History of Punk
The British rock band manager, Malcolm MacLaren, once remarked that rock music remained the only form of culture that youth - those most receptive to radical ideas, who hold the most potential for social action - cared about. For the young, everything flowed through rock'n'roll: fashion, slang, sexual attitudes, drug habits, and poses. Once he realized the financial potential behind these sociological traits, the cunning MacLaren kept an eye on the rock music underground as a bell whether indicator for the British youth. It was here that MacLaren recognized the highly visible, wildly energetic and anti - social punk was the heir apparent for the youth of the UK. In order to capitalize on this new sound and evolving trend, he began promoting The Sex Pistols. As a savvy businessman, MacLaren knew that in order to succeed he and The Sex Pistols had to reach the largest number of pop culture participants in the most cost-effective manner available. This required a shift from the underground scene into the mainstream mass media. While their ploy was successful, success had its price. The deluge of manipulation and the waves of newly found fame forced on The Sex Pistols caused the original punk to become lost. In spite of placing punks
Elvis was a romantic punk. (A contradiction of terms and thus the difficulty in placing his music). While loudly taking on social crisis, the punks concerns were not new issues in terms of social reform. More so, punk rock lyrics reflected the mood of the nation during the 1980s': mirroring rather than created social crisis. Thus, the inherent social criticism within punk was British rather than a unique element of that particular movement. Punk did have a unique, distinguishing feature: a refined ability to shock. Anyone observing a group of punks moving through Leicester Square on a Friday night would steer well clear: these guys looked seriously strange. (The female punk presented a paradox: a hint of the feminine beneath the hardened exterior). The mohawks, leathers and safety pins were a radical departure from the glamour rock of the previous decade. When situated beside the staid British working class and grannies with their pushcarts, the punks of London created an immediate sensation. But one must recognize that the desire to be different can be applied to any previous teen generations. It was the retribution that followed punk that exceeded the norm. Most believe that the public reaction against punk began in 1976 when Malcolm MacLaren arranged for the new voice of the young to be interviewed live on the BBC. Here, The Sex Pistols; Johnny Rotten, Sid Vicious and al unleashed their foul-mouthed, in-your-face opinions on a still largely British public. The British education minister of the 1970s' said The Sex Pistols were "a symptom of the way society is declining. It could have a shocking effect on young people." and the Arts Chairman of Greater London said "I will do everything in my power to stop them appearing here again." (DeBruijn 11). Comments such as these elevated punk to ridiculous extremes and this hard line approach was nonsense. It was the parents, teacher, vicars and policemen who were in need of drugs and counseling. The accusation given to punk had the opposite effect of its intent and punk merely grew stronger. Their visibility intensified by the shock
Some common words found in the essay are:
Sex Pistols, Rotten It's, Chairman London, Malcolm MacLaren, Leicester Square, London Times, Lester Bangs, Sid Vicious, Public Image, Johnny Rotten, sex pistols, pop culture, johnny rotten, british public, quintessential punk, record company executives, punk movement, gill 3, trying determine, debruijn 11, company executives,
Approximate Word count = 1412
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)
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