What would you say IS punk, and is NOT punk?

[TOOL]

I've been inspired by the shining oracle of musical wisdom that the IS/is NOT metal thread turned into, and I've been equally appalled by way the word punk was thrown around so carelessly in the Against Me thread and used to describe some mediocre/weak soft rock band.

So the question is, what would you say IS punk, and is NOT punk?

I'm not going to claim to be an authority on what IS, I hardly listen to anything I would consider punk any more. I'm actually hoping y'all will come up with some bands that actually have an attitude and not a bunch of bands with pretty faces and a thirst for major label cocksauce. But here's my short list anyway.

IS:
John Cage pretty much invented punk music imho. If he didn't, I'd love to hear about someone that did it before him. (For those of you that are bad at reading between the lines, please note that I didn't say punk music, not punk rock.)
Sex Pistols = punk as fuck, nuff said.
Melvins are my personal favorite punk band lately.
Enemymine RIP
Helmet (I just saw a video off thier newest album however, and I have to say that it looks like the only reason the Helmet brand name is on a new album at all was because Page needed some $$.)

is NOT:
your mom

Like I said, I don't really try to listen to much punk any more, and that's all I can think of off the top of my head. I'll be back to add to the list and take out the trash though.

And of course, yes I know I'm a nerd for linking wikipedia twice in the same post. I'm over it already.

[eXarc]

oh my god here we go

[VelMonk]

Bad production, worse lyrics, 1-4 chords the whole way through.

[Spare Oom and War Drobe]

Generally you just have to suck at singing or your instrument. Then you write short songs people can dance and yell/sing to. You also have to follow a pretty established forumla as noted above. Its actually just like standard pop music except easier.

This is not like metal where there is a race to be harder and harder that can separate the boys from the men. This thread is going to be solely about "I like this guy but this guy is gay".

PS: I dont actually dislike punk

[Jubee]

Originally Posted by TOOL

is NOT:
your mom

I disagree.

[Kasonic]

You're not punk unless your lead singer shrieks like a banshee in puberty with no melody whatsoever at least once per song.

[Blaezenfury]

sorry i have to say this...


GREEN DAY!

[Worfless]

punk is dead, there was a time and a place for it but it is not now. closest thing we have now is post punk(good) and shit that people think is punk(bad)

[Biggyto]

There are two forms of punk in my mind. There's the fashion punk that includes everyone from Green Day to Operation Ivy to Simple Plan (yeah, I said it) and then there's DIY punk which, in my views, is less of a genre and more of an attitude. I think Broken Social Scene and LCD Soundsystem and Gang of Four are "punk" without having shitty lyrics/simplistic music. But when asked to lump them into a genre the only one that could even mention punk is Gang of Four with Dance Punk =/

There are really too many fashion punks in the world today to be able to tell who the "actual" punks are. I've seen kids with foot long mohawks drinking colt45 under a train bridge and I've seen the exact same kids get dropped off by their parents in escalades.

"Go back to Hot Topic, you bitch"

[Kan]

99.9% of punk from way back in the beginning to now is shit. There is only 3 good punk bands and really only 2 of them are bands I like. The Misfits, Social Distortion and The Ramones (who I dont really like but are good). Sex Pistols, Rancid (spare a few songs), The Exploited and so on are shit most especially the so-called modern "punk"

[Astaire]

Honestly nowadays most genres don't exist, just hybrids. True punk was long ago and I wish I had been old enough to appreciate it for what it was. Nowadays what people call punk is just a mash of emo/alt rock/pop and bad fucking haircuts.

My favorite band is Brand New and I really can't peg them into a genre. Their frontman is an excellent lyricist and the music is hard to pin down.

But honestly? If you like what you hear just enjoy it. People who blast other's tastes or favorites are missing the point. If the song gets you in some way, then you have a good song.

[Simas]

Classifying punk is stupid.

The Sex Pistols were on a major and Malcolm Mclaren dressed them in clothes from his clothing store (called SEX) to sell more clothes.

The Ramones were from the suburbs.

If you're going to say punk is about rejecting authority, major labels, fashion, being poor and angry then there is a problem reconciling that with the above.

Then you get into pop-punk and the question is does dying your hair red and singing songs about masturbating, parties and girl friends equate to punk.

Then there left leaning music that may or may not be loud and abrasive but is commonly considered punk.

The label used to mean something, whatever that may be, but its been so watered down and overused that now it doesnt really represent anything meaningful, much like happened with Emo. Back in the day bands like pg. 99 and city of caterpillar were emo and now bright eyes, dashboard and anyone that sings about relationships is...listen to some pg. 99.

With that in mind, as for some bands that are commonly considered "punk" and worth listening to

Fugazi (surprised no one has mentioned them)
Bad Brains
Strike Anywhere (old stuff)
Fifteen
The Dwarves
Choking Victim/Leftover Crack

[BruuceWarduck]

This thread is going to be way worse than the metal thread.

The Sex Pistols were a boy band.

[Simas]

Originally Posted by BruuceWarduck

The Sex Pistols were a boy band.

QFT

[BruuceWarduck]

Simas beat me to it