Post by Bret Walker on Aug 14, 2003 10:56:06 GMT -5
Here's a conversation I had recently with a friend of mine online:
kerosene meca: I have a question...
MtD Bret: ok
kerosene meca: are you bitter at people who say they are punk but dont know all the under-ground-punk bands and in your opinion are not even punk at all
MtD Bret: well see
MtD Bret: Punk to me is an attitude
kerosene meca: an tude like?
MtD Bret: I don't care if someone knows all the underground bands or not, that kind of superficial crap doesn't impress me
MtD Bret: what matters to me is the politics
MtD Bret: anti-government, anti-oppression, anti-everything
MtD Bret: Take a hippie
MtD Bret: and a hippie's politics
MtD Bret: but hippies were mostly seen as fags and no one took them seriously
MtD Bret: so take a hippie, and kick him in the ass like 100 times
MtD Bret: after a while they get pissed off
MtD Bret: and then you have a punk
kerosene meca: i c...
MtD Bret: that's the best way I can think to describe what I think a punk is
kerosene meca: I just get sick of people saying punk is this... punk is that... Punk rules and guid lines
MtD Bret: I don't think there are any punk rules
MtD Bret: punk rules, that's an oxymoron
kerosene meca: yeah i know
MtD Bret: The whole point of punk is not to have rules, no conformity
MtD Bret: as soon as someone says "You're not punk ENOUGH," they themselves become un-punk
kerosene meca: yeah
kerosene meca: but the problem is
kerosene meca: when every one is trying not to conform...
kerosene meca: the just did
MtD Bret: That's the problem
MtD Bret: it's not "trying not to conform" it's "not trying to conform"
MtD Bret: that's what it is all about
MtD Bret: when you dress a certain way to try to fit into the mold of being punk, you're conforming
MtD Bret: look at me, the way I dress is, one might say, conservative
kerosene meca: yeah
MtD Bret: but I consider myself punk mostly because of my political observations and my lack of fear to voice my views to anyone
kerosene meca: i dress more "metal~esk"
kerosene meca: but i consider myself "Punk"
kerosene meca: I think that would be the best way to define punk...
kerosene meca: to voice yourself with out fear
kerosene meca: I dont know... all these people talk punk... I think its more a myth than any thing
kerosene meca: no one really knows what it is but has an idea
MtD Bret: well it's not even so much without fear
MtD Bret: everyone has fear
MtD Bret: but it's to voice yourself DESPITE fear
MtD Bret: to jump into intense situations despite fear, it's all very adrenalin based
kerosene meca: yeah
MtD Bret: I think a punk's greatest emotion is Disdain
MtD Bret: the problem is that more often than not, it's disdain for each other when it should be a combined effort against the system
kerosene meca: what about the "Selling Out" Idea
MtD Bret: what do you mean?
kerosene meca: Punks are so big on that
MtD Bret: oh well
MtD Bret: see here's my views on that
MtD Bret: Punks seem to think that the bands they like are exclusive only to them, and they set conditions for fandom
MtD Bret: conditions that the bands themselves could give less than a shit about
MtD Bret: and in reality, who cares why someone likes a band? Being a fan shouldn't be a contest
kerosene meca: to keep underground
MtD Bret: so
MtD Bret: When a band makes it big, is signed to a major label, the local punks say they sold out
MtD Bret: but they didn't really sell out, someone bought into them
MtD Bret: a label liked their sound and offered them a better deal
MtD Bret: what were they supposed to do, say no to the money?
kerosene meca: yeah
kerosene meca: they are trying to make a life... people dont see that
MtD Bret: HOWEVER
MtD Bret: Punk is an anger-driven music
MtD Bret: and unfortunately, once those bands have a nice fat bankroll, they lose that anger
MtD Bret: it's hard to be angry when you've got a million dollars in the bank
MtD Bret: when you're on the street scraping a living, it's easy to stay angry
kerosene meca: true with alot of bands
kerosene meca: not just punk
MtD Bret: yes it is, but it's mostly the punk scenesters that make the biggest deal about it
kerosene meca: yeah
kerosene meca: the whole idea kinda pisses me off
kerosene meca: I consider myself punk... but the "Punk idea" is what pisses me off
MtD Bret: well it pisses me off, too, but it's been like this since as long as I can remember
MtD Bret: I try to spread the word that the punk movement would get a lot farther if we combined efforts rather than trying to divide ourselves
kerosene meca: its a big opinion bassed lifestyle
kerosene meca: the only thing in common with every one is that they are pissed about something
MtD Bret: The problem with the punk movement is that, even though everyone is pissed about mostly the same things, they keep saying to each other "You don't have the right to be pissed like I do." And it's that division that keeps the movement from being as powerful as it should be
MtD Bret: The hippies tried it and no one listened. The punks tried it but they couldn't get organized. I often wonder what the next movement will be.
kerosene meca: who knows
MtD Bret: I'm actually surprised the punk movement has lasted as long as it has
kerosene meca: I have a question...
