MUSI 2007 W12

1. MUSI 2007 W12 Punk and New Wave

2. We’re going to look at punk in four historical phases: • (i) Important ancestors – groups that existed before the name ‘punk’ came into use, but who set up elements of the style and attitude. • (ii) New York City punk circa 1974-5. • (iii) London punk circa 1976-7. • (iv) The American Independent network of the 1980s. • As we’ll see, just as with folk music and R+B, the name ‘punk’ has been applied to musics that vary widely in sound and social outlook.

3. To a great extent, punk rock began in New York City. Throughout the later 1960s, New York had an image that contrasted sharply with San Francisco. The SF hippies tended to see New York artists and bands as cold, cynical, and negative, and the NYC bands tended to regard the San Francisco scene as naïve and unskilled. However, just as in San Francisco, many New York groups were exploring various forms of consciousness and sensory experimentation, and challenging conservative societal norms. • For the history of punk, the most important 1960s NYC scene was the one surrounding Andy Warhol and The Velvet Underground. • Warhol was one of the leading figures in the Pop Art movement, and was also famous for his experimental film-making and his fascination with celebrity culture.

4. Warhol’s studio in the mid-to-late 1960s was a highly fashionable hang-out spot which attracted the elite of the art world, and the jet set, but also a large number of people who would have been regarded a socially marginal (transvestites, speed and heroin addicts, etc.). • Overheads: Andy Warhol art examples. • Even without considering the musical angle, we can see how certain elements that would define punk culture are already present in the Warhol scene (discuss what they are). • The Velvet Underground was based around Lou Reed and John Cale, who were both active in this scene. Lou Reed was an American with a background in poetry, R+B, and pop songwriting. John Cale was a classical/experimental viola player and composer who had come to NYC for the avant-garde music and art scene, and was becoming interested in rock as a site for musical experimentation.

5. For a time, Warhol was interested in the idea of producing a rock band, and he also needed music for the multimedia performance events he was organizing. So he produced the VU’s first album, although by all accounts he had a very hands-off style. • Audio: The Velvet Underground “I’m Waiting For The Man” (1966). • Discuss all the ways in which this song, and the VU in general, resemble what would eventually be called punk (consider lyrical theme, musical sound -- also the band name, and their career path).

6. In summary: elements of the 1960s NYC scene that are often seen as proto-punk… • Interest in dark themes and shock value. • A tendency towards nihilism, or at least stances where values and beliefs are difficult to pinpoint. • A connection to the avant-garde art world. (Consider the irony here: groups like The Beatles were the ones usually called ‘art rock’). • A commitment to musical simplicity, sometimes by choice and sometimes through lack of skill. Conveying the idea that you don’t need to be a highly trained musician to express musical ideas. • A liking for abrasive, harsh, overwhelming sounds.

7. So by the early 1970s, most of the musical and attitude elements we associate with punk were in place. But it wasn’t until around 1974 that the word came to be used. When that happened, it was first applied to a new NYC scene centered on a few key clubs, the most famous of which was CBGBs. • In New York in the early 1970s, there weren’t many venues where an unknown band playing original music could get gigs. So the main thing that united many of the early ‘punk’ groups was simply that they were experimental, new on the scene, and having a hard time finding places to play. Once a few places did open up, the scene around them was quite musically diverse. • CBGBs was a club in the Bowery district originally intended for blues and country. In 1974, members of the band Television convinced the owner to let them play there.

8. If one CBGBs band can be seen as setting the template for the later ‘punk’ stereotype (at least musically), it was The Ramones. • When they started (in 1974), they were all barely able to play their instruments. They would often have to stop songs in the middle during concerts and re-start, sometimes getting into fights with each other onstage. • They were also noteworthy because they portrayed a semi-suburban (when compared to the Manhattan sophistication of many other CBGB groups), street-thug kind of image. Their lyrics were negative but funny (they wrote a lot of ‘I don’t wanna’ songs, like “I Don’t Wanna Walk Around With You,” “I Don’t Wanna Be Tamed,” and “I Don’t Wanna Go Down To The Basement,” and their ‘positive’ songs were often along the lines of “Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue” and “Gimme Gimme Shock Treatment”).

9. The visual image wasn’t ‘punk’ by current stereotypes, but it was noteworthy in its simplicity and aggressive rejection of polish or pretense. • DVD: The Ramones “Teenage Lobotomy” live, 1980. • The sound was very fast (for the time), based around simple riffs (with guitar and bass usually playing the same thing) and motor rhythm eighth notes. The songs were short (and when they needed a longer performance or record, they would often just play through a song twice). But on the other hand, there was something very pop-like about the music: it had catchy melodies, concise form, and lots of hooks.

10. Although punk mostly began in the US, it was the UK punk scene centered on London that most defined the style internationally. • The London scene began at almost exactly the same time as the US scene, but was quite different in at least three crucial ways... • (i) In the UK, the economic and social situation was very different from the US. The economy was very bad, and there was a great deal of anger simmering around the traditional class system. As a result, UK punk was usually political and working-class in nature, whereas the CBGBs bands were generally apolitical. • (ii) ‘Punk’ fashion as it is generally thought of was a product of the UK scene, not the US scene. • (iii) UK punks generally despised 1960s and early 1970s rock culture (mention the Pink Floyd shirt story). There was a definite tone of ‘giving back to the people’ that NYC lacked.

