Anti-Propaganda (On Punk)

You'd think people would've learned some-think from the rise of popular Music (Rock); from the reaction of the media and establishment of Rock Musicians, with money, fame and respectability (Grammy Awards).

But there are still some people (N.Z. a vast dull multitude) who seem unable to read between the lines, they accept the violent attack on anti-establishment and avant-garde music by the Media, and accept uncomplainingly the staid diet of monolithic, mindless, dull commercial fodder poked out endlessly by the Music Business (Disco).

The shallow and ill thought criticism of Punk; that it is mindless 'noise', that the music is meaningless, and that Punks can't play (ie that they have absolutely no musical ability what so ever) and that theydegrade themselves by doing anything for publicity, could be and should be applied to the hypocritical music establishment (music magazines. Disco, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, Abba, Bee Gees, Rod Stewart (who used to be a rocker but decided he wanted millions before credibility)).

Any Punk guitarist could have played belter thab Keith Richards on the 'trendy' Punk number 'Respectable' (as the 'Stones' are) on their latest album "Some Girls." Richards must have been too overcome after his trial (he got off a herion charge: because he's a recognised part of the establishment). The "Respectable" number shows how much; deciation and commitment it takes to play Punk with any credibility, it's not an image you put on like a worn coat it's an attitude of disolusionment, cynicalism and anger at social injustice.

"Anarchy in the UK" (by those nasty Sex Pistols) is a single that has more devistating impact than any before it, its demonic intensity, its brilliant, searing, grating guitar and the evil, genius of Johnny Rottens (J. Lyden) vocals; "I am an antichnist, I am an anarchist, don't know what I want, but know how to get it" shows this.

The whole Album "Never mind the Bollocks here's the Sex Pistols" is full of though' provoking - emotionally laden lyrics (once you can hear them) and blasting energetic music that just can be calibrated to what ca came before.

The whole album spanned a blitz of new sounds and new groups and started modern music moving forward again, after the stagnation of Heavy Metal and Heavy Rock, (Deep-Purple (of Ritchie Blackmore, Black Sabbath went to seed, Uriah Heep went to pop, and Led Zepphlyn never progressed ("The Song remains the same"0.

Someone once told me that the Ramones (brilliant, subtle, titanic) songs all sound the same. That shows that that person hasn't got a good ear and can't distinguish subtle rhythym idfferences when played at the incredibly fast, speed, fuss and metal power of the Ramones. (1 know, at first it's like listening to a buss saw and its about as difficult to make the words out as it was to make out the words of Anarchy in the UK; that took me hours with a tapedeck). But underneath all that catasylismic powerplay is a subtle hidden message (and some amazing vocals by Joey Ramone).

The Ramones message is simple, yet delivered in a way so that most don't see it. Their songs are social comments, demands for action over social problems. Their image of Moronic stupidity (which most take at face value) and their statements of cretanism (like "1234 Cretans want to hop some more, 4567 all good Cretans go to heaven") is actually saying your moronic for not realising thay what we are saying is that we are smart, Joey carries around a sign saying "Gabba Gabba Hey" (which means good to be one of us').

Their song like "Teenage Lobottoby" "Gimme Gimme Shock Treatment". "I wanna be Sedated" and the Punk classic "Now I wanna sniff some Glue" (now I wanna have something to do), carry a message of frustrated kids growing up unemployed in grotty industrial slums, where violence rules and politicians are corrupt hypocrites. (In this they are much like' the "Clash").

Each of their 4 albums is a subtle progression changes in power, style, message, vocals, that belies the initial and shallow observation that all their music is the same.

Young Punks (disillusioned kids, criminals and others) began around 1974-75 when people saw that music wasn't going anywhere, the Rock Myth was getting thin, (to quote NME "the myth of the rocker as a sage, spokesman for a generation, and a concerned human being, martyr and vicitm with just a whiff of sacrifical [unclear: gd] Mick Jagger was more concerned over wers droop' than poverty and social [unclear: ir] (Street fighting Man was [unclear: beginnf] sound very thin), hence the return to street with Punk Rock.

Theres an equation that goes like [unclear: t] the older, the richer, the most [unclear: succs] the more famous, the more [unclear: respectab] an artist gets, the further from reality, his/her/its ideals, values and [unclear: credibilty] the artist gets. (look at the Stones or McCartney, who wouldn't have anything do with "Lucy in the Sky with [unclear: Dian] now.")

Thankfully Punk isn't commercial Wave might be, but even Ramones [unclear: don] well) and Punk can achieve more by [unclear: b] under (the charts, your conscience society - politicians in particular) than being brought into the establishment [unclear: w] too much success.

David Telford

(This article is printed fairly much in [unclear: the] condition it arrived in. Because of [unclear: gratical] inconsistencies, sentences which [unclear: d] start or finish, it is sometimes hard to out exactly what the writer is trying [unclear: to] Of course, as with the music he [unclear: descr] it is generally possible with a bit of [unclear: effect] to understand the points he makes. [unclear: the] question is, more of the music than of article, does then end result justify the fort required? - ed)