I’ve been away from the keyboard for a little while, but my computer was finally repaired and I’m back. Now when looking for the origins of Punk Rock, am I looking for the label Punk Rock or the actual music itself? Bands considered to be part of the Punk Rock genre and movement weren’t considered Punk Rock and didn’t consider themselves Punk Rock at the time.

The Punk movement has also shifted to being this all encompassing rebel movement where anything that says “F*** You” to something is Punk by nature. That means outside of music art and poetry and even a lifestyle can potentially represent a unique brand of punk. The irony of the idea of punk comes into play when a new punk movement rises to refute another punk movement like the straight edge movement and hardcore punk.

The term “Punk Rock” first gets used as a label for garage bands influenced by the British Invasion during the 60s. These garage bands weren’t as technically skilled as the musicians they aspired to copy and weren’t bound by the rules of music of the time. They ended up making a lot of three chord rock songs.

During the mid 60s you see bands like The Stooges and MC5 whose concerts were violent, raw and politically eye opening. That in combination with The Velvet Underground and The New York Dolls boundary pushing culture creates the foundation for idea of what Punk is.

Now bands like the Ramones who came out of the US during the early to mid 70s are looked at as Punk Rock. At the time though they were not at all associated with the Punk movement. Some musicians were getting tired of bands like Deep Purple with 20 minute solos. The Ramones just took the rock of the time and played it really fast with 2-3 minute song times. People hated it, but were intrigued by it.

The Punk movement doesn’t really start until the British take up around 74-76. That’s when you see the kids with leather jackets all ripped, patched and full of pins. Bands like The Clash, The Sex Pistols and The Damned break onto the scene. This is when Punk Rock as a genre becomes recognized.