I. Introduction
My Story And Historical Throwback
My musical career started in school when I joined a cover band with classmates of mine. We started to cover popular songs from popular bands like Green Day or Blink 182 at that time. After a few years, I started writing the instrumentals for my newly founded band in the very same musical genre. Like most bands during their musical career, our sound was massively influenced over time and our music was slowly progressing into the heavier so-called style hardcore punk genre. Coming from the more musical background, in the beginning, my main focus and attraction were based mostly on the musical and technical structure of the songs. At some point, I felt the urge to also understand but also interpret the lyrical side of the music for myself, for being able to connect even more to the music that inspired and highly influenced me personally.
After reading and trying to analyse the meaning of the lyrics of my most favorite bands myself, I was curious to what the bands’ actual intentions and thoughts behind the content as well as their poetic style of their lyrics were.
Watching several interviews and discoursing face to face conversations with my favourite artist, their established beliefs and personal values in association with the worlds’ modern events and especially their strong anti-Racism, anti-Semitism and pro-social beliefs, like their continuous support for social projects like the “Hardcore Help Foundation” sparked my personal interest in modern politics and present social circumstances.
The determination of where and when the origin of punk music was conceived is very uncertain due to the diversification of its cornerstones in place and time. (Cooper, 2016)
The early beginnings of punk rock music can be found in the late 60’s and early 70’s. Formerly, the culture evoked in the effect of the social and political conditions present at that time, heavily biased by certain events like the Vietnam war, the unresolved racial discrimination, events of police violence revolting against the establishment united as a whole. (Punk: Attitude, 2005) Furthermore, the culture overtly implemented a matter of individual freedom which has the propensity to establish strong ideas such as “individualism, anti-authoritarianism, anarchism and free thought”. (Axio, 2009)
There was a general believe that the majority of people were getting too complacent about their lives, unable or unwilling to realise the serious number of people not being happy at present times. This situation constituted and embraced the approach to change the idea of how the society thinks, deliberating, reasoning and upsetting things. (Punk: Attitude, 2005)
Musically punk rock music wanted to disassociate itself from the mainstream musical economy. (Hanner, 2013) Punk musicians were trying to imitate famous rock bands like the rolling stone even though they were lacking the theoretical as well as technical musical skills. Because they didn’t know the rules of music, they were able to break the rules. (Cooper, 2016)
The intent of this research is to correlate some of the original core values and practices in punk music with those of bands at the present day which personally inspired me throughout the last years and consolidated my own personal values, beliefs, and practices.
II. Anti Establishment Movements
The Rise Of Active Resistance
Commonly punk or hardcore punk is defined by a general anti-establishment biased attitude, emerging as an “active resistance to the perceived musical, economic and social excesses” of the mainstream life in the 1970’s, which is also reflected in their liberally charged, unhesitantly direct and controvert lyrics. (Hanner, 2013)
Not only were they covering social political matters but also bare personal conflicts like depression, suicide, drug abuse, sexuality and personal relationships in general.
It was also very common in the culture of punk to take part in active resistance movements such as protest or boycotts. Over the time such movements like the “Straight Edge” movement, which describes the “rejection of the perceived self-destruction” involving the abstinence from alcohol, tobacco, and overall drug use. (Axio, 2009)
As a present days example for a lyrical and practical anti-establishment and active resistance biased attitude, the British hardcore band Architects plays a leading role in the modern hardcore punk scene. Their personal pursuit is to spread the message of hope and educating people that they are able to make a difference in their individual environment. (Rock Forever Magazine, 2014)
The lyrics of the songs “These Colours Don’t Run” directly point out the bands’ perspective of the political and social injustices formed by the protagonists of the establishment. E.g “”the bankers, people in government, CEOs of corporations and the FDA”. (Munson, 2012) Recent events like the catastrophic consequences in Fukushima are highlighted in the song “Colony Collapse”, describing the devastating effects of radioactive pollution in the oceans which are not being recognised as critical as it is to them.
