2008 Woodie Awards
Punk's fury has been tragically watered down
Ryna McKernan
Issue date: 10/9/08 Section: Opinions
I have a gripe with the music of today.
Punk now a days isn't what it used to be. The truth is it just plain sucks. I remember back when angst and frustration with the system made punk rock my outlet for aggression. I still listen to punk music, but this should not be mistaken with the radio-friendly pop garbage MTV attempts to pawn off as punk. Conglomerations like MTV and VH1 are killing the rich tradition of this genre of music with materialism and greed, ruining punk for future listeners.
I'll be a punk until I die, or at least I tell myself that. I may not wear the studded jackets and Doc Marten combat boots anymore, but I do understand the meaning behind the punk movement to the point that I can say with the utmost sincerity that it isn't what the fat cats on contemporary television and radio are trying to pawn off on the public.
You don't have to dress the part to actually be the part. If anyone really knows anything about what punk means, I'll be surprised. To me, it's about wanting something different from life, something that isn't made from the masses but instead comes from the heart and connects the individual to the movement.
Somewhere between the spiked hair and leather jackets lies a buried D.I.Y. ethos all real punk acts ascribe to. It is sad to see some of my favorite bands jum ship from indie labels into corporate hands.
While I may not stop listening to them, I'm certainly not going to sponsor their choices with the precious little amount of money I have left in my cookie jar.
Support the little guy, I say. If there is any way of resurrecting the punk movement, this is where it has to begin.
Why listen to new wave imitators when you can experience the orginators? Bands like the Clash, Black Flag, the Ramones and the Misfits were landmark acts in nearly every respect, each working to tear down the status quo with their own individual style. While I may despise the Ramones and the Misfits, if I was forced to choose between them or bands like Plain White T's, Hellogoodbye or All Time Low, the choice becomes obvious.
Punk teaches you that sometimes there is nothing left to do but play as loud and fast as possible while screaming away the pain. This is why it pains me so to see kids grow up with today's Warped Tour and worshipping this watered-down travesty that dares to call itself punk rock.
Whatever happened to the days of the Subhumans or Bad Brains? Where is the teenage angst that so defined the hardcore movement of the 1980s? That was a time when many of us wished that we could have been a part of something greater than ourselves.
Back in high school and today in college, I listen to the punk music I love because it has influenced my thoughts, style and persona on so many issues and occasions that I can't imagine myself without it.
I say to hell with bands killing the fun of punk music. I say to hell with the bands that have killed the reason punk once existed. I say to hell with the bands that killed everything I believed in.
Punk isn't about money, fame or fortune. It's about giving the world the middle finger simply because you can.
Ryan McKernan is a junior majoring in photojournalism. He can be contacted at rmckernan@keeneequinox.com.
Punk now a days isn't what it used to be. The truth is it just plain sucks. I remember back when angst and frustration with the system made punk rock my outlet for aggression. I still listen to punk music, but this should not be mistaken with the radio-friendly pop garbage MTV attempts to pawn off as punk. Conglomerations like MTV and VH1 are killing the rich tradition of this genre of music with materialism and greed, ruining punk for future listeners.
I'll be a punk until I die, or at least I tell myself that. I may not wear the studded jackets and Doc Marten combat boots anymore, but I do understand the meaning behind the punk movement to the point that I can say with the utmost sincerity that it isn't what the fat cats on contemporary television and radio are trying to pawn off on the public.
You don't have to dress the part to actually be the part. If anyone really knows anything about what punk means, I'll be surprised. To me, it's about wanting something different from life, something that isn't made from the masses but instead comes from the heart and connects the individual to the movement.
Somewhere between the spiked hair and leather jackets lies a buried D.I.Y. ethos all real punk acts ascribe to. It is sad to see some of my favorite bands jum ship from indie labels into corporate hands.
While I may not stop listening to them, I'm certainly not going to sponsor their choices with the precious little amount of money I have left in my cookie jar.
Support the little guy, I say. If there is any way of resurrecting the punk movement, this is where it has to begin.
Why listen to new wave imitators when you can experience the orginators? Bands like the Clash, Black Flag, the Ramones and the Misfits were landmark acts in nearly every respect, each working to tear down the status quo with their own individual style. While I may despise the Ramones and the Misfits, if I was forced to choose between them or bands like Plain White T's, Hellogoodbye or All Time Low, the choice becomes obvious.
Punk teaches you that sometimes there is nothing left to do but play as loud and fast as possible while screaming away the pain. This is why it pains me so to see kids grow up with today's Warped Tour and worshipping this watered-down travesty that dares to call itself punk rock.
Whatever happened to the days of the Subhumans or Bad Brains? Where is the teenage angst that so defined the hardcore movement of the 1980s? That was a time when many of us wished that we could have been a part of something greater than ourselves.
Back in high school and today in college, I listen to the punk music I love because it has influenced my thoughts, style and persona on so many issues and occasions that I can't imagine myself without it.
I say to hell with bands killing the fun of punk music. I say to hell with the bands that have killed the reason punk once existed. I say to hell with the bands that killed everything I believed in.
Punk isn't about money, fame or fortune. It's about giving the world the middle finger simply because you can.
Ryan McKernan is a junior majoring in photojournalism. He can be contacted at rmckernan@keeneequinox.com.
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