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| Punk Music and Subculture Has Authentic Religious Meaning |
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| This is a paper I wrote for my "Imagining American Religion" course that I took with Professor Richard Salter during the Winter 1999 term. I had a lot of fun reseaching and writing it, and even got an A- ! :-) |
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| Under most ordinary circumstances, punk rock as both a music genre and a culture would not be considered even remotely religious, or to have any religious elements. In this paper I will analyze the question of how the punk life style is meaningful to those who live it, and more specifically, is it meaningful in such a way that it could be considered authentically religious? Religion here is considered a way of living and reacting to the world surrounding a person which provides structure, meaning, and a sense of social unity amongst others in a group. Specifically in the punk rock subculture, this meaning derives from the notion that it is a culture within itself, outside of the mainstream culture, and the various elements within that subculture act as a unifying force. The explicit structure of the punk life style varies from person to person, but all or most have similar undertones, including music, collective rebellion against the mainstream, ritualistic body desecration and other forms of rituals, all of which will be discussed in this paper. As a first example, the music of different bands themselves are structurally analogous. Most punk bands use very simple chords played very quickly, sometimes to the point of indistinction, in order to create the rough fast sound associated with punk music. This is commonly known as the style of music with "3 chords and a lot of screaming." "The definitive statement of punk's do-it-yourself philosophy- a diagram showing three finger positions on the neck of a guitar over the caption: 'Here's one chord, here's two more, now form your own band." (Hebdige, Subculture, p.112) "The music... was uniformly basic and direct in its appeal, whether through intention or lack of expertise. If the latter, then the punks certainly made a virtue of necessity ('We want to be amateurs'- Johnny Rotten). Typically, a barrage of guitars with the volume and treble turned to a maximum accompanied by the occasional saxophone would pursue relentless (un)melodic lines against a turbulent background of cacophonous drumming and screamed vocals. Johnny Rotten succinctly defined punk's position on harmonics: 'We're into chaos not music!'" (Hebdige, Subculture, p.109) Punk rock is also typically up beat in sound, which is good for dancing in what is known as a "circle pit", which will be described later. The meaning behind the simple style can be seen in the notion that it is so simple, anyone can do it. It is well known, however, that not just anyone does do it. This style is, in fact, so simple that most (i.e. the mainstream culture) might not consider it to be "real" rock or "real" art. The fact that it isn't acknowledged as "real" or something that would be enjoyed by the mainstream gives punk the basis and framework for what it is trying to accomplish and express: redefining rock and art into something that can be appreciated by only those in the punk subculture. This will function to keep the subculture as such, rather than coming into mainstream culture and thus losing the meaning of something that it holds to be significant: its separatism and autonomy from the mainstream culture. This style is used not only as a break from mainstream society but also "in order to find a music which reflected more adequately their sense of frustration and oppression" (Hebdige, Subculture, p.69). The central theme in punk, both music and the lifestyle, is one of rebellion. There can be seen in this culture a sort of group deviancy, rebelling against social norms, as a group. That makes it easier to rebel, knowing that they are supported by the others in the group. Striking out against social norms and doing whatever comes naturally is a major part of this lifestyle. This is reflected in even the political views of most punks- there is a firm belief in the power of anarchy prevalent in punk culture. Anarchy, a social system without government, rulers or a ruling class, is desirable because punks feel beaten down by the modern day social class system. They are the proletariat. They are poor because of modern society; in which the rich are rich and they are poor. Rebelling against the system is another of the punk ways, then, of creating chaos in the mainstream. Punk culture, in comparison to the mainstream, is an embodiment of that chaos. What is not noted by the mainstream, looking in on punk culture, is any order to the seeming chaotic lifestyle: "The punk subculture, then, signified chaos at every level, but this was only possible because the style itself was thoroughly ordered. The chaos cohered as a meaningful whole... In Profane Culture, Willis shows how... the internal structure of any particular subculture is characterized by an extreme orderliness: each part is organically related to other parts and it is through the fit between them that the subculture member makes sense of the world." (Hebdige, Subculture, p.113) One meaning found in the rebellion and expression of angst is explained by Dick Hebdige in Hiding in the Light; he says that despite the fact that they are a subculture and want to be held as an entity outside of the mainstream, they are doing it in such a way as to draw attention to themselves, to allow for their voice to be heard. This can be interpreted as a way of proving their existence, that by being acknowledged for either good or bad, they get noticed and what they say gets heard. "Young people make their presence felt by going "out of bounds", by resisting through rituals, dressing strangely, striking bizarre attitudes, breaking rules, breaking bottles, windows, heads, issuing rhetorical challenges to the law. When young people do these things, when they adopt these strategies, they get talked about, taken seriously, their grievances are acted upon... in other words there is a logic to transgression." (Hebdige, Hiding In The Light, p.17-18) Punk culture accepts its individual members as they are. There is a firm belief throughout this