• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Explain punk "credibility"?

#21
Many many years ago it was acceptable and somewhat desirable in punk circles to have every element of a show to be flying by the seat of its pants and barely holding together by a thread. Broken-down vans scraping into town, amps blowing up on stage mid-performance, fist fights sketchy last-minute venue changes... that was all part of the chaos and enjoyment of wondering if everyone was going to make it out alive.

Nowadays, showing up unprepared on every level is pretty much played out. It sounds like the description in question was meant to be facetious, because anyone with true punk credibility would have gotten that out of their system and ironed out their equipment issues ten years ago.
 
#25
This writer hits it on the head.

Invalid Link Removed

The bands of the late-70's such as Sex Pistols, The Clash, Black Flag, Dead Kennedys etc..gave a new sound and a new voice of protest stemming from the 1960's counterculture and became the harder edge that woke up the world.

I wish I could say that it still exists today but, the so-called bands who claim to be punk, sing merely about pointless issues of how they thrashed their skateboard or about a girl/boy that broke their heart. (Avril Levigne, Green Day, etc)

These posers are tatted from head to toe sporting Mohawks and claim to be punk? Come on. You're not 'Punk',...You're a corporate puppet and conformist who follows every command (such as fashion) and lives only by the philosophy of 'what sells' to the masses. This is not the ideology that started the revolution.

In Punk there are no rules, no regulations, no politically correct statements - just sheer protest and a voice that has no limits or boundaries. These were the ideals of the pioneers of Punk and maybe there are a few hopefuls that still are out there, not selling out but, ultimately, I'm afraid that the truth remains : Punk is dead. Maybe solely by definition but, its legend still reigns and while others may claim to be it, they haven't got a clue what defined it.

....and....Link Removed

And punk in the sense of pure-straight-up-punk died before the end of the 70s. Lots of bands in the 80s tried to flog the punk horse, but they invariably sucked.

If you look at the so-called indie nowadays, it's just boring safe hipster music.

Which brings us to the later movement known as pop-punk. In the early 90s, bands such as Green Day, Blink-182 and the Offspring took punk and Nirvana and made it lighter, friendlier, more immature and (arguably) catchier. They started up a new sound, different from punk but it became known as punk anyway, and appealled to a generation of kids...

A style can never die, obviously. It can just be done so much that anyone who tries it is only being derivative of what has come before. But a movement can die.

____________________

If you're going to 'Punk' Tour Shows that have huge Corporate Sponsorships - It is not Punk.
 
#27
john_martin_sai said:
This writer hits it on the head.

Invalid Link Removed

The bands of the late-70's such as Sex Pistols, The Clash, Black Flag, Dead Kennedys etc..gave a new sound and a new voice of protest stemming from the 1960's counterculture and became the harder edge that woke up the world.

I wish I could say that it still exists today but, the so-called bands who claim to be punk, sing merely about pointless issues of how they thrashed their skateboard or about a girl/boy that broke their heart. (Avril Levigne, Green Day, etc)

These posers are tatted from head to toe sporting Mohawks and claim to be punk? Come on. You're not 'Punk',...You're a corporate puppet and conformist who follows every command (such as fashion) and lives only by the philosophy of 'what sells' to the masses. This is not the ideology that started the revolution.

In Punk there are no rules, no regulations, no politically correct statements - just sheer protest and a voice that has no limits or boundaries. These were the ideals of the pioneers of Punk and maybe there are a few hopefuls that still are out there, not selling out but, ultimately, I'm afraid that the truth remains : Punk is dead. Maybe solely by definition but, its legend still reigns and while others may claim to be it, they haven't got a clue what defined it.

....and....Link Removed

And punk in the sense of pure-straight-up-punk died before the end of the 70s. Lots of bands in the 80s tried to flog the punk horse, but they invariably sucked.

If you look at the so-called indie nowadays, it's just boring safe hipster music.

Which brings us to the later movement known as pop-punk. In the early 90s, bands such as Green Day, Blink-182 and the Offspring took punk and Nirvana and made it lighter, friendlier, more immature and (arguably) catchier. They started up a new sound, different from punk but it became known as punk anyway, and appealled to a generation of kids...

A style can never die, obviously. It can just be done so much that anyone who tries it is only being derivative of what has come before. But a movement can die.
Click to expand...

