Tracing the roots of punk rock is a popular pastime among rock critics and genealogists. The usual proto-punk suspects—MC5, the Seeds, Iggy and the Stooges, Patti Smith—are invariably cited. I could go on, but it would be fruitless. We’d end up breaking it down to my favorite obscure garage band when I was a kid, and you’d counter with these guys you knew who were smoking everyone at the time—at least on your block. And finally, we’d have to grudgingly admit to each other that that wasn’t really punk, but it sure as hell influenced it. And we’d both be right, no matter how we knew in our individual heart of hearts that you were wrong and I was right, or vice versa.
None of it really matters. Punk is one of those languages that have existed since our prehistoric ancestors first banged sticks on skulls. It’s the stuff of anarchy, sure, but it’s a tribal anarchy that only found sputtered voices here and there through the years—a stuttered lyric here, a buzzsaw chord there—before those voices opted to pursue loftier ambitions. If not that, the anger consumed them, and they left this world too soon. That’s how rock and roll tosses the dice.
Still, there has to be that one moment where something coalesces, and it can be defined, as anti-punk as that may sound. It happened in 1974 in Queens, New York, and it was called the Ramones. Once Jeffrey Hymans, John Cummings, Douglas Colvin and Thomas Erdelyi transformed into Joey, Johnny, Dee Dee and Tommy Ramone, they unwittingly transformed rock and roll forever. They put rock back into its adolescent roots—Joey couldn’t play drums and sing at the same time, Dee Dee couldn’t play bass and sing at the same time, and Tommy, who was the band’s manager, had to resort to doubling as the band’s drummer once nobody who auditioned for the gig could get the chops down the way the band wanted. Joey ended up being the singer, Dee Dee stuck to playing bass and Johnny continued to play guitar.
Article comments
1 - Glen Boyd
They did give rock and roll a good, swift kick in the ass when it was most needed, didn't they Ray? You review sums that up quite nicely, and to anyone who doesn't already own this, it's a MUST HAVE DVD. Great review Ray.
-Glen
2 - Glen Boyd
Come to think of it, we could use a new Ramones right about now...
-Glen
3 - jerry
wow..great article on one of the best bands ever. I'm already made a note to pick this DVD up asap. kudos good sir.
4 - Ray Ellis
Thanks much, guys.
Yeah, "we could use a new Ramones right about now", Glen, but I don't see that on the horizon. In an "American Idol" world, I don't think we're going to see a lot of innovation. And we're certainly not going to see a revolution in music.
I hope I'm wrong.. .
5 - Connie Phillips
Congrats! This article has been forwarded to the Advance.net websites and Boston.com.
6 - JC Mosquito
Curious to know - some people assume that bands like Green Day are punk. In all seriousness, is punk simply a name for a genre of fast & loud bands with a similar sound, or are bands like Green Day and Rancid considered to be something else enitrely? I though mega milllionaire success was the antithesis of the punk ethic.
7 - Mark Saleski
i tend to think of those bands as "californipunk".
8 - Mark Saleski
and i saw Offspring one time...and the lead singer of opening act The Dickies said that he liked Rancid better when they were called "The Clash".
9 - Josh Hathaway
I think some of these bands start out "punk" but tend to move away from it as time goes on.
Mark also makes a good point; there might be a difference between your NY punk bands and your SoCal, skater punk. Green Day were from the bay area and probably started out with more of a NY sound at the beginning but don't resemble that at all these days.