#punk is not a fucking political stance it’s a music genre and a subculture wearing big boots is not praxis

[bifrosted-flakes]

You guys HAVE to stop putting punk on a pedestal

[safety-pin-punk]

i have honestly no idea how to ask this, but i'll try to put it into words. i feel like i agree with a lot of things related to being punk but at the same time im not sure if i even really comperhand what being punk means. i have no idea where to start the research.

i've seen people saying that punk is just rebelling, i saw others talking about how its related to many things from past and about standing up to the goverment, other ppl say that the fashion is important...

i feel like this is something i could connect to but i just have no idea how to discover which things are true and which are not.

This makes complete sense. Being ‘punk’ isn’t something that just has one definition. My proof:

And there are a lot of people who gatekeep the subculture, and a lot of people who claim to be a part of it, but don’t actually know the first thing about it.

So I’ll start with this: contrary to what you may think you don’t have to look ‘punk’ to be punk. Some of the most punk fuckers out there wear sweaters every day. So while the look is cool, fun, often cheap, and full of symbolism, it is absolutely not required to be punk.

My second point: you also don’t have to listen to punk/alternative/pop punk/metal/etc to be a punk. Sure, the music has a lot of historical importance to the subculture, and is still full of punk values, it also isnt required.

What makes someone ‘punk’ is limited only to their values and beliefs.

To go back to what you said anon, a lot of people do relate being ‘punk’ to understanding the past, and there is good reason for it. The punk subculture sprang up in the 70’s, so there is 50 years of history and symbolism there. A LOT of todays punk culture is deeply rooted in punk history. BUT, that doesn’t mean you have to be an expert on all things punk history - most people aren’t. Typically, you’ll naturally learn the history of what matters to you.

Another reason history tends to be important to punks is that politics and history are intertwined. Punk is a counter-culture, that means we are essentially ‘against the mainstream culture’. In today’s world, that is a bit murky and is instead typically thought of as ‘fighting for people’s rights and a better world’ which most of us can agree that in some way, shape, or form, mainstream culture and politics do not do.

So then, what does one have to believe and value to be considered a punk? I’ve mentioned this before in various posts on this blog, and my stance has stayed the same. Here are the 4 things I believe are the most important.

Learn how to think critically - it’s important to be able to come to your own conclusions rather than just blindly believing what others say is important

Learn about issues that are important to you - learning about issues is the first step to being able to understand the world and make it a better place

Be kind to the disadvantaged- one of my favorite quotes “In an age of performative cruelty, being kind is punk as fuck.”

Stay true to yourself and don’t let anyone compromise your values or sense of self

It’s important to remember too, that just like there are different types of punk music, there are also different ‘genres’ of punks. You have straight edge punks, you have anarchists, there are folk punks, crust punks are out there, you have rural punks, there are activists, you have skinheads (I recommend staying away from that group - though admittedly I don’t know much about modern skinhead groups). Each group is going to be unique and different, and may have their own ‘criteria’. For example, most skinheads will probably just cross out my third bullet point. This blog is more of a general punk blog because I want to use it to share punk culture with people.

All this being said, I think the best way to learn about punk culture and what it means to be punk, is to immerse yourself into the punk scenes. And if you like alternative music, its often full of ideology, especially the older stuff. But there is also no one correct way to be punk. If you don’t like mainstream culture, if you want to fight for a better world - you’re punk. I don’t care if you listen to country music and wear business casual, you’re still a punk in my book.

If you’d like some other sources to check out, here are my recommendations:

Tumblr Blogs: (a mix of punk aesthetic and political/activism blogs) @polyamorouspunk @punkshitposts @pxnkrocknerd @favouritescene @radicalgraff @politijohn @nofashinpunk

Non tumblr things:

Check to see if your local library has a punk archive (more likely in larger libraries)

Read some old punk zines

Read up on some history

And some more history

Listen to some alternative music

[charleajaymedia-blog]

What is the importance of politics in the pop-punk scene? An analysis of Neck Deep’s song ‘Happy Judgement Day’.

Popular Music Culture Research Report - All Appendices available upon request.

