Like the song says, PUNKS NOT DEAD. But like any living thing, it has grown and mutated into a wide variety of forms over the past four decades: Hardcore, Oi!, Post-punk, Punk pop, Cowpunk, Skate punk, Ska punk, Anarcho punk, Folk punk, Celtic punk, Thrash, Straightedge, New Wave.

Not all of them stuck with the “three chords and a cloud of dust” aesthetic of early Punk, but they all took its stripped-down approach, its love of distortion and noise and most important, they all took on punk’s simple, straight-ahead attitude: “Hand me that thing and get out of the way. I can do this.” You don’t need a lot to get started. You start with what you have. And that spirit, whether expressed through music or art or hacking or politics is the real legacy of the punk movement. Get out of the way. We can do this.

Published on Mar 25, 2010 Filed under: Punk