If anyone is interested in punk culture, or at least the scene that exists within Auckland, I’m sure you’ll also be aware of how fickle it has become in trying to determine the “true” meaning of punk. From what I’ve seen over the years, bands and fans who are united through the history of punk rock, are divided by the definition of what it means by today’s standards. Those who share a stage and those who pay to watch them, have all erupted into a pathetic two-faced internet squabble over who’s punk and who’s not - as was always seen on the forums of www.punkas.com; a New Zealand site dedicated to the genre. I myself have not read the forums for years, because it just became too frustrating to try and understand how close-minded people could be within a scene that professes the very opposite.
Through viewing Ghost World and witnessing Enid’s experimentation with music, a whole new level has been added to my frustration of the “rules” of the scene and those stupid few who determine themselves the gatekeepers of it. Enid has varied musical tastes, as is reflected in her personal style - she is obviously influenced by historical notions of music scenes, as is evident in her transformation into “an original 1977 punk” rocker. Through her observation of the punk scene having origins, she is obviously aware of its development and metamorphosis since 1977; into something that is quite different from what it was spawned from. Progression however seems to be a concept that is lost on the self-professed rule makers of today’s scene; who instead choose to argue about the politics of a culture which will never again be as straightforward as it was when it originally emerged.
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2 comments:
It's such a true point that you make, I quite enjoy a few punk bands in Auckland but I am always looked at with disgust when I turn up to a gig without the proper 'look', the proper speech and patches on my clothing. Basically, I go in what I would wear every day.
The ideals of punk (attitude, anti-establishment etc) have been swallowed up by the iPod culture as people see it as a statement to dress-up and listen to their music on their iPod that their middle class parents bought for them. It doesn't seem to grasp where it all actually came from and therefor I don't buy in to it, but I agree with you completely.
Totally agree with you guys on the wierd kind of attitude that haunts many a fan of punk..how to be non-conformist without conforming to the "conventions" of the genre, outlook, attitude etc. (however you want to define it).
The last time I went to see a NZ punk band (around 6 months )ago it was the music rather than the audience that really enforced to me how wrapped up in convention the scene has become. What I saw was a flawless kind of Pastiche of Punk. Playing all the hooks, fast rhythms that you've heard a million times- musically and with skill - but without any difference or inventiveness.
This problem is not just present in punk however, (see hip-hop)- a lot of New Zealand bands seems to have lost their way in defining their own sound. It is debatable if this is the bands intention or not,but relying on the conventions of the genre as a defintion for your sound, gives the impression of two things. One its 'proof' that your band can mimic the conventions of the sound as well as everyone else internationally,(and maybe that's just wanting to be popular) but also I think your creativity starts going out the window if you follow this approach so closely. There's got to be a balance somewhere???? Bands like Fat Freddy's Drop, Katchafire, and Kora I think are balancing the two modes quite well.
Hey and I'm not just a dub/reggae freak, like the chick in GhostWorld I have a variety of tastes sound so don't get me wrong..I know this isn't a specifically NZ band problem!
Peace
fiFA
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