subculture that it is not necessary to conform to society's ideals and standards. One reason being because these standards were set by the same people who make punks poor- the upper class. Predominantly, punks are considered by mainstream society as "white trash," due to their lack of money and overall disregard for the mainstream society's standards, which has already been stated as a part of this social group. All of the things discussed so far, then- the musical style, belief in the power of subculture as a way of defining themselves as who they are and the rebellious nature of the subculture can be seen as related to one another. By rebelling against the mainstream through music, lifestyle, political beliefs and in general, outright rejection of mainstream society, punks are creating meaning in their lives by creating a world of their own, and hoping to be acknowledged as such so that they are not forgotten by society. They are, after all, still a part of society on the whole, they just want their own voices to be heard as distinctly different from the norm. Can punk culture be considered to have religious meaning? In order to answer this question it is necessary to define what religious meaning is. To express this idea of religious meaning, I will be referring to Genovese's analysis of slave culture and the way religious meaning was found and constructed in their lives, as described in the book Roll Jordan Roll: The World the Slaves Made. Genovese sees the "truth of religion" as coming from "it's symbolic rendering of man's moral experience." (Genovese, p. 162) This moral experience is the way of feeling and comprehending one's existence in the world, and understanding relationship to others in the world. This moral experience takes a chaotic and seemingly meaningless situation and give it meaning and value, thus making life meaningful and significant, as religion does. This moral experience can be seen as constructed in slaves lives by taking the religion that their slave holders had forced upon them. This was, by some slave holders, originally intended to be used as another way to control the slaves and keep them subservient. By adapting it to their own spiritual needs and creating for themselves something which could be meaningful, this religion, completely separate from their spiritual beliefs had they stayed in Africa, gave them a reason to go on living and to put up with the slave masters' rules and not rise up against them. The slaves found strength in themselves and each other. Having a community where they were separate from the slave masters gave slaves a sense of that unity and strength, and meaning in life was for these slaves in the idea that they would be happy after this life was over, once they were free from the slave master's rule over them. Similarly, punks have taken this outcast status that they have been given, by the mainstream culture, and have used it to their advantage: finding meaning from what it is that they have to work with. Strength, for punks, is found in the notion of not being accepted by mainstream society. There exists a need for unity and community amongst those who do not fit into that larger society, so that they feel accepted, loved, and a part of something bigger than they are. This community is there for them to go to so that they do not need to feel like they do not belong anywhere. Punk culture gives those rejected from main stream society a sense of belonging, that they are a part of a greater whole. The rituals performed by both the slaves and punks help to reinforce that sense of belonging and community in its group members. For the slaves, their funerals played a major role in showing to both themselves and to the slave masters their worth as people and the meaning their lives had. Since these funerals were one of the rare times where groups of slaves were allowed to gather as a community, these funerals became a central part in the creation of meaning in their lives by giving them an opportunity to discuss various issues and religious aspects that were significant to them. A ritualistic practice significantly common among punks is that of body modification: getting something other than the ears pierced, shaving the hair into a "mohawk," dying hair abnormal colors, or getting a first tattoo. While these things certainly aren't restricted to the punk rock culture, they can be seen very prevalently in this group. These rituals are a way of incorporating those new to the group, a rite of passage, in order to make them feel a part of the group. This is not the only significant value to body desecration, however. It can also be stated that this is a means of self-expression and "art" (in quotes here, as mainstream society would not deem it as such), as well as another form of rejection and rebellion against larger society: "The body can be decorated, and enhanced like a cherished object. It can be cut up and cooked like a piece of meat. Self mutilation is just the darker side of narcissism... The body becomes the baseline, the place where the buck stops. To wear a mohican or to have your face tattooed, is to burn most of your bridges... when employers can afford to pick and choose, such gestures are a public disavowal of the will to queue for work, throwing yourself away before They do it for you... We are the flowers in your dustbin." (Hebdige, Hiding in the Light, p.31-32) Other rituals occur at punk rock concerts, where large groups of punks gather to hear punk music and to dance and socialize with others of the group. A popular ritual at these concerts is what is known as "moshing", or "slam dancing". This mostly consists of people running around and slamming into one another. The more loud, the more painful and the more adrenaline created in the mosh pit determines how "good" the pit was at that particular concert. This type of dancing can be seen as meaningful in the way of asserting a punk "attitude", of not minding the pain, and as another sort of rebellion against the mainstream, not dancing as they do and deriving pleasure and meaning from what the mainstream cannot seem to grasp as anything other than chaos. As stated earlier, there is an order to this chaos that simply cannot be grasped by those outside of the "scene". Thus, it can be seen that there is a "tendency towards willful desecration and the voluntary assumption of outcast status