INTRODUCTION

The pop-punk scene emerged in the mid-70’s, taking elements from the pop and punk/punk rock genres and fusing them together. Pop-punk particularly took off with success and originated as a scene in the US. This scene took the DIY element of punk, discussed by Dunn (2012), to releasing music. My research into the pop-punk scene aims to explore the social and political statements discussed through the music in this scene, looking into the history of punk and analysing lyrics as case study into modern political issues. Bennett and Peterson (2004) define the concept ‘music scene’ as a “cluster of producers, musicians and fans (that) collectively share their common musical tastes and collectively distinguish themselves from others”. This becomes relevant when discussing in particular, the aesthetic perspective of music scenes covered in this research. The importance of politics is discussed daily in news, print, television etc. Music scenes also have a reach to their audience on the topic of politics, and researching the pop-punk scene is of importance due to its’ strong statements of counter-hegemony and why bands incorporate them into their lyrics.

SECONDARY RESEARCH

Street (1995) draws on key elements that make a local music scene. These are: Industrial Base, Social Experience, Aesthetic Perspective, Political Experience and Community and Scene. I would argue a music scene can begin locally but if successful it eventually it always finds a way to migrate further than its’ origins especially with technological advances making music instantly accessible and shareable.  

Using this approach by Street, the Industrial Base for pop-punk scene in the Midlands includes venues that accommodate to pop-punk gigs such as: O2 Institute, O2 Academy, The Asylum Venue, Rainbow Venues, Barclaycard Arena, Mama Roux’s, The Sunflower Lounge (evidence of this can be seen in appendix 1). Venues such as UPRAWR and The Planet also accommodate for pop-punk themed club nights (evidence of this in appendix 2).

The Social Experience element includes how people experience music, where people experience music and what kind of music you experience.  With the last element being pop-punk music as the answer to ‘what kind of music’ that is being experienced, where people experience this music are the venues named in the industrial base section for concerts and club nights, on radio shows (appendix 3), and with it being available online pop-punk is streamed online through Spotify, YouTube, Soundcloud and purchased as physical copies as CDs, vinyl and cassette (appendix 4) where people can take this music on the go or listen to it from home much like all music today being easily accessible.  

The Aesthetic Perspective element involves how music affects our daily lives, and how we view ourselves in relation to other people and groups. One way of viewing groups of people is through creating subcultures and identities. For example, pop-punk fans are stereotyped as wearing flannel, being ‘skaters’, wearing vans, having body modifications such as tattoos and piercings, loving pizza, hating their hometown, and ‘defending’ pop-punk (appendix 5). As an individual going to many pop-punk gigs and primarily listening to what defined as pop-punk music, I can argue that for this stereotype it’s relatively accurate to the die-hard fans in this music scene. Frith (1996:109) argues that it’s not about the music or performance reflecting the people “but how it produces them”. I think this is an important difference to establish as this point suggests that musics’ aesthetic impact becomes a part of a persons’ identity as an individual and collectively.

The Political Experience of pop-punk goes back to the roots of punk music, one of the most established bands in the punk movement were the Sex Pistols. Their song ‘God Save The Queen’ became an anthem for punk music and was released in 1977. This song was about rebelling against British politics, being a British band, this was a topic they could be seen to have a passion to write and perform about as it impacted them. Moving into the punk rock/pop-punk scene in the 2000s, ‘American Idiot’ by Green Day was released in 2004. The song ‘American Idiot’ is about criticising American politics, specifically around the time of George W. Bushs’ re-election. “We did everything we could to piss people off” said Billie Joe Armstrong, the front man of Green Day (appendix 6). Even as recent as 2016, Green Day performed their song ‘Bang Bang’ at the American music awards and during their performance Billie Joe Armstrong chanted “NO TRUMP, NO KKK, NO FASCIST USA” (appendix 7). Taking this strong stance against the current political state through their music platform sends a message about the culture surrounding the punk rock/pop-punk/alternative rock scene they represent, and what they stand and don’t stand for. Even more recently in February 2017 Green Day performed in Manchester Arena UK, and during their set Billie Joe Armstrong yet again put forward a statement that challenges American politics.