Ehh, if we're going to get into this discussion, I don't know if I would put the Sex Pistols in the former category. They were largely put together by McLaren the same way the boy bands of the 90s were put together by Pearlman, albeit, with not such greedy ends in mind. But that's why I don't really get into this "Weberian discussions about what constitutes punk" as I said earlier. If there's one style of music where execessive pretension reigns supreme, it's punk music.
 
#29
I loved the Clash, the Ramones, the Pistols, and pretty much everything from the first wave of punk.

I cannot, for the life of me, figure out why I would listen to any newer punk band. Is there something fresh to say? My God, most punk bands simply sound like bands who can't play very well.

I'm sure there are exceptions, but in my world, if a local band is punk, I am not at their show. Especially horror punk. What is that all about? We dress up for Halloween at every show, and we are punk.

Punk Credibility:

You have no job, no life, no ambition. You're angry. You are addicted to heroin, or huffing. You write songs about your anger. You die young.
 
#31
fourstringdrums said:
Could someone explain this to me? How is lack of preparedness on par with credibility?
Click to expand...

Style over substance.

Someone needs to remind this guy that it's called "punk MUSIC." As in, you may be punk as you can, but you are still a musician.

You wouldn't catch The Clash pulling this crap. The most forthright and professional punk band ever. Yes, you can be honest, professional, and punk, they are not mutually exclusive terms.
 
#32
to me, "punk" these days exists in the DIY sense... everyone pitching whatever resources they have into a gig/recording/tour. so it means sharing your kit/food/booze/accommodation/transport, working hard, being positive and putting your ego aside in favour of making something good out of nothing.

...not saying it always works ;) ...but when it does, it's ace.

it DOESN'T mean being unprepared or flaky or giving aggro for no reason.
 
#33
when i think of the punk stuff i think of lending your friend a PA, or doing a record cover for a friend, or photographing a friend's band, or making goofy flyers, or doing a split seven inch with your friend's band, and never missing any local shows at your favorite spots, it was more of a community effort ime

when our misfits cover band plays in our costumes it is more of a tribute to the days gone by of small shows, mailing records directly to fans, cheapo diy tshirts, and just playing music you like and not stressing about it, people respond to the fun of it like trick or treating or old sci fi/horror movies i guess, i was actually really surprised by how much people get into it, maybe because our five foot three singer is a hot girl and not some muscular dude
 
#35
Punk was a movement that happened for a brief period - a moment in time in the late 70's - mostly in NYC, London, then LA....

The Corporate Music moguls hooked into it and it morphed into other more marketable things, including New Wave.....

Punk is long gone......

I mean,...how would you react to a new new band claiming to be Disco or Grunge?

It would be ridiculous, because those movements have passed.....they'll never be another British Invasion, Big Band, Be Bop, or Doo Wop Era...

Hip Hop isn't even a movement anymore - it's practically mainstream now...and has become all-inclusive.

Why new generations are trying to pass themselves off as being 'punk' escapes me. Aren't there enough alternative labels out there (emo, pop punk, thrash, goth, and dozens more...) if it's an 'identity' they're seeking?
 
#37
Punk credibility means you aren't respectable by anyone who it would be worthwhile to be respected by in the first place.

Also, you can't be that way on purpose, cause then you're a poser.

In other words, the turds of society prefer their fellow turds to be natural. Especially if they are musical turds.
 
#38
My old band once played on a bill with 3 other bands, all of whom were punk/indie type bands. We were scheduled to be the 1st band to go on, because it really wasn't our scene and nobody knew us. We had a 45 minute set, and we were ok with that. In those days, even if the venue already had a PA, we always brought our stuff along just in case something broke/needed replaced. The club owner took a look at the equipment we had, and realized we were a little more of the "real deal" than these other bands. So he asked us to go last, and upped our money.

The other bands were exactly as you describe... unprepared, unrehearsed, and mostly, untalented. And the thing is, the audience really didn't seem all that entertained. It was just as if they accepted the fact that the bands they liked weren't any good live, put little to no effort into their performance, and that's the way it was because that's just the scene they were part of. People were just kind of meandering around, not really interested in the show... and that includef the band!

In no way am I trying to build ourselves up, but we pretty much blew the other bands out of the water. We engaged the audience, we took our performance seriously, and we played a few covers that the audience actually knew. One particular kid said to me "it's like, you guys totally overpowerd the scene". We were 27/28 years old, and the kids at this show seemed to be college age (or younger), and I like to think that we showed them a thing or two about "scenes" and how stupid they are.
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back