MtD Bret: ok
kerosene meca: are you bitter at people who say they are punk but dont know all the under-ground-punk bands and in your opinion are not even punk at all
MtD Bret: well see
MtD Bret: Punk to me is an attitude
kerosene meca: an tude like?
MtD Bret: I don't care if someone knows all the underground bands or not, that kind of superficial crap doesn't impress me
MtD Bret: what matters to me is the politics
MtD Bret: anti-government, anti-oppression, anti-everything
MtD Bret: Take a hippie
MtD Bret: and a hippie's politics
MtD Bret: but hippies were mostly seen as fags and no one took them seriously
MtD Bret: so take a hippie, and kick him in the ass like 100 times
MtD Bret: after a while they get pissed off
MtD Bret: and then you have a punk
kerosene meca: i c...
MtD Bret: that's the best way I can think to describe what I think a punk is
kerosene meca: I just get sick of people saying punk is this... punk is that... Punk rules and guid lines
MtD Bret: I don't think there are any punk rules
MtD Bret: punk rules, that's an oxymoron
kerosene meca: yeah i know
MtD Bret: The whole point of punk is not to have rules, no conformity
MtD Bret: as soon as someone says "You're not punk ENOUGH," they themselves become un-punk
kerosene meca: yeah
kerosene meca: but the problem is
kerosene meca: when every one is trying not to conform...
kerosene meca: the just did
MtD Bret: That's the problem
MtD Bret: it's not "trying not to conform" it's "not trying to conform"
MtD Bret: that's what it is all about
MtD Bret: when you dress a certain way to try to fit into the mold of being punk, you're conforming
MtD Bret: look at me, the way I dress is, one might say, conservative
kerosene meca: yeah
MtD Bret: but I consider myself punk mostly because of my political observations and my lack of fear to voice my views to anyone
kerosene meca: i dress more "metal~esk"
kerosene meca: but i consider myself "Punk"
kerosene meca: I think that would be the best way to define punk...
kerosene meca: to voice yourself with out fear
kerosene meca: I dont know... all these people talk punk... I think its more a myth than any thing
kerosene meca: no one really knows what it is but has an idea
MtD Bret: well it's not even so much without fear
MtD Bret: everyone has fear
MtD Bret: but it's to voice yourself DESPITE fear
MtD Bret: to jump into intense situations despite fear, it's all very adrenalin based
kerosene meca: yeah
MtD Bret: I think a punk's greatest emotion is Disdain
MtD Bret: the problem is that more often than not, it's disdain for each other when it should be a combined effort against the system
kerosene meca: what about the "Selling Out" Idea
MtD Bret: what do you mean?
kerosene meca: Punks are so big on that
MtD Bret: oh well
MtD Bret: see here's my views on that
MtD Bret: Punks seem to think that the bands they like are exclusive only to them, and they set conditions for fandom
MtD Bret: conditions that the bands themselves could give less than a shit about
MtD Bret: and in reality, who cares why someone likes a band? Being a fan shouldn't be a contest
kerosene meca: to keep underground
MtD Bret: so
MtD Bret: When a band makes it big, is signed to a major label, the local punks say they sold out
MtD Bret: but they didn't really sell out, someone bought into them
MtD Bret: a label liked their sound and offered them a better deal
MtD Bret: what were they supposed to do, say no to the money?
kerosene meca: yeah
kerosene meca: they are trying to make a life... people dont see that
MtD Bret: HOWEVER
MtD Bret: Punk is an anger-driven music
MtD Bret: and unfortunately, once those bands have a nice fat bankroll, they lose that anger
MtD Bret: it's hard to be angry when you've got a million dollars in the bank
MtD Bret: when you're on the street scraping a living, it's easy to stay angry
kerosene meca: true with alot of bands
kerosene meca: not just punk
MtD Bret: yes it is, but it's mostly the punk scenesters that make the biggest deal about it
kerosene meca: yeah
kerosene meca: the whole idea kinda pisses me off
kerosene meca: I consider myself punk... but the "Punk idea" is what pisses me off
MtD Bret: well it pisses me off, too, but it's been like this since as long as I can remember
MtD Bret: I try to spread the word that the punk movement would get a lot farther if we combined efforts rather than trying to divide ourselves
kerosene meca: its a big opinion bassed lifestyle
kerosene meca: the only thing in common with every one is that they are pissed about something
MtD Bret: The problem with the punk movement is that, even though everyone is pissed about mostly the same things, they keep saying to each other "You don't have the right to be pissed like I do." And it's that division that keeps the movement from being as powerful as it should be
MtD Bret: The hippies tried it and no one listened. The punks tried it but they couldn't get organized. I often wonder what the next movement will be.
kerosene meca: who knows
MtD Bret: I'm actually surprised the punk movement has lasted as long as it has
