Punk Is Dead

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By: Pierce

You know what I'm really sick of seeing? Patches, shirts, stickers, anything
that says "Punk's Not Dead". Why you ask? Because it is. I can just imagine
all the hate mail that's gonna come pouring in. Before you leave this site
and never come back, hear me out here. What is the media's general
perception of punk these days? Blink-182, NOFX, Green Day. I don't know
about anyone else up there, but I'm sick of people walking up to me and
asking if I like any of said bands. I don't! I think that the American bands
who should be in the spotlight now are Aus-Rotten, The Unseen, Defiance,
Code 13, and the list goes on. They all sing about stuff that has a meaning,
not the conventional "High school! Girls! Yay!" of standardized punk today.
Punk ain't just a type of music, it's a lifestyle. That might sound corny as
hell, but it's true. You can listen to Blink and play football. You listen
to, say, the Dead Kennedys. I don't think you'd be playing football!
Another thing I'm sick of is the trendyness of anarchy these days. You say
anarchy, and kids respond "In the UK!!!!" Damn, how wrong they are. Sex
Pistols talk about anarchy and what's wrong with the world from their big
long limo wile sipping champagne. That's not anarchy, that's not
anti-corperation, that's being a tool of the system. Look at the real
hardcore anarchist bands: Crass, Conflict, Aus-Rotten, etc... They're
struggling to survive. I'm not saying you have to be dirt poor to be punk,
hell- I'm not dirt poor, but you can't really preach about something that
doesn't hold true for you. If you sing a song, you've gotta sing it from the
heart. Sing it to get a message across, not to stuff your wallet with crisp
bills.
The Exploited are a common misconception of what real punk is. Right. I read
something about how Flux of Pink Indians refused to play with them because
they endorse violence against people. And they claim to be anarchists. They
have a song called "I Still Believe In Anarchy." Now is it me, or does that
name just scream cheesy? The song's on a friggin Oi! compilation. And the
lyrics don't even talk about anarchy, direct action, nothing. And Barmy
Army... I think they're the ones who are barmy. I'll end this with a few
quotes- "I've heard all the screams of Exploited's Barmy Army, who sits in
hotels with champagne and salami? The end leads to you to be the ones who're
barmy. We're being led on to make the superstars a fortune"- Conflict
"Another punk hero takes to the stage, bouncing up and down in a well
rehearsed rage..... A spunker who would sell us down the river for a fiver,
now he's dancing on the ashes as the only surviver. He talks about how bad
things are, from the comfort of the company car"- Stratford Mercenaries.