Where did that punk go? Where is he hiding...

coastalbison73 said:Real punks are usually around 40 🙂 or a bit older.
And they weren't just about the look; behind the Sex Pistols or Sham 69, there was actual substance. Real rebellion, backed by the right books and movies.
Back in the 80s, subcultures like goths, alternative kids, and punks were clearly defined, but everyone had some kind of foundation.
(Now I watch my coworker at the office: he listens to Placebo, pop, Lykke Li, and then throws on Faith and the Mus, and he thinks it all fits together perfectly. On one hand, it's good that newer generations aren't so exclusive, but still... listening to everything at once? I don't get it.)

The thing is, people actually had to buy their music (CDs, vinyl, tapes😁), so naturally, they were more selective😁. Plus, finding underground stuff wasn't easy back when we were living through the old era of state-run systems, which helped create those elitist, clashing factions. Nowadays, it's totally normal for someone to dig both Wormrot and Fadil Toskić at the same time🤣. It's all right there at the click of a mouse... consumerism, the throwaway society, all that.🙂

Look at you, acting all wise, Mr. Spider🧐 :bore lee:

I honestly think one of the last remaining havens for the local alcoholic punks in Chicago is that park right by the corner where you wait for the bus after leaving the mall🙏 They’re pretty skittish, so when the crowds are out during the day, you barely even notice them...

George Hill4 said:[/B]

The thing is, back in the day, people actually had to buy physical media (Columbia Digital, vinyl, or cassettes😁), so it’s only natural they were more selective😁. On top of that, finding underground music wasn't easy when you were living through the old era of state-run economies, which is part of why those elitist, clashing subcultures started forming in the first place. Nowadays, it’s totally normal to be into both Napalm Death and Fadil Toskić at the same time🤣—it all comes down to how easy everything is now... consumerism, the throwaway culture, and all that🙂.

Exactly. We used to be thrilled if we found a 90-minute cassette instead of just 60 minutes so we could fit an entire album on each side... and if you had enough friends, you could trade and dub plenty of music. Back then, discovering a new band was a real event😍
Now, with things like Last.fm, you can find more new bands via "similar artists" in a single afternoon than someone used to find in a whole year
. I have to admit, I miss the crackle of a vinyl record... though I don't necessarily miss the tapes🙂.

coastalbison73 said:Exactly. Back then, we were thrilled just to get a 90-minute tape instead of the standard 60, letting us squeeze a whole album on each side. If you had a solid circle of friends, you could burn through a ton of music. Discovering a new band 😍
was an actual mission. Now, you’ve got Last.fm, and you can find more new bands via "similar artists" in a single afternoon than someone used to find in an entire year.
I won't lie, I miss the crackle of vinyl... though, I don't miss the tapes.🙂

I still have about 200 tapes sitting around today.😁

Look, I know what I'm talking about—I was deep in that absolute underground scene from the mid-eighties through the early 2000s. I was out there making zines, trading DIY tapes and vinyl... honestly, you can't get any more Punk Rock than that. Real talk. And man, I’m so grateful for the internet because I don't have to blow money I don't even have on that stuff anymore 😁

If I lose my internet access, whatever—I'll just figure something else out, heh.

I’ve spent the last two days just losing it over this picture of a self-driving car 🤣

George Hill4 said:I've hit the 200 cassette mark today.😁

Nice work. What's got you in such a good mood?😍

coastalbison73 said:Great. You have a little eraser too:😍

Yeah, right... and a record player too. 😉

coastalbison73 said:I don't know about you all, but I can’t help feeling like I’m missing that specific, tactile warmth you only get from an LP. You tell me I'm wrong—you say I'm not missing anything—but can you honestly tell me there isn't a certain soul present in those grooves that digital just fails to capture?🙂

I don't particularly feel the need to jump on the bandwagon just because vinyl is trending right now, though I suppose I ended up buying one myself regardless. Besides, between everything else going on, I’m far too busy to obsessively maintain a turntable to keep it in some pristine, museum-quality condition—not that I'm exactly mourning the lack of a perfectly silent background. But isn't that just the reality of it? Analog surface noise somehow manages to sound more pleasant than those harsh, artificial digital artifacts; that's simply the fact of the matter. Or so I tell myself. It's not like I spend my time listening to much Punk Rock anyway, where that grit and noise are actually part of the charm found in subpar production—the kind of thing you'd even hear on a Columbia Digital release.

I listen to all sorts of music—Punk Rock included—but my style is pretty much just casual. If I only stuck to Punk Rock, maybe I’d dress the part... though I don't know. I’ve met plenty of people who look like full-on punks but spend their time listening to country music instead. Honestly, I think it's better when people don't feel forced into some specific mold or try too hard to fit the "aesthetic" of whatever group they belong to.

The whole thing is that going digital isn't actually "better"—it’s just cheaper. So what? You win some, you lose some.

I’ve got about 200 LPs, 200 singles, and probably a pile of leftover cassettes too (another 200ish, lol). Most of it is that gritty underground Punk Rock stuff from before '95.
Man, I love it. I’d never touch From Ashes Rise on an MP3, but they sound killer on a cassette.

Punk Rock as a lifestyle and an attitude died out a long time ago... But the music stuck around.

Chris Roberts8 said:The whole Punk Rock lifestyle and fashion thing? That's long gone. But the music? That's here to stay.

I still run into punks every now and then—some pretty hardcore types, too! They definitely exist, just not as often as they used to.
I've spotted plenty of them around here in the States, too.

Jerry Martinez50 said:I still run into some punks from time to time, even some pretty extreme ones. They exist, just not nearly as often.
I've seen them around here too.

True enough, they're there, but they're rare now. Most people on the scene today are into metal, country, or mainstream pop like Adele or One Direction...

Punk has changed, too. Take Green Day—they claim to be punk, but they look more like a funk band xD Just like their crowd..

Give me a break—people whining about this wouldn't even recognize a real Punk Rock band if they were staring them in the face.😁

Sean Doyle97 said:Give me a break. People whining like this wouldn't even recognize an actual Punk Rock band if they saw one.😁

Satan panonski <3

I think I’ve finally landed on a conclusion that actually makes sense, unless someone here decides to prove me wrong, and honestly, some of you guys helped me get there. Nowadays, music is everywhere, so people just jump between genres without feeling the need to stick to some rigid identity, even when it comes to how they dress... Back in the day, getting your hands on music wasn't such a breeze, so once you committed to Punk Rock, you weren't about to blow your cash on some random rock band's Columbia Digital release when you already knew you were a punk through and through. Not to mention, the local scene would have absolutely roasted you if they caught you owning a Jure Stublić record 🤣
I might have rambled a bit at the end there, but I'm hoping the point came across eventually 😬

And while we're at it, I just want to point out that someone promised a full breakdown of this topic as a condition for opening it up, yet we're still sitting here waiting because it hasn't happened ☕

gentlegull93 said:I think I’ve landed on a conclusion that makes sense (unless someone proves me wrong), thanks in part to some of you. Music is easy to get to now, so people listen to everything and don't feel the need to stick to one style—including how they dress. Back in the day, music was harder to access. If you were into punk, you weren't going to waste money on some random rock band album when you knew you'd mostly just vibe with punk. Plus, the crowd would have laughed you out of the room if they caught you carrying a Jure Stublić 🤣
I rambled a bit at the end there, but I hope you get my point. 😬

Also, someone promised a review as a condition for opening this thread and never delivered. ☕

🙏 🙏 🙏 There, nicely explained. 😁