KillYourScene.net

In the mid 60’s to early 70’s there was a need. An overall displeasure with the stagnant mainstream music being force fed to the masses. This Need grew into a necessity, something had to change and it had to start from the ground up, the underground.

Many different bands, each with their own flagrant, flamboyant and many times violent characters can be credited as being there on the ground floor. Prolific personalities like “The Godfather of Punk” Iggy Pop, David Bowie, Lou Reed of the Velvet Underground, just to name a few.

The early antagonists for the punk uprising were not only musical entertainers. Many forward thinking icons had a huge hand in the beginning of a culture. Icons such as pop artist and producer Andy Warhol shared the same hunger for change.

Some would call this all a “Revolution” or some would call it inevitable. It has been said that the greatest of innovations have been born out of necessity and there was certainly no shortage of either. But unfortunately what there a shortage was of was support.  The bands and artists in on the ground floor of this “revolution” of course had little to no support from any major label or producers so right from the beginning a term that would become synonymous as “Punk” itself was first associated …..”D.I.Y” or “Do it yourself”. They had to spark change themselves, and like many cultural revolutions in the past it was not an easy road. Much sacrifice came along with the artistic passions that were followed with not much reward. The stereo typed connotations of a “Punk” are well documented and well earned. Many of these aspiring artists chose a life of poverty and depravity. Many walked away from what would be considered a “Good upbringing” to search out acceptance and support for their passions. This brings me to what is currently lacking within the modern day “Punk Scene”……Passion.

Today there is seemingly no more passion or originality, “Punk’s dead” some would say.  There doesn’t seem to be the same passion for innovation or change in punk or any other genre for that matter. Everything has been done before and everything seems so cookie cutter and mass produced. Punk on a whole would seem to some as disenchanted. But of course isn’t that what the atmosphere was like in the beginning, there was a need for something new, something to breathe life into a dyeing scene. Change could be just around the corner. Who knows, maybe it could be you.