Sixties and the Early Seventies Were Dominated

¶ … sixties and the early seventies were dominated by bands that were heavily promoted by the music industry. The music was very commercial and user friendly. This trend was responsible for another trend, a backlash against consumer music, a new type of rock which some have called "alternative-bohemian."

By 1977 punk rock had a solid foothold in the music industry. Time and Newsweek both announced the new subculture of music to the general public as being "punk." Bands like the Clash, Dead Boys, the Ramones, the Sex Pistols, and the Talking Heads were all an iatrical part of this new movement.

The music and the subculture revolved around one another and lived a symbiotic relationship. The music was dominated by loud and fast rhythms and the dancing to this music was spasmodic. Punk enthusiasts cut their hair short and dyed it, black leather and combat boots were common, and the most definite identifier of an early punk rocker was a safety pin hanging from one of their many piercings.

However, the most interesting element of the punk movement was its relation to the art world in the United States. Intellectuals and artists appeared to be among the most adamant followers of the punk movement.

When punk emerged, it scrambled the distinctions between high and low culture. (sic) The term "punk" had been coined in 1971 by critics who, disgusted by what they considered pretentious "art rock," were championing obscure American groups from the 1960s such as the Sonics and the Thirteenth Floor Elevators -- garage bands that made up in energy (and volume) what they lacked in instrumental finesse. The punk aesthetic attracted a following in the arts by overlapping with the rise of minimalism among experimental painters, sculptors, and composers. Punk bands such as the Patti Smith Group, Television, and the Voidoids included writers and artists who were as likely to allude to Rimbaud's poetry as to science fiction movies. (McLemme, Pg 2.)

Music scholars believe that the high brow aspect of early punk listeners created a shift in the way that popular music was listened to. There is a separation between elite and mass culture music which exists in the mindsets of those who listen to punk and alternative music even today. Some critics have said that punk music has "snob appeal" in that it is written for an underground audience and an underground culture which tends to be educated and tends to be very selective in what they listen to.

The language of the average punk rocker tends to be laced with education. Politics and the arts dominate conversation. Though there are definitely those who break the mold. Many of the bands and band members use a great deal of profanity to rile up their fans. Some bands, such as the Sex Pistols, were known primarily for their outspoken politics and often violent stage shows.

Despite the internal turmoil in the punk movement, punk rock made several things clear to international audiences. Punk Rock in its subculture, managed to break down many barriers of expression and language. It made an indentation in the commercial music industry. It provided a fresh alternative to a boring, stagnant music scene. (Oh, Pg 2)