quite simply, punk rock is a restoration of the original rebellious youth attitude and simple fundamentals of expession in rock'n'roll music that was first expressed in the 50s by the giants like Chuck Berry, Elvis Presley,
Jerry Lee Lewis (especially in his personal life), and others, as opposed to the clean cut image of some of the pop stars that were dominant at the time. In the mid-60s there was the Velvet Underground who influenced punk by their lyrical themes and feedback and more. Then came what are now considered to be the
protopunk bands, who took the practice of
pushing the envelope that British bands like the Rolling Stones, the Who and the Kinks initiated to even greater lengths in terms of sound, image and rebellious attitude (the Stooges, the
MC5, and many other bands). The term "punk rock" possibly was first used by rock critic Dave Marsh in a rockmag in the early 70s to describe the sound of ? and the Mysterians. An independent movement in rock developed as a reaction because the music had become corporate, pompous, bloated, pretentious,
artsy-fartsy, and along with Top 40 pop, just plain cruddy and stupid. Bands started playing their songs short, to the point, loud, and fast, often a three-chord arrangement in accordance with the idiom KISS (Keep It Simple, Stupid). The name "punk rock" was applied to this independent movement in rock, the movement was and still a rebellion against the prevailing fads and trends. It has greatly influenced popular music in the 80s decade and beyond, spawning
nascent movements like speed metal, new wave,
postpunk, grunge and more in terms of style, sound, image, attitude and much more. Punk rock is
anti-corporate, anti-establishment, anti-system and anti-conformity. Current bands like Blink 182 and Good Charlotte are NOT punk rock because they don't really have the original rebellious rock'n'roll spirit, gist or attitude of individuality. Music has gotten so corporate now that we very badly need another rock revolution like punk and we need it fast, before
rock's just part of the past. Cuz lately it just sounds the same to me... (
all due respect to the Ramones).
Example:
The
Ramones are often considered to be the first actual punk rock band as we know it. This legendary band from
Forest Hills, Queens, the Big Apple were greatly influenced by American
garage rock bands, the British Invasion, the Beach Boys and girl groups. I saw them four times before they called it quits in 1996. VIVA
RAMONES!