O'Hara, Craig : The philosophy of punk

(en anglais)

Enregistré par : NnN

Résumé : "The Philosophy of Punk: More than Noise" by Craig O'Hara examines the underlying political ideals of Punk. This book is not a history of Punk or a discussion of Punk bands. The author's focus is squarely on the political philosophy behind the music. While many people understand that Punk contains an anarchic message, fewer people understand exactly what that means.

Author O'Hara attempts to present a cohesive philosophy of punk--and this is no easy task. Even the author admits that the exact date and birthplace of the Punk movement is "debatable." O'Hara notes that Punk is composed of an alienated group who either willingly reject themselves from society or find themselves "alienated from the mainstream." In this isolated societal position, punks form a subculture of their own

Punk is a movement that contains a message for "rebellion and change" and offers a "formidable voice of opposition" to mainstream culture. O'Hara notes that Punk has been "misrepresented in the media"--the media's image of Punk presents a character in a phase of insanity or rebellion. Naturally the message is that the Punk grows up and out of this stage--passing on to maturity and social responsibility. O'Hara's position is that one can be a Punk for life. The author also explains that many of the negative images of Punk as a violent movement can be blamed on Skinheads who are attracted to the music. A chapter is devoted to the differences between Skinheads and Punks, the original Skinhead music of ska, and the racist white supremacy basis of Skinhead beliefs.

Another chapter is devoted to the proliferation of zines (Punk fanzines). In fact zines are the primary source of quoted material in the book. O'Hara covers the birth of zines, major zines, and quotes liberally to establish the underlying political stance of the Punk movement. Issues most relevant to Punks are, he argues--homelessness, capitalism, classism, work place exploitation, sexism, the environment, and Pacifism. O'Hara also presents one of the best, deceptively simple definitions of anarchy I've read. He argues that the perception that anarchy is "chaos" is wildly incorrect. The rejection of government control is "the start of personal order." Quotes from Punk band members (with an emphasis on Anarcho-punk) are scattered throughout the text--including Ramsey Kanaan of Political Asylum, Subhumans, D.O.A, Oi Polloi, Crass, and Final Conflict.

Many people may read "The Philosophy of Punk" and feel that this is not the Punk they know. It's hardly surprising that people cannot relate to the political statements the author argues are the basis of Punk. After all, Punk--or at least some of it--has been co-opted, commercialized and sanitized. Before dismissing the book's claims that Punk includes the desire for radical social change, stop and think about Malcolm Mc Laren, the manager of the Sex Pistols--considered by many the person responsible for the commercialization of punk. Mc Laren was deeply attracted to and involved with the Situationist International and Situationist theory just prior to moving onto managing the Pistols. Ask yourself what that was all about. While "The Philosophy of Punk" is not a perfect book, nonetheless it's a decent attempt to define a movement that defies a one-size-fits-all.

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