III. D.I.Y Ethics
The Desire For Independence
Another aspect of cultural values in the punk scene is the so-called “D.I.Y Ethic. Due to the restraint factors in their operating environment, upcoming punk bands were determined to establish their own economic system separating themselves from the existing traditional music industry. By creating own record labels, organizing their own concerts, design, and distribution of merchandise and creating their own print media, the motto of this movement became “ Don’t hate the media, become the media”. (Axio, 2009)
This autonomous procedure evoked a strong believe and desire for independence. Bands were able to influence and customise their product outcomes without restraints or outside influences. Going against the system, proving that what was thought to be impossible was not impossible and not having to wait for someone to do it for you but to just try it yourself fulfilled their desire for independence and consolidated their expressed beliefs. (Hanner, 2013)
These ideas, values, and practices are still being exercised in todays’ music industry. The British hardcore punk band While She Sleeps mirrors those values and practices by creating, distributing and promoting their newest album “Silence Speaks”. After struggling with record labels and publisher in the past, they decided to bypass those instances and delivering their newest release directly to their fans. (Scuzz TV, 2016)
In the realm of the do it yourself ethic, they decided to build their own studio inside an old warehouse close to their hometown. This way the band has the total freedom to create their music whenever they want, living up to their beliefs and forcing themselves to stay committed to their ideals. Not only was this process bringing them closer as an artistic group, but also reinforced their personal relationships. (Scuzz TV, 2016)
IV. Individual Freedom
The Craving For Meaning
The craving for meaning and individual freedom plays another big role in punk music. Primarily, including the concern of the state of society and the world in general with its restrictive characteristics, created a bias of “concepts such as individualism, anti-authoritarianism, anarchism and free thought”. (Axio, 2009)
Punk originally was made “for young kids, about young kids, by young kids” (Punk: Attitude, 2005) which were being forced into a generic role in society by the authority of their parents and punk music perfectly mirrors the attributes of youth, being loud, fast, angry and unpredictable. The motivation for young punk bands was rather doing their thing for fun and for the moment and not being for being successful. So the urge of having an impact on people or the world was not reflected in terms of success, materialism or financial influence but was rather met by affecting peoples’ way of thinking to give them hope and inspiration to follow their own aspirations.
Jesse Barnett, the singer of the American hardcore band Stick To Your Guns moved from Orange, CA to Montreal, Canada in succession to the election process in the United States. His decision was based on his critical view of the election process. He said that elections are not something to be ignored but that he has his own personal reasons not wanting to participate and in further consequence left this decision to people who have their reasons to participate. (Loud Tv, 2016)
His lyrics showcase his frustration about several social and political conditions but also as a release through music in a positive way. The band and it’s lyrics are constantly trying to be a forward-thinking band, not willing to let their beliefs hold them in one place and let the world leave them behind and to always keep growing with the world. (Loud Tv, 2016) Changing beliefs or opinions or contradicting yourself are an essential part in life he also says, because only when you contradict yourself you are willing to learn, to grow as an individual, to move forward, to keep an open mind and to see the world from every angle and not just through one set of eyes. (Loud Tv, 2016)
Also having a lasting effect peoples’ mindset, having and effect on peoples’ lives coming from all different backgrounds was something that was beyond the bands’ imagination which proves that everybody is able to create his thing that outlives oneself. (Shout Loud Tv, 2016)
V. Conclusion
It is my hope that throughout this research the correlation between the chosen original values and practices with present examples I was able to reinforce the ongoing connection between punk/hardcore bands to their believes in active resistance against establishments, desire for independence and craving for meaning.
Since the early beginnings of punk music, the critical attention to political and social matters was based on present miss conditions. Critical events like the Vietnam War in the early 70’s, ongoing racism, anti-Semitism and police violence were triggering and changing the attitude of people in the evoking punk scene. The fact that punk in the 70’s was not a popular mainstream genre that was highly supported or financial valuable lead to a “No one is going to do it for you, so you have to do it yourself” mindset. By being forced to create and share the product of the bands’ own hard work and passion the sense of having something created which might not be financially valuable but more emotionally reinforced their own beliefs and values.
Even though the world as a whole, politically and socially is moving forward, some of those miss conditions are still not being eliminated. Police violence still is a highly discussed topic in some countries in this world, just as well as racism and anti-Semitism or other forms of discrimination of others. More recent events like the so-called “Refugee Crisis” or, the devastating consequences of environmental pollution, the ongoing repercussions of the so-called “Oil War”, the financial crisis caused by the banking system became relevant and critical to the beliefs, values, and practices of today’s punk/hardcore scene.
I started this project because I found myself in this culture and wanted to get to know more about the origin and early beginnings.I wanted to be able to understand why the music I was interested in for a big part of my life was so politically and socially biased but also I was looking for musical inspiration for myself taking a look back at my musical Idols’ inspirations.
Throughout my research, I was able to observe and analyse the lyrical part of my favorite bands, as well as their true personal beliefs through interviews from a different angle. Seeing how the early values are still being practiced and lived under at the present time by people from various backgrounds, under completely different given circumstances heavily reinforced my own values, beliefs, and practices.