British Expatriate Network

A BBC article caught my attention, its 30 years since The Sex Pistols played The 100 Club in London. The BBC are running a series of programmes to mark the anniversary of punk music.

I was too young to be a hardcore punk (and not cool enough either wink ) The first I saw of punk was when The Goodies did their send up of punk on BBC2 8) and a TV music show with Toyah Wilcox, then sometime later after listening to records and etc I had my hair done in a spike, and had some combat trousers with a fluffy jumper and some boots (my mum wouldnt buy me Doc Martins roll ) and I thought I was sooo cool oops I bet any punk who saw me back then must have knew that the writing was on the wall shock
My only record was 'Simon Templer/Two Pints Of Lager And A Packet Of Crisps' by Splodgenessabounds oops Errr.... My punk phase lasted for a very short time roll
My only saving grace was that I listened to John Peel and it was an education for me. Not just in punk but of a lot of music back then.

For me at least punk was a watershed. It saw out a lot of the music I didnt like and ushered in a whole new generation of music. I'm not here to defend punk music and make it out to be this phenomenon but it did influence me and helped shape UK music for many years. As for the US? I think it may have been a totally different matter.

Howabout yerselves?
Did punk have any influence on you directly or indirectly?
Any interesting stories?

http//news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/4855944.stm

Hell yeah. Punk music has been one of the greatest influences on my life. Punk is by definition a disenfranchised form of art. Whether it's music, literature or art, it is always confined to distribution in the lower quarters of the system: smaller clubs, art house theatres, street distribution. That comes with the anti-establishment impulse in the work. Make your own damn records. Set up your own damn tours. Achieve your own damn relation to God, if any. I do not recognise the right of anyone to control my words or my actions, and I claim the right to resist in any way I deem appropriate.

And I am willing to extend the same courtesy to you, to recognize that you are the sovereign of yourself. I just have to let go and see what happens. That's the only politics that isn't worse than what it seeks to replace.

And that's what I call punk philosophy: DIY - the cost limit of price, the sovereignty of the person over themselves, the temporary autonomous zone. Make your own art, your own love, your own truth, and find a place where you can do that. If you can't find a place like that, start trying to carve one out, try and make your own island nation of jesters and fools and fops. FFS, ditch Shakira and make your own music.

/crikey that was more than I intended to type

Do it yourself - thats the lesson I learned, always question what you're told to think, do, listen to or believe. If there is an established social order then i'm sure thats very nice for some people who need to be told how to think. as for me, i try and think for my self, always have done - mrs S too. Punk was something that happened before i was really aware of what was going on around me, but through music I learned alot of things, music culture too, that was what really mattered. When I started listening to stuff like the Clash, penetration, magazine, I found out that the music behind those bands was stuff I had been listening to for a number of years already. It all seemed to make sense then.
Now, of course, that anarcho-rebellion stuff has become a part of the mainstream, its not scary anymore. Like Lenny Bruces' continued use of profanity routines - it ceases to be offensive when everybody does it. You can buy punk off the shelf in Hot Topic now, if you fancy that.
In the early 90's I was caught up in the New Age Traveller scene and lived on the road, as they say. A lot of the people I met there were casualties and leftovers from the punk years. Living their lives in decrepit old buses and converted ambulances, the whole anti-establishment thing was still very strong and you lived a life of confrontation. It was interesting to see how strongly people reacted to you, and how negative those reactions could be.
People like to put you into boxes, into some kind of way that they can deal with you and your personal politics - and the less they understand about you the more frightened they are.
Now ,for me, its still about the music and not fitting in.

Vegas you have got to see Gogol Bordello.
I saw them live last night in Boulder and they are superb.
Two hours of Anarchic gypsy punk (with a little reggae and latin thrown into the mix) mayhem

The singer plays the character Alex in the film "Everything is Illuminated" which is also excellent.


"Start wearing purple for me now..............."