I'm not sure how to define "punk". I've thought that for a band or artist to be "punk", they had to sound a certain way, like the Ramones, Sex Pistols or The Clash. But then I always hear Blondie and Patti Smith being called punk. This never totally made sense to me. So then I thought maybe punk was just underground music of the 70's. But then there are lots of different types of underground music.

What do you think?

Punk rock is lyrics that attack conventional society and popular culture, usually an expression of alienation and anger,
sort of a, "Me against the world" mentality. Patti Smith, maybe, but I never considered Blondie to be Punk. Different,
but not Punk.

I'm not sure how to define "punk". I've thought that for a band or artist to be "punk", they had to sound a certain way, like the Ramones, Sex Pistols or The Clash. But then I always hear Blondie and Patti Smith being called punk. This never totally made sense to me. So then I thought maybe punk was just underground music of the 70's. But then there are lots of different types of underground music.

What do you think?


I've often heard Blondie also defined as Punk. I think her background puts her in that catagory. At the time she was sooo different from other female singers. A little bit raw, doing her own thing, dying her hair B/W.  I think the record label tamed her down to package her music to sell to a broader audience.  By today's standards she would be mainstream, but in the 70's, she was edgey & very cool. ( Still is !!!)

I'm not sure how to define "punk". I've thought that for a band or artist to be "punk", they had to sound a certain way, like the Ramones, Sex Pistols or The Clash. But then I always hear Blondie and Patti Smith being called punk. This never totally made sense to me. So then I thought maybe punk was just underground music of the 70's. But then there are lots of different types of underground music.

What do you think?


This is only my humble opinion, since I lived through the through the years that "punk" was conceived.
We all know that the music style of punk (three power chords, two and a half minute songs, grungy attire, high volume performances, anti establishment values and lyrics, etc, etc, etc) was first realised in the good old USA. (Iggy Pop, Ramones, MC-5, New Toy's, Bodily Functions, etc).
It then traveled across the Atlantic where great bands such as the Sex Pistols, Clash, Richard Hell, etc embraced this new sound and made it more popular that it had become in the USA.
Deborah Harry and Blondie was pop music, Patti Smith, Lou Reed, early David Bowie, Gary Glitter, etc, were, in my opinion, more of an early version of what we now call "Alternative" type music.
That is, not falling within the category of any other genre of music; especially popular or made for airwave music.

Much may be said on this topic; with most of it being subjective rather than factual- if there really is a "factual".
It's all subject to personal interpretation (IMHO)..................................

To me personally, Iggy is the Godfather of punk.................................

In relation to that,

"Has it really come to this – punk as heritage culture?"

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/mar/20/punk-london-spirit-joe-corre-burn-clothes-sex-pistols

especially in light of the 40th anniversary of "Anarchy in the UK".