"On the Nature of Punk" by Jessamin Swearingen (adapted and edited by Allan Metz)
The distinction between British and American punk,
more specifically rooted in New York City, from where Blondie emerged–Ed.
"On the Nature of Punk" by Jessamin Swearingen (adapted and edited by Allan Metz)
The distinction between British and American punk,
more specifically rooted in New York City, from where Blondie emerged–Ed.
Punk, or what became punk rock in Britain, was a product of American sources, with roots varying from Bill Haley and his Comets' first chords of rock music to the self-centered poetry of the beat generation's best authors. These cultural artifacts influenced American punk, which in turn influenced Britain's. Punk's impact on America was isolated, but its impact on Britain exemplified rock music's pattern of cultural mimicry. British punk was a recreation of America's best offerings modified to suit British tastes. Punk business man, Malcolm McLaren sensed America's influence on British punk. After the New York Dolls broke up in 1975, McLaren gave Sex Pistols' guitarist, Steve Jones, one of the Doll's old guitars (Savage, 97-99). McLaren studied rock and its history and knew that rock music thrived on cultural thievery.
Today, nearly twenty-five years after punk's reign on the New York scene, punk is still considered a British creation. It is no surprise that a conflict arises concerning punk's origins. Cultural creations are always being modified, and fickle pop audiences are more likely to grant authenticity to the latest output, rarely seeking out its origin. To add to the confusion, Britain's Sex Pistols and the Clash looked more punk than America's Patti Smith or Television. During Britain's adoption of punk, New York audiences and music critics saw record companies losing interest in American bands. This caused the critics to wonder what was so special about the British. American writer Alan Betrock criticized the rock media's attention for being prone to "malcolmization" (a take-off on Malcolm McLaren's first name), and noted that "New York has been historically maligned." Betrock documented New York's origination of such musical styles as the 1960s girl sound to the City's Greenwich Village folk scene, and pointedly asked why New York did not get credit for the discovery (Betrock, 43, 46). He added that British punk became more popular because the only American group that truly looked punk were the Ramones.
The two versions of punk, the antecedent American and
its British descendent, were very different. British punk was aggressive
and violent it demanded immediate change and had no interest in working
for the solution. The Sex Pistols typified British punk with such songs
as "Anarchy in the UK," which did not give a thought to anarchy's effect.
American punk seemed lazy by comparison. It was sarcastic while the English
was violent and poetic while the former was illiterate. The American originator
offered lessons for the British to copy, and the British pushed one step
further, thus gaining more recognition....
Source: ‘We Created
It: Let's Take It Over!’ web site, 1999