which [characterizes] the whole punk movement." (Hebdige, Subculture, p.110) There is a coherence in the ways in which pain as pleasure from "moshing", body modification are seen as art and 3 chords being good music are all meaningful to this subculture. As stated earlier, the seeming chaos of the lifestyle, the way life is lead may seem to those outside the group as meaningless, but there is a sense of meaning in unified rebellion and an orderly, organized and highly structured chaos. Another type of dancing at punk concerts is known as "pogoing", which has its origins in Britain from "old school" British punk band concerts, such as the Sex Pistols or the Cure. This dancing is primarily jumping up and down in time with the music like a pogo stick, hence the name of the dancing style. For those who believe that bands such as the Sex Pistols started the punk culture, this holds meaning in that they feel they are a part of the larger picture, not of simply American punk culture, but of worldly punk culture, a community of all punks everywhere. Also a very popular type of ritual is that of the "circle pit". The dancers all gather in a circle on the floor at the concert, right in front of the stage. They dance around in time with the music, traveling clockwise in most cases. The dancing techniques vary, some hopping, some doing more elaborate moves, some simply drunk and staggering about. All is accepted in these circles, because a punk can do what he wants, so long as no one gets too hurt. The dancing technique is not what is important in this dance. What is important is that the circle is maintained for as long as possible. The circle in this dance is symbolic of the greater whole of punk culture, of the need for a strong center and for staying together to confront the mainstream society in its views of punks. While these may not be the reasons held by all punks today for doing these things they may not be the meaning behind them for all punks, the original members, the founders of the subculture may very well have interpreted and intended for meaning to be found in these types of dancing and in these ways. Certainly those who are new to the scene who haven't been told of the origins of punk and joined the group "just" for the sense of unity amongst those rejected by larger society found there may not see these dancing styles as meaningful in the way intended, they may very well see them simply as dancing that is fun, something that punks do. One then wonders, and rightly so, if not all of these things which are held to be meaningful to some, are not meaningful to all members of the group, can this meaning found in this lifestyle and in these various parts of it be considered authentic meaning? In order to analyze this question, I will compare punk to Leslie Marmon Silko's book, Ceremony. What is authentic meaning? Is anything that is meaningful to someone authentic, just because it is meaningful? Authentic meaning seems to be meaning that is deeply a part of the individual, that manifests itself in the individuals acts, words and thoughts. One way of getting at the question of authentic meaning can better be described by what isn't authentic meaning, such as Emo's meaning in life in Ceremony. Emo's life was centered around getting drunk, telling stories about, and reliving, the times in the island occupied by Japan and in California during the war. For Emo, a Native American, the meaning of life was getting drunk and having sex with white women. This meaning becomes inauthentic not because it is not the mainstream ideal of meaningful life, but because in order to achieve what he desires most in life, the multiple conquests of white women, Emo must pretend to be someone who he is not. He could not find meaning in being who he was, as Native Americans were rejected in society and not considered to be as desirable and worthy as white men. In order to sleep with the woman in the story he tells at the bar, Emo must tell the woman that he is an Italian, because if she knew he was an Indian she wouldn't sleep with him. This story is told in the form of poetry. "I sat down close to the blonde and told them my name. I used Matucci's name that night- this Wop in our unit." (Silko, p.58) Another story is told, though not by Emo, of a time when the girl he was with found out he was an Indian: "That white guy yells, 'Hey, Geronimo!' and the white woman hears him and says, 'Who's that?' He says, 'A drunk Irishman.' She says, 'No, who's that Geronimo?'... She says, 'That's an Indian, isn't it?' She yells back at him, 'This guy's an Indian?' He says, 'Yeah- his name is Geronimo.' She starts screaming and faints." (Silko, p.60) Emo did not want this story to be told, because it reinforced his inferiority and the fact that no matter what he tried to be, no matter what lies he told, he still was an Indian and would never be considered equal to the white men or worthy of the white women he so desired. Emo's life was inauthentic then because he rejects who he is in order to obtain what it is he desires, and by rejecting who you are and pretending to be someone you are not, there is no meaning to your life, you are only reinforcing the idea that someone else's life holds more meaning than your own. Emo's life as an Indian held no meaning for him because he could not get what he wanted in life by being Indian, he was rejected by the whites for it and was not respected because of his skin color. Rejection by whites for Emo made his life not worth living, because it was this white society he desired to be a part of and the life he wanted to live. As stated earlier, there is an emphasis in punk culture on acceptance of people as they are, accepting those who are rejected from mainstream society. The authentic meaning of punk, therefore, can be seen in the acceptance of the true person and of not having to be ashamed or masking the real, authentic person within. Rather than trying to fit into society by pretending to be something they are not, punks have found meaning, created meaning, in this rejection. Rather than submit to the mainstream ideals and conforming to them, as Emo tried to do, punks revel in their outcast status. Through these things- music, collective rebellion, dancing, separatism from mainstream culture, and a symbolic rendering of moral experience, punk can be described as having religious meaning. It can be