"Tonight is about us sharing this moment together. We don't need any cell phones anymore right now. We don't need news. We don't need Facebook, we don't need Instagram, we don't need any of that shit. Everything outside these doors is all corruption and all negativity. I'll tell you one thing; Donald Trump is not my fucking president., because soon he will be gone. Because we're the freedom, this is what freedom looks like, freedom looks like this in Manchester. Freedom is singing at the top of your lungs. Freedom is passion and love and joy. We will not be divided. We will not be divided. WE WILL NOT BE DIVIDED." - Billie Joe Armstrong, Green Day, 6th February 2017 (appendix 8)

Bringing strong beliefs and opinions about American politics into the UK creates awareness and a joint mentality in the crowd of people in that arena. Media allows people in the UK to interact with American politics and Donald Trump in particular is almost impossible to avoid hearing about. Making a speech and chanting about essentially being anti-trump is praised and accepted in the scene. This suggests the people who listen to Green Days’ music are like-minded that of the band. Not only is the political experience influencing the song writing, but it’s influencing the groups identity, and the fans who follow them.  

With the Sex Pistols, a UK band who wrote about UK politics, Green Day, an American band who write about American politics, there is also currently a crossover which I will be focusing on later on in my research in which American Politics influence pop-punk bands closer to the UK.  

The Community and Scene element draws on how music generates a sense of community in a locality. For example, at a pop-punk gig it is a common practice to mosh and crowd-surf to music. Straw (1991) stated in his definition of a scene “that cultural space in which a range of musical practices coexist […]”. One practice created by a music is dancing. This relates to the political experience as there are politics of dancing such as why people choose to dance vs not to dance, how dancing can articulate class, nationality, ethnicity, age, gender and sexuality. In pop-punk, as I mentioned earlier it is common practice to see a mosh-pit form in the crowd during a performance at a gig. The act of moshing can be perceived as aggressive; from personal experience the mosh pit is a place to release passion in a semi-violent spirit but ultimately, it’s a safe place for people to express their energy through the music. There are ‘unwritten rules’ of the mosh-pit culture to make it enjoyable and safe for everybody involved (summed up in the article in appendix 9).

METHODOLOGY

The methodology I will be using for my research is a textual analysis approach. Textual analysis’ micro-analytical approach will be useful to my research as my object of study is lyrics to a song by pop-punk band Neck Deep titled ‘Happy Judgement Day’ released August 2017 from their album The Peace and The Panic. The aim of this textual analysis is to deconstruct the lyrics and meaning of the song and the messages portrayed through this example of pop-punk music. Alongside this textual analysis I will also be conducting a meta-textual analysis of the music video that accompanies the same song. This is an important element to my research as the meta-textual approach is macro-analytical and offers an opportunity after deconstructing the meaning of the song through a textual analysis, to contextualise it into wider societal problems, my main focus being the political themes of the song. I have chosen this specific song due to it being released as a single before the album release, setting the tone for the entire album, also due to the discussion online surrounding this song and the political themes (appendix 9.1). I think this song is also a good representation of the discussion of UK and US politics in one song. Therefore, I can analyse points of the research question and how US pop-punk has influenced UK pop-punk through this song as a case study.

PRIMARY RESEARCH

The song ‘Happy Judgement Day’ by Neck Deep follows the structure of sounds and forms of the Tin Pan Alley musical repertoire (VCVCBC) (see appendix 10 for full lyrics and music video). The music video is set in an old-style school with separate individual desks that each school kid is sat at looking disinterested, bored, passing notes, doodling the Neck Deep logo (already showing more of an interest in the musical influence than education) and generally just giving the impression of not caring. There is a blackboard, formal uniforms with ties, an old box television which is playing a ‘survival for judgement day’ black and white video, a skeleton, a big world map, and a teachers’ desk. The use of this mise en scène immediately connotes a 50’s/60’s throwback in terms of the era it is portraying. This is important to the theme of the music video and song because of the common practice of the “duck and cover” drills in schools as discussed by Schelbach (2015). This is also demonstrated in the music video of the band members participating in the duck and cover drill by taking cover under school desks, further enforcing the practices of this time period. The 50’s/60’s black and white film imagery has similar imagery to another pop-punk album ‘okay.’ by As It Is (appendix 11). Although the imagery on this album cover is in colour it has a nuclear weapon with the same style of art as ‘The Peace and The Panic’; these albums also have the same influencer Mike Green who did mixing, composition and was an engineer and producer for both.