11. A key figure in UK punk was Malcolm McLaren, who managed the Sex Pistols. • McLaren had a general interest in radical art, fashion, and music. He ran a fashion boutique in London (along with Vivienne Westwood) from the early 1970s, and also spent considerable time in NYC around 1972-1975, for a while managing the New York Dolls. • Like Warhol, McLaren was mainly interested in music as a component of a broader kind of performance art. But unlike Warhol, McLaren was radically political in his aims. • Explain situationism and its influence on McLaren, the kind of music and fashion he wanted to instigate. • By around 1975, the shop’s name was SEX and it specialized in high-fashion bondage gear. It became a hangout for local youth, and McLaren put the Sex Pistols together from various musicians who were part of that crowd.

12. Reports vary as to how much influence McLaren actually had over the group. The only direct musical effect seems to have come from adding John Lydon (Johnny Rotten) as the singer. In general, Rotten was responsible for the working-class anger of the group, McLaren managed the image and created the situationist chaos, and the other members provided a solid pub-rock/Ramones musical backing. • By all accounts, the band members didn’t like each other. And they also generally disliked and distrusted McLaren. This odd situation was perfect from a situationist perspective, but was very hard on the band members. • In general, McLaren almost practiced a style of anti-management. He did what he could to make the group controversial and hated by the general public. The group was banned from many venues because of reports of violence (exaggerated), and they were dropped by two record labels in about five months (1976-1977).

13. One example of a deliberate provocation tactic: planning to release “God Save The Queen” in conjunction with the royal silver jubilee celebrations. • Overhead: “God Save The Queen” promotional art. • Audio: The Sex Pistols “God Save The Queen” (1977). • Discuss: Musical style. • Discuss: Components of the visual style. • Overhead: Early punk fashion. • The origins of this style of dress are controversial. McLaren and Westwood are often given credit, but Rotten claims that this sort of thing was common among his crowd growing up (a kind of working class self-empowerment).

14. The fourth phase of punk to discuss was the American Independent (aka Amerindie) scene of the 1980s. • Symbolically, this carried on from UK punk, but was very different in several respects... • (i) The US punk scene largely began with a new sound and look: hardcore. • (ii) It was in the US that the idea of DIY (do it yourself) became all-important. Earlier NYC and UK bands had not rejected major record labels or the established industry, but the Amerindie scene was premised on the idea that you could not trust the music industry, and should do as much as possible yourself. • (iii) Related to this, for a time an entire parallel/independent music industry appeared and provided a total context for punk and ‘alternative’ musicians. • Let’s look at these in more detail...

15. The founders of Amerinide are generally said to be Black Flag, both because they helped pioneer the hardcore sound/look, and because they set the mould for independent business models. • In 1978, they formed their own record label (SST records). This was the ultimate extension of the indie label phenomenon – a band running their own label. • It is also significant that they were from what was in effect a suburb of Los Angeles (Hermosa Beach). Up to this point, punk had been associated with major art/fashion centres of the world. But the Amerindie scene opened things up to many smaller cities. In general, the music expressed frustrations and boredom of everyday suburban/small city life, and in this sense was closer in spirit to The Ramones than to much UK punk. • Black Flag toured relentlessly, helping to build a national network of contacts and venues that other bands followed.

16. Overhead: Henry Rollins (1981). • Audio: Black Flag “Six Pack” (1981). • Discuss: how does the hardcore look and sound differ from earlier punk? How is it the same? • Because the American scene was premised as much on the idea of independence as on a ‘punk’ style per se, it became quite stylistically diverse. One thing that happened was that the hardcore sound was carried to ridiculous extremes... • Audio: Hüsker Dü “Punch Drunk” (1982) • Among the wide range of styles, Amerindie also included groups that openly showed influence from 1960s rock, and also from 1970s styles like metal which were hated by many earlier punks.

17. Audio: Husker Du “Sunshine Superman” (1982). • This kind of crossover developed in several directions, most notably grunge in the late 1980s (which was just one of many Amerindie scenes, although it was by far the most commercially successful). Also, it’s worth noting that the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal was occurring at around the same time, and had many of the same cultural features. • The Amerindie scene required an entire network of factors to come together, allowing a complete alternative music industry to exist. Some of the most important included... • The widespread popularity of campus radio. • A proliferation of independent record labels and fanzines. • A generation of bands who were willing to tour constantly and under less-than-ideal circumstances. • A subculture of fans dedicated enough to offer material support to touring bands (e.g. crash pads).

18. Audio: The Specials “Do The Dog” (1979). • Formed in 1977. Overlapped with The Clash early on (toured together, mutual admiration). Q: What motivated the crossover between punk and ska/reggae communities? And were there earlier UK precedents for this? • Self-consciously political, musical and racial integration. Can discuss skinhead situation by contrast (at least part of it – extreme diversity since 1960s roots although working-class aspect is consistent). • In 1979 one of the members founded 2 Tone Records. Also became the name of a movement (gathered together elements of punk, ska/reggae, mod (esp. fashion), skinhead). • Overhead: 2 Tone EP label. • This is all generally regarded as second-wave ska (with the first being 1950s/1960s Jamaica, and the third being the 1990s ska revival).

19. Audio: The B-52’s “Planet Claire” (1979) • Overhead: B-52’s album cover (1979) • Formed 1977. • First album and singles were a major pop success. • The “New Wave” category – what motivated it? How were these not just “punk” bands or “pop” bands or “rock” bands? (Keeping in mind the diversity). What did they take from each, and what prevented them from fitting neatly into each? Tendency in later years to subdivide (post punk, goth, electro-pop, etc.). • Self-conscious “retro” as an aesthetic and marketing strategy. Have we seen it before this? What are some later examples? What motivates it here? Elsewhere?