Music which, contrary to popular belief, does not need to be loud, nor fast to fit under the said moniker. Rooted in the avant-garde of The Velvet Underground, who despite drawing influences from free
jazz and swing-- elements that would later be thrown out of the mix when "punk" came to full rise-- laid the blueprint for the
aesthetic of what is now considered the "punk" mentality; defying rock conventions and creating
music that was messy, unpolished, and primitive. VU's experimentalism carried into their live performances, in which they would commonly improvise songs (an art predocessors, and fellow New Yorkers Television would incorperate into live shows), as well as create feedback and distortion noises.
After VU, The Stooges, a Michigan-
based proto-punk band, formed and followed the same philosophy. Led by the infamous Iggy Pop, The Stooges
may have "rocked" far harder than VU, but nontheless had VU's flare for being controversial; not only did they follow in VU's footsteps by writing lyrics that blatantly reference
drugs and sex, but putting on bizarre live shows, in which Pop would perform shirtless and
cut himself, as well as cover his body in peanut butter. While VU managed to gain slight acclaim with their ties to artist Andy Warhol, at the
time of their existence, The Stooges enjoyed virtually no success, and barely sold any records at all.
Shortly after The Stooges, The New York Dolls formed, not only adding to the blueprint for what would shortly thereafter become punk rock, but doing the same for "glam" rock; dressing in drag, drawing influence from the likes of David Bowie, and playing 'Stones-inspired songs that would eventually influence the likes of Motley Crue and Poison. However, like VU and The Stooges before them, they never broke through to the mainstream audience, and disbanded in the early seventies.
Now the year was 1974; bands like The Ramones, Talking Heads, and Television began to form. The Ramones, whose
music was influenced by bubble gum and
girl pop as much as it was by the likes of the Rolling Stones, played fast, catchy, simplistic three-chord rock songs, and became the first punk band to play regularly at CBGB's. Talking Heads, whose
music was more diverse and pop-sounding, soon followed suit, as did Television, whose
music was more complex and
jazzy, as well as having featured revolutionary, dueling guitars. Richard Hell & the Voidoids were also key players in what is now considered the CBGB's New York punk scene.
While The Ramones and Talking Heads would enjoy lasting careers, and, in the case of Talking Heads, critical acclaim and mainstream success, Television self-destructed after two studio albums, including the classic "Marquee Moon." While similar fate struck many other New York punk bands, their influence nontheless managed to stretch across the pond, hitting England. Bands like The Buzzcocks, The Clash, Evlis Costello & the Attractions, and The Sex Pistols began sprouting up, and the punk rock scene reached it's height between 1977 and 1978.
While The Clash and Elvis Costello both managed successful careers well into the eighties, the death of Sid Vicious essentially marked the end of punk, and as bands like Joy Division, and Echo & the Bunnymen began what would become the post-punk movement.
So when you kids are trashing The Strokes for being overhyped and trendy, despite taking a page from the likes of VU and Television, who had more to do with punk rock than Operation Ivy ever did, and when you're calling New Found Glory "too soft," when Talking Heads seldom used distortion, just remember-- none of the
bullshit you listen to is punk rock, so it doesn't matter!
