mean that, in their opinion, Obama is an evil human being comparable to one of the most undisputed villains of history. As a matter of definition, this doesn't really make sense; Obama is nothing like Hitler. However, due to the connotation the word 'Hitler' itself, it is an effective, albeit immature and hateful, means of expression.
"Now," you may ask because you don't understand how prose works, "How does this relate to what genre your band is?"
To the casual observer, punk is a fast, aggressive subgenre of rock and roll with anti-establishment themes and an iconic subculture, and when it first burst onto the scene in the 1970s, that observation was fairly accurate. However, punk then is not necessarily like punk now because of the fundamental difference between punk and other genres of music, the view of what the purpose of music is.
While other genres treat music as a sport, with the best and most accomplished and celebrated musicians being those who excel at their instrument and in the techniques and sounds favored in that particular genre, punk treats music as a tool for communicating an emotion, idea, or story. Because of this, punk is stripped down of all excess; if something isn't helping express the point of the song, it's unnecessary. Masturbatory displays of virtuosity are discouraged, and length is often sacrificed for the sake of clarity.
Because of this focus on expression rather than skill, an integral part of punk is that the emotion behind the music is real, that the lyrics are honest, and that the sentiments are heartfelt. Punk musicians are not making music to make money or to get laid (so don't even try it, buddy), or they wouldn't be playing punk.
And because of this earnestness behind the music, punk has a much stronger sense of community than any other genre of music. Punk is the only genre of music that has several bands who give away all of their music for free, who make merch by hand, who invite fans to play onstage with them, and so on, because they care about and understand their fans, who care about and understand them back.
And that is why I say my band is "punk, I guess." Because we use music as an expressive tool, write honest lyrics, and feel a strong sense of community with our fellow human beings. We do not sound like the Sex Pistols. We do not sound like Blink-182. Hell, we even have some midtempo songs. What makes us punk isn't that my voice is gruff and that we play aggressively sometimes, what makes us punk is something intangible, something beautiful in the rawness and reason behind what we do.
But actually what makes us punk is that I don't shower that often and have a girlfriend with a mohawk. That's it.
While other genres treat music as a sport, with the best and most accomplished and celebrated musicians being those who excel at their instrument and in the techniques and sounds favored in that particular genre, punk treats music as a tool for communicating an emotion, idea, or story. Because of this, punk is stripped down of all excess; if something isn't helping express the point of the song, it's unnecessary. Masturbatory displays of virtuosity are discouraged, and length is often sacrificed for the sake of clarity.
Because of this focus on expression rather than skill, an integral part of punk is that the emotion behind the music is real, that the lyrics are honest, and that the sentiments are heartfelt. Punk musicians are not making music to make money or to get laid (so don't even try it, buddy), or they wouldn't be playing punk.
And because of this earnestness behind the music, punk has a much stronger sense of community than any other genre of music. Punk is the only genre of music that has several bands who give away all of their music for free, who make merch by hand, who invite fans to play onstage with them, and so on, because they care about and understand their fans, who care about and understand them back.
And that is why I say my band is "punk, I guess." Because we use music as an expressive tool, write honest lyrics, and feel a strong sense of community with our fellow human beings. We do not sound like the Sex Pistols. We do not sound like Blink-182. Hell, we even have some midtempo songs. What makes us punk isn't that my voice is gruff and that we play aggressively sometimes, what makes us punk is something intangible, something beautiful in the rawness and reason behind what we do.
But actually what makes us punk is that I don't shower that often and have a girlfriend with a mohawk. That's it.
I think also what makes a band punk is if they where skinny jeans and brightly colored clothing. It doesn't actually have to do with how the music sounds. : )
ReplyDeleteOkay...sounds good to me...what you say about it that is...I don't have a clue as to what the music sounds like but you seem very knowledgeable about it. Rock on!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading this. It was beautifully written and I walked away with a better understanding of the philosophy of punk, which is appreciated.
ReplyDeleteHa, I like the last sentence. Good summary.
ReplyDeleteThat was a very well written description of Punk and what its all about. Now if only more people on the internet were to read and understand said description, then the Punk genre would have to deal with less... haters than they (along with every other genre of music in history) have to deal with today. Thank you for giving me a clearer understanding of Punk and what makes it tick, I truly appreciate it.
ReplyDeleteI like how you described the sense of community within the punk genre, and it reminds me of the days my son now calls "old school". Very cool...
ReplyDelete"Masturbatory displays of virtuosity are discouraged, and length is often sacrificed for the sake of clarity."
ReplyDeleteI love that sentence! And the last paragraph is funny. I think most of us all feel punk sometimes.