An Overview of the Punk and New Wave Movement of the Late 70s in the UK and the USA
Jordan Wells
BMUSARTS History of Popular Music 2
An overview of the punk/new wave movement of the late 70s in the UK and the USA
A Focus on the Dead Kennedys in the USA
At a time when rock ‘n’ roll music had grown self-righteous and way too safe, punk arrived on the scene to challenge everything. It was a collective understanding of a new generation, the idea that everything – be it music, fashion or art – was all up for grabs, all there to be revamped and re-energized by anyone and everyone. Arguably, it started in the United States of America when the Ramones unleashed their soon to become trademarked two-minute bursts of noise, only to be followed swiftly in the United Kingdom when the Sex Pistols appeared out of nowhere, swearing and uncontrollable. But one thing agreed on by all those who saw the chaos firsthand is that punk rock changed everything. In this essay I will be exploring punk rock’s origins in music, some of the more important events and controversies involved in its conception and the most prominent punk bands in both the US and UK during its peak. I will also be examining probable causes of its downfall and the subsequent new wave movement that followed. Finally, I will be writing a focus on the American group the Dead Kennedys who were at the forefront of the post-punk hardcore scene in the early 80s.
American punk started in New York around 1973 as a very small and undiscovered scene yet to be developed, commercialised or exploited. Bands like Blondie, Patti Smith, Talking Heads and the Ramones were playing around the city’s Lower East Side to small crowds of their friends, other bands and local kids as they experimented and tried to find a new sound. “Nobody had any money so they created their look from traditional leather, ripped tee shirts and elements of the mod style – because these clothes were easy to get in New York City” (Wolter, 2006, pg 8). In contrast, the punk movement in the UK was hugely political. Any American punk band
BMUSARTS History of Popular Music 2
An overview of the punk/new wave movement of the late 70s in the UK and the USA
A Focus on the Dead Kennedys in the USA
At a time when rock ‘n’ roll music had grown self-righteous and way too safe, punk arrived on the scene to challenge everything. It was a collective understanding of a new generation, the idea that everything – be it music, fashion or art – was all up for grabs, all there to be revamped and re-energized by anyone and everyone. Arguably, it started in the United States of America when the Ramones unleashed their soon to become trademarked two-minute bursts of noise, only to be followed swiftly in the United Kingdom when the Sex Pistols appeared out of nowhere, swearing and uncontrollable. But one thing agreed on by all those who saw the chaos firsthand is that punk rock changed everything. In this essay I will be exploring punk rock’s origins in music, some of the more important events and controversies involved in its conception and the most prominent punk bands in both the US and UK during its peak. I will also be examining probable causes of its downfall and the subsequent new wave movement that followed. Finally, I will be writing a focus on the American group the Dead Kennedys who were at the forefront of the post-punk hardcore scene in the early 80s.
American punk started in New York around 1973 as a very small and undiscovered scene yet to be developed, commercialised or exploited. Bands like Blondie, Patti Smith, Talking Heads and the Ramones were playing around the city’s Lower East Side to small crowds of their friends, other bands and local kids as they experimented and tried to find a new sound. “Nobody had any money so they created their look from traditional leather, ripped tee shirts and elements of the mod style – because these clothes were easy to get in New York City” (Wolter, 2006, pg 8). In contrast, the punk movement in the UK was hugely political. Any American punk band
References: Bedtime for Democracy. (2003). In Wikipedia. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bedtime _for_Democracy Caen, H Dead Kennedys. (2001). In Wikipedia. Retrieved from en.wikipedia.org/wiki/deadkennedys Frankenchrist McNeil, L. (1997) Please Kill Me: An Uncensored Oral History of Punk Rock, Penguin New Wave Music Punk Rock. (2001). In Wikipedia. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Punk_rock Reynolds, S Robb, J. (2006). Punk Rock: An Oral history, Ebury Press Too Drunk to Fuck Turkington, G. (2004). Dead Kennedys: A concise for consumers everywhere. Retrieved from http://www.alternativetentacles.com/bandinfo.php?band=deadkennedys Wolter, D