Okay. I'm going to put this out there right now. "Punk" is not a fashion. It is not the music you play. Punk is the attitude you have, and whether or not you do something, no matter what people will say. Yes, "punk" is indeed a genre of rock, and you may see a fello on the street with ripped jeans, a mohawk, and wearing safety pins everywhere who is, indeed a punk, but all of that's based off the attitude. And yes, not every "punk" song will be stating an opinion or talking about anarchy, I know that. It's still punk, but the genre. NOT the attitude(well, I dunno' this kinda depends... however you interpret it.) And besides, the music itself doesn't have to sound punk. Four words. Rage Against the Machine. That's like rap + Led Zeppelin, but the lyrics are sure as hell punk.

Now that that's out of the way, I can continue. Many people group "punks" as a stereotype with all the emo and scene and goth kids..... No. No. No. No. They are so many things wrong with that statement.

Like I said, it is not a stereotype. It's an attitude. The people who call themselves "punk" with all the emo and scene and goth kids are probably not punk. And besides, anyone who calls themselves "punk" in the first place. Well, they're not. In my opinion, the entire way society views punk is completely wrong.

Now, a little history lesson, kids. In the late seventies, England was, well, not the ideal place to live. So, this huge subculture emerged, and punks came out onto the scene. First starting with, of course, the Sex Pistols. I won't elaborate more on this, because I don't feel like it, but that, my friend's, is the true origin of "punk."

Okay, the next thing I want to say- Green Day. No, I'm not getting off topic. Green Day started in the early 90's, I believe, in California as a punk revival band... well maybe not "revival", but they were a punk band. Green Day has changed a lot in the past years, and you might not consider they're latest stuff "punk". Okay, I can agree with you like, halfway. The music they play may not have the punk sound, but it sure as hell has the attitude, maybe now more than ever. And what did I stress earlier? PUNK IS AN ATTITUDE. So, yeah, maybe Green Day's newest tunes are more pop-y(not in my opinion, but never mind that), but I noticed at the concert that they still have that attitude. I mean, the only people I can think of that would have the balls to show pictures at a concert of Jesus Christ in a backdrop that could totally be confused for a monkey, is, well, you guessed it. PUNKS. And this was two weeks ago.

Actually, more about Green Day. They're American Idiot album is fairly recent, right? And people don't think it's punk. Okay. Go ahead and actually listen to "American Idiot", the song. Well, you've probably already heard it one hundred times. But listen to it again, with this blog in mind. This song is possibly the punkest song in the history of punk. He's pretty much saying: "Fuck; call me a faggot if you want to. I'm not going to be a part of your redneck agenda. I'm not going to be an American idiot." That's not the lyrics word-for-word, but, that's what he's saying. And is that not punk, America? If it isn't, and I am wrong, then everything that I've come to know as "punk", the real meaning is, well, dead wrong. (And I'm fairly sure I'm right.)

Punk is in-your-face. It's not caring what the fuck you think. It's an attitude.

You want punk? This is punk:

(Ha ha, yes, Johnny Rotten/Lydon, the singer, is probably high.) Listen to the lyrics. THAT'S the punk part. The sound is the music that came from this attitude. Understand the difference. And no, you don't have to like the Sex Pistol's music. I honestly don't give a shit if you do or don't.

THIS, however, is not punk:

That's just upsetting.

You, know, I actually wore black skinny jeans and a Clash tee-shirt to school one day, and got called "Scene Machine." THE CLASH IS A PUNK ROCK BAND. IT'S EVEN FROM THE ORIGINAL PUNK MOVEMENT IN ENGLAND IN 1977. No, I'm not saying I'm the punk, but the band on my shirt is. You know what the girl said when I told her that?

"Scene is the original punk."

Do you have any idea how much I wanted to punch her in the face? I'm not even going to explain all the things wrong with what she said.

Well, I hope I've explained the true meaning of "punk" and offended plenty of people in the punk tradition(yes, that's sarcasm), so until next time- Camille.

>:D

Update- Since posting this blog, I've been reading articles and what-have-you about the subject of "punk". I read the intro to a huge book with 365 pictures of punk bands, and it pretty much said exactly what I've said, calling "punk" an idea, rather than a stereo-type. I also just read this article on mibba(a creative writing website I belong to), stating it's a belief. I want you to read it and understand that punk is nothing but and attitude/idea/belief/NOT A STEREO-TYPE, right here. And another one, here.