1 definition by wicky wack 1991
A loud, aggressive style of music that began around Detroit and Ann Arbor, Michigan, in the mid 1960s, and, at the same time, in NYC. The earliest proponents of punk rock were all Americans: Iggy and the Stooges; the MC5 and the Velvet Underground. Around 1970 or so British bands like the Kinks, Slade, David Bowie and T-Rex began experimenting with glam and androgyny and mixing it with aggressive, hard rock.
In 1971, NYC produced the most extreme glam punk band ever, the New York Dolls. The Dolls inspired everyone from Aerosmith and KISS in the hard rock scene to the Dead Boys, Richard Hell, Television, Blondie, the Ramones, the Dictators, Patti Smith and the nascent, NYC punks. The manager of the Dolls was Malcolm McLauren, who later managed the Sex Pistols, the London based punks that first started "dressing punk" in late 1975. Guitarist, Johnny Thunders of the Dolls, directly inspired Steve Jones of the Sex Pistols, who copped Thunders' riffs and solos almost note for note.
By the beginning of 1976, punk began to enter the mainstream of British life. The Sex Pistols had several chart toppers on "Top of the Pops" and Malcolm McLauren and Vivian Westwood opened a trendy boutique in London called "Sex," which sold rediculously expensive bondage pants, BDSM fetish wear and torn jackets with safety pins in them. Suddenly teenyboppers began to "go punk."
In 1971, NYC produced the most extreme glam punk band ever, the New York Dolls. The Dolls inspired everyone from Aerosmith and KISS in the hard rock scene to the Dead Boys, Richard Hell, Television, Blondie, the Ramones, the Dictators, Patti Smith and the nascent, NYC punks. The manager of the Dolls was Malcolm McLauren, who later managed the Sex Pistols, the London based punks that first started "dressing punk" in late 1975. Guitarist, Johnny Thunders of the Dolls, directly inspired Steve Jones of the Sex Pistols, who copped Thunders' riffs and solos almost note for note.
By the beginning of 1976, punk began to enter the mainstream of British life. The Sex Pistols had several chart toppers on "Top of the Pops" and Malcolm McLauren and Vivian Westwood opened a trendy boutique in London called "Sex," which sold rediculously expensive bondage pants, BDSM fetish wear and torn jackets with safety pins in them. Suddenly teenyboppers began to "go punk."
Then the Ramones went on tour with the Sex Pistols and got recognized for their very real contributions to the punk rock genre. Unfortunately Nazi punks, racists, skinheads and teenage girls started to sap the vitality out of the music, which became more fashionable than functional.
Around 1977, Los Angeles began to develop a sound that would evolve into hardcore punk: the Germs, Black Flag, the Circle Jerks, the Middle Class and other bands came out of the harder-edged, LA milieu. Other hardcore cities of note were D.C. (Minor Threat, S.O.A., etc.), Edinborough, Scotland (the Exploited), Houston (the Dicks, the Butthole Surfers, etc.), Seattle (the Fartz), Kansas City (Molly Ringworm), etc.
By 1986, thrash metal had fused with hardcore punk to create crossover. Famous bands of that ilk were D.R.I., S.O.D, Big Black and Gorilla Biscuits and literally 10,000s of other bands just as good that I can't possibly type here. In Seattle, the sound was turning to grunge. Athens, Georgia, gave Americans "college rock" bands like R.E.M.
While all of this was going on there was also an art punk movement beginning in the mid 70s by bands like Kraftwerk and DEVO that gradually became New Wave. New Wave, college rock and grunge had the most commercial acceptance, but none of these are punk rock exactly. For one thing, you can't do the funny, white people dance, where you're flailing your arms around arhythmically to punk rock or hardcore.
Around 1977, Los Angeles began to develop a sound that would evolve into hardcore punk: the Germs, Black Flag, the Circle Jerks, the Middle Class and other bands came out of the harder-edged, LA milieu. Other hardcore cities of note were D.C. (Minor Threat, S.O.A., etc.), Edinborough, Scotland (the Exploited), Houston (the Dicks, the Butthole Surfers, etc.), Seattle (the Fartz), Kansas City (Molly Ringworm), etc.
By 1986, thrash metal had fused with hardcore punk to create crossover. Famous bands of that ilk were D.R.I., S.O.D, Big Black and Gorilla Biscuits and literally 10,000s of other bands just as good that I can't possibly type here. In Seattle, the sound was turning to grunge. Athens, Georgia, gave Americans "college rock" bands like R.E.M.
While all of this was going on there was also an art punk movement beginning in the mid 70s by bands like Kraftwerk and DEVO that gradually became New Wave. New Wave, college rock and grunge had the most commercial acceptance, but none of these are punk rock exactly. For one thing, you can't do the funny, white people dance, where you're flailing your arms around arhythmically to punk rock or hardcore.
by wicky wack 1991 November 20, 2013