The Origins Of Punk

By Author: Jan Weidenbach
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So you wanna know more about how this punk culture came into existence, huh? I know you will be a little surprise, when I tell'ya that the origins of this subculture started emerging in the United States of America and the United Kingdom in the middle of 1970s. And gradually this culture has spread around the globe and further evolved into a number of different forms.

Punk drew its inspirations from several types of modern art. Various writers, books and literary movements played an important role in the formation of punk aesthetics. The earliest form of punk also known as protopunk evolved in the United States of America in cities such as Detroit, Boston and New York City. Bands like Velvet Underground and MC5 laid the foundations of punk in the United States of America. Later, the transvestite community of New York evolved with glam punk which developed out of the wider glam rock movement.

Soon economic recession instilled a sense of dissatisfaction with life among the youth of Britain, and even in the United States. Punk bands express an attitude of angry social alienation which developed into one of the earliest ...
... punk scenes. Eventually, punk rock was developed which is now often termed as garage rock which has basically guitar and vocals based rock and roll of United States.

In the late 1970s, a second wave of punk bands emerged who moved away from the original sound of punk, and incorporating other musical genres like reggae, rockabilly and jazz into their music. Basically, the message of punk rock was that all's not well in the society and that we all are not equal. Topics like problems faced by the society, oppression of the lower caste, unemployment and individual problems have always remained the centre of punk music.

In 1980s, punk underwent a renaissance as the hardcore punk subculture emerged. The United States saw the emergence of hardcore punk, which is known for fast, aggressive beats and political lyrics. It can be argued, though, that Washington, DC was the site of hardcore punk's first emergence. Early hardcore bands include Dead Kennedys, Black Flag, Bad Brains, The Descendents, early Replacements and The Germs. Other styles like skate punk, emo and straight edge emerged from this hardcore punk movement which finally made way into the mainstream media to form "Punk".
About Author:
Jan Weidenbach is the founder of www.punkz.fm. Emo people welcome!
We have a large punk forum.