"The archetypal image of today's youth world is punk, everyone
is still doing that, it is still the modern look. Punk is now, in 1991, becoming
fashionable. It finally became mainstream, it was the new look for the past
ten to fifteen years. That is what people on TV shows look like now, in 1991."
Jennifer Miro
Punk has become the de facto style of rebellious
youth even to the present day. What happened in 1977 still carries through to
today; clubs, independent labels, fanzines, posters. Independent record labels
had always existed, but were never as pervasive as they are now. In 1977, no one
was interested in signing punk bands, so you had to put out your own records.
Other people who wanted to be involved started record companies. Fanzines were
started by people who were frustrated because nobody was writing about what was
happening in the punk-rock culture. Posters were done as a way to advertise shows
cheaply. Newspapers and radio were too expensive and people who were interested
in punk didn't listen to or read the mass media. Much of this happen because of
the modern technology of cheap recording and xerox machines.
"With punk rock, you're talking about a massive
critique of society on a somewhat naive leve
l
by a relatively small number of young people. These songs were more from the
gut and yet had very clever rhymes and thoughts in them. Basically you had people
critiquing their own particular social backgrounds; if you grew up in the suburbs
of L.A. with suburban boredom, you'd critique that."
V. Vale
"One thing that was unique about that time
was that all the bands were different, even bands from L.A. and from New York
City. They weren't trying to be like someone else. No one was trying to be a
hit. Everyone was doing what they felt like doing. Everyone had their own approach
and unique sound. No one sounded like someone else. I thought that was pretty
interesting.
"Getting recording contracts and making it big was in the back of everybody's
mind, but you wanted to do it your own way and that was up front. We weren't
going to play the game."Greg Ingraham
"This time was more of an ideological challenge,
as opposed to the more physical challenge of the later hardcore bands. At this
point there was no opportunity for punk bands. The fact that the Sex Pistols
were signed in England didn't make any difference in America. The talent scouts
would say, "These kids can't play, they can't sing" and they didn't
see any more to it than that. That's the different between Art and Commerce.
Art goes in advance of the general populace whereas Commerce follows and try
to make money down the road."
Tommy Gear
"The very first so-called 'punk' event I ever
attended was in August '76 when the Ramones played the Savoy Tivoli. There were
about twenty-five people in the audience for each show, including members of
the Nuns, who were sitting behind me."
V. Vale