[Verse 1]

Oh, what a time to be alive! Wake up and smell the dynamite And keep your eyes locked tight to your screen And don't believe everything that you see You'll find, modern life's a catastrophe  

This first verse comes in immediately with a satirical tone, almost angry at the topic of the current social and political climate. “Wake up and smell the dynamite” seems to refer to the saying of “wake up and smell the coffee” which means to open your eyes and have a look around you and become aware of the situations going on. Replacing the word coffee with dynamite suggests the idea that weapons and violence pose a huge threat in society and this needs to be paid attention to. “Don’t believe everything that you see” could refer to the media, in particular, news channels broadcasting particular stories with bias motives, and online where fake articles circulate. There are also many conspiracy theories involving politics and media, such as:

The Manchester Arena attack and how it was a false flag operation to distract from Theresa Mays’ negative media attention.  

The 9/11 attack and how George W. Bush organised it. This conspiracy in particular has been turned into a well-known meme and even directly referenced to in other music genres such as Skrillex and Diplos’ ‘Where Are U Now’ ft. Justin Bieber (appendix 12). At 1:40 the freeze frame shows a sketch saying ‘Bush Did 9/11’.

The line “don’t believe everything that you see” could be perceived as a nod towards political conspiracies such as these, and could be applied to more recent ones such as the Vegas shooting etc.  

[Chorus]

Is it just me or does anyone else feel like this could be farewell? Oh, we almost had it Then we pissed it all away Building walls, dropping bombs Stop the world, I'm getting off Oh, we almost had it Never thought I'd see the day When the world went up in flames When the world went up in flames

The chorus being the part of the song that is repeated several times, like all other songs it has the main message and theme explored as the focus. The first line of the chorus begins with a rhetorical question which creates an effect of unity speaking to its’ listeners; almost like Barlow (the vocalist) is singing with a tone of desperation or disbelief at present day political issues, particularly a nod towards “building walls, dropping bombs” which seems to be a direct link to current American politics and President Donald Trump and his plans for building a border wall between the US and Mexico. While having a lot of American politically driven lyrics, “Oh, we almost had it then we pissed it all away” could be referring to the Brexit vote. On Neck Deeps’ twitter account the day before the Brexit vote they hinted towards voting to remain in the EU (appendix 13). After this referendum resulted in the UK leaving the EU 51.89% to 48.11% these lyrics “we almost had it” has a significant relation to this UK related political issue. “Stop the world I’m getting off” and “Never thought I’d see the day when the world went up in flames” suggest a corrupted, messed up world that Barlow doesn’t want to be a part of. A lot of fans also seem to relate to these lyrics as they have tattoos depicting a world being destructed (appendix 14).

[Verse 2]

We all worship celebrities, desperate for an identity But cigarettes and MDMA don't give you substance You don't think about what you say 'Cause your mouth is bigger than your brain It's a shame, so fake and you're all the same

The second verse seems to steer more towards commentary on the current state of society, particularly idolising celebrities more than we should, wanting to belong to certain social groups and identify a certain way to other people, much like a school kid mentality which links to the meta-text of the music video which is set in an old dated school environment. This environment could be a relating visual to how ‘old-school’ the education system is when it comes to teaching about important political issues, which is also further backed up by the cuts to the ‘teacher’ in the video falling asleep and the lack of care while kids are focusing on “cigarettes and MDMA” more than these important issues that impact their future. There is a running theme through the video in which Barlow is sat at the teachers’ desk singing these lyrics, further implying the idea that this music could even be doing a better job at making these pupils at schools aware of current social and political issues than the education system, as Neck Deeps’ audience varies from about 14 to mid-30s (speaking from personal experience of observing others at their gigs and interacting with fans online). Substance abuse is also a problem in wider society so this could be a polysemic meaning. “It’s a shame, so fake and you’re all the same” is also a line that can be seen as a dig towards politicians. In the media politicians are often being slammed for being liars and hypocrites (appendix 15).

