quite simply, punk rock is a restoration of the original rebellious youth attitude and simple fundamentals of expession in rock'n'roll music that was first expressed in the 50s by the giants like Chuck
Berry, Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee
Lewis (especially in his personal life), and others, as opposed to the clean cut image of some of the
pop stars that were dominant at the time. In the mid-60s there was the Velvet
Underground who influenced punk by their lyrical themes and feedback and more. Then came what are now considered to be the protopunk bands, who took the practice of pushing the envelope that
British bands like the Rolling Stones, the Who and the Kinks initiated to even greater lengths in terms of
sound, image and rebellious attitude (the Stooges, the MC5, and many other bands). The term "punk rock" possibly was first used by rock critic Dave Marsh in a rockmag in the early 70s to describe the sound of ? and the Mysterians. An independent movement in rock developed as a reaction because the music had become corporate, pompous, bloated, pretentious, artsy-fartsy, and along with Top
40 pop, just plain cruddy and
stupid. Bands started playing their songs short, to the point, loud, and fast, often a three-chord arrangement in accordance with the idiom
KISS (Keep It Simple,
Stupid). The name "punk rock" was applied to this independent movement in rock, the movement was and still a rebellion against the prevailing fads and trends. It has greatly influenced
popular music in the 80s decade and beyond, spawning nascent movements like speed metal, new wave, postpunk, grunge and more in terms of style, sound, image, attitude and much more. Punk rock is anti-corporate, anti-establishment, anti-system and anti-conformity. Current bands like Blink 182 and Good Charlotte are NOT punk rock because they
don't really have the original rebellious rock'n'roll spirit, gist or attitude of individuality. Music has gotten so corporate now that we very badly need another rock revolution like punk and we need it fast, before rock's just part of the past.
Cuz lately it just sounds the same to me... (all due
respect to the Ramones).
The Ramones are often considered to be the first actual punk rock band as we know it. This
legendary band from Forest Hills, Queens, the Big
Apple were greatly influenced by American garage rock bands, the British Invasion, the Beach Boys and
girl groups. I saw them four times before they called it quits in 1996. VIVA RAMONES!