“I was messianic about punk, seeing if one could put a spoke in the system in some way,” said Vivienne Westwood. Her fashion career began in earnest when Johnny Rotten wore the t-shirts she designed (she was married to Malcolm McLaren, then manager of the Sex Pistols), and today she is one of the most successful and politically outspoken fashion designers at work. Her career is extensive, daring, and inspiring, and she’s generally credited for bringing ‘punk fashion’ to the mainstream. But can we even call it ‘punk’ anymore? “It… Read More »
Johnny Ramone’s First Passport
Two years after forming The Ramones, John William Cummings AKA Johnny Ramone, 28, gets a passport and heads across the pond. Read more and watch The Ramones Live in London, 1977 Here’s band bio from the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame: The Ramones revitalized rock and roll at one of its lowest ebbs, infusing it with punk energy, brash attitude and a loud, fast new sound. When the punk-rock quartet from Queens hit the street in 1976 with their self-titled first album, the rock scene in general had become… Read More »
Women in L.A. Punk
Alice Bag (photo left), member of The Bags and LA punk legend, has been interviewing women active in the Los Angeles punk scene in the 1970s about their experiences, memories, and opinions. Check out Alice’s blog: http://www.alicebag.com/ Here’s a snippet from her interview with Tracy Lea (photo right), “punk rock’s supermodel terrorist teen dream gone wild.” Early on I recognized that boys seemed to have more fun (like the Naughty Women) so hanging out in the punk scene was the perfect setting to play an instrument, get tattooed, and do… Read More »
Original Repo Man Movie Poster
Miller: A lot o’ people don’t realize what’s really going on. They view life as a bunch o’ unconnected incidents ‘n things. They don’t realize that there’s this, like, lattice o’ coincidence that lays on top o’ everything. Give you an example; show you what I mean: suppose you’re thinkin’ about a plate o’ shrimp. Suddenly someone’ll say, like, plate, or shrimp, or plate o’ shrimp out of the blue, no explanation. No point in lookin’ for one, either. It’s all part of a cosmic unconciousness. Otto: You eat a… Read More »
A Poster Inspired By The Repo Man Movie
Repo Man was a movie and also was inspired by punk rock. Here is a poster based on the Repo Man movie.
Spit–A Punk Tradition
Ever wonder why punks were always spitting all over the place? Read further… It was the glorious contemptuousness of spitting, of course, that lay behind its enthusiastic adoption by rock stars and others attempting an instant badge of streetwise chic. Spittle’s finest hour came when the activity was adopted as a collective pastime by fans of punk in the 70s, although, according to Jon Savage, the author of England’s Dreaming, a history of the period, the affection for flob may initially have been accidental. “There are various theories as to… Read More »
Punk rock … alive and kicking in a repressive state near you
The Guardian UK wrote an illuminating article on the rise of Punk Rock in Burma, and it’s divisive effect: It’s been a long time since the term “punk rock” could strike fear into the British establishment. The Sex Pistols’ John Lydon – aka Johnny Rotten – was long ago transformed into a pantomimic national institution, and now advertises Country Life butter; it’s 16 years since Tony Blair admiringly mentioned the Clash in a speech at the Brit awards. The spiky-topped punk look is as harmless a part of vernacular British style as… Read More »