[Bridge]

There's a black cat up in the windows of Parliament There's a man in the back of a black cab, talking about the good days When it all went up in flames Happy Judgement Day It all went up in flames Happy Judgement Day

The reference to a “black cat” is often linked with superstition and bad luck. In the windows of parliament this suggests what is happening in the UK (most likely the Brexit decision) is only going to result in something bad. ‘Judgement Day’ is a religious term used by Christians to determine the day the world ends and whether you go to heaven or hell. Barlow is insinuating the end of the world, going up in flames, because of all these poor decisions being made by governments. This point is also further portrayed by the globe prop in the music video being set on fire. The bridge of the song is combined with the part of the music video where the bored school kids decide to ‘rebel’ and join the band jumping around, throwing around paperwork etc. This could be seen as a metaphor for joining the pop-punk, anti-establishmentarianism movement in which they disapprove of corrupt and unjust political power.  

The overall tone of the music video uses black and white, slightly grainy film editing for the ‘survival of judgement day’ video, and a muted, dull colour and tone for the scenes in the school. This bland setting once again connotes the dull education system, and could be suggesting a commentary on todays’ education and politics and how nothing is changing by releasing a video in 2017 set in the 50s/60s and making the connections of how similar things seem to be. The lyrics combined with the video enforce this idea of being angry at watching the world “go up in flames” which is the definitive message of this song.  

CONCLUSION  

Overall, the combination of primary and secondary research uses examples of US and UK punk/punk rock and pop-punk, and the merging of both countries’ political issues as influences. Comparing the scenes, pop-punk derives from the punk/punk rock community which has a defining element of anti-establishment disposition (Dunn 2008:197). Although Dunn discusses punk rock politics and the “healthy resistance to dominant forces” and counter-hegemony, this has migrated into pop-punk as this scene originates from punk and punk rock. He also suggests the idea that the opposition to social norms and dominant forces is conveyed not just in the lyrics but in the punk scene as an entirety. I agree with this to a certain extent, as this angst exists in the pop-punk scene. However, the moshing, rebellious, anti-establishment tone has to exist with a drive and passion behind it. This being the topic of the lyrics. These are after all, the words people yell along with and get tattooed, why would they do this if the lyrics didn’t mean something to them? The analysis of these lyrics has strong UK and US political themes, that can’t be denied, but also a tone of sarcasm and generally just being fed up which can be related to by many even if their passion isn’t completely political.  

Applying this to a wider societal context, pop-punk has a relatively young demographic as an audience. A lot of things in common with young people is that whether they live in the UK or US, is that they hate Donald Trump and everything he stands for. This particular song analyses the ridiculousness of this presidents’ position of power, and the Green Day performance mentioned earlier not-so-subtly bashes Donald Trump. There was also an incident at one of Neck Deeps’ shows this year in Nottingham Rock City where violence broke out between the band and crowd vs security at the show (appendix 16). The crowd then proceeded to chant “OH JEREMY CORBYN” after the band left the stage (as shown on the setlist in appendix 17). This political chant for the Labour leader originated to show support for his party during the election. One thing also in common with young people is that a lot of them seemed to show support Jeremy Corbyn, with more than half of young adults voting for Labour (appendix 18). This election was also the highest vote proportion of 18-24 year olds in 25 years (according to Sky News data – appendix 19). Obviously, all of these voters aren’t pop-punk fans, but it opens up the idea of music (even beyond the punk scenes and subcultures) having a bigger political impact on its’ audiences than perhaps realised. These words have power and influence on world issues, with people repeating these songs, learning the lyrics and singing along at gigs. Spreading a message within the community and encouraging people to pay attention to not only their own countries political issues but worldwide issues could be argued as the importance of politics in the pop-punk scene.  

Bibliography

Bennett, A  Peterson, R A (2004) Music scenes: local, translocal and virtual  

Dunn, K (2012) “If It Ain’t Cheap, It Ain’t Punk”: Walter Benjamin’s Progressive Cultural Production and DIY Punk Record Labels. Journal of Popular Music Studies.

Dunn, K (2008:197) Never mind the bollocks: the punk rock politics and global communication

Frith, S (1996:109) Music and Identity in Questions of Cultural Identity (1996)

Schelbach, M (2015:2) Atomics in the Classroom: Teaching the Bomb in the Early Postwar Era

Straw, W (1991) Communities and Scenes in Popular Music  

Street, J (1995) (Dis)located? Rhetoric, Politics, Meaning and the Locality

Appendices available upon request