What is that Noise!? History of Punk, Part One - By: Marissa Moore

'Everything is going wrong' - comic written and designed by MARK BOUCHARD

Now, you might be thinking to yourself, 

where on earth did the subject of punk come into the equation? Isn’t this an art blog?

Well no need to be concerned, yes you are still on the right blog and yes, this is still an art focused blog. 


Music is one of the finest expressions of art that humanity has ever created and no doubt you yourself love listening to one genre or another every day.  Today, I will begin the journey of describing for you all a general overview of the long and varied history of the music genre known as ‘punk’, or ‘punk rock’ for the truly uninitiated.

The Ramones - 1972

Punk still stands as one of the most influential and pivotal moments in music history, both in the U.S and the U.K, as both a rhetoric and stylistic choice.


Punk was the loud, aggressive often sarcastic ideology that spread as an aesthetic and musical approach, becoming an archetype of teen rebellion.


However, the origins of punk rock are strongly debated, with many furiously debating even the definition of punk itself. 


The foundations of punk are varied as well, with some saying the genre began overseas in the U.K and others citing the origins right here in the U.S. In fact both are correct.

‘Punk rock’ was originally a term used to describe the garage bands that began to pop up in many different places, particularly during and after the late 1960s to late 70’s


 Bands without any formal training or instruction were saying to hell with it and starting their own bands, such as is the case with early band The Sonics, regardless of any institutional approval. The results were many bands appearing with limited or no vocal or instrumental skill. 


However because of this, these bands were free of the influences and pressures associated with formal training. They were able to break the ‘rules’ of music because they were never taught, or cared, about them in the first place.

The MC5

Iggy Pop- Lead singer for The Stooges

During the mid to late 1960’s, the U.S saw the appearance of the lesser known punk band the MC5 and the more well-known band The Stooges, both pictured above.


Like most punk bands within the genre, these bands were raw, crude and often times, political in their messaging. They presented a stark contrast to the so-called ‘hippie counter-culture’, which had become quite mainstream over time, and its often vapid, passive, overly-happy messaging. 


These bands were in your face, aggressive and were unashamedly letting you know what they thought about the state of the world.  


The Velvet Underground, managed by non-other than famous artist Andy Warhol, also contributed heavily to the creation of the punk genre as we know it. They largely produced avant-garde sounds that were described by many at the time as just straight ‘noise’. However this ‘noise’ was helping to push the boundaries of what was widely considered music at the time.


Finally, the influence of Glam Rock icons such as David Bowie, pictured below, and the New York Dolls added some of the most outrageous stylization to the punk genre. These icons were dressing widely, living extravagantly and helping to push the boundaries of what was seen as acceptable in society both musically and otherwise, right alongside the young punk enthusiasts.

David Bowie/ 'Ziggy Stardust' - early 1970's

The New York Dolls -1972

Punk is not something that can be expressed in only a few paragraphs. This is a movement that has spread and continued to grow since its initial roots into various other genres over time. However, I will continue to give you all a broad overview of this inspiring movement in the next update, History of Punk: Part Two – The punk scenes in the U.S cont. and punk across the pond. See you all there!






References used for this article:

https://unireadinghistory.com/2013/09/04/punk-politics-and-youth-culture-1976-84/

https://www.britannica.com/art/punk

https://www.liveabout.com/history-of-punk-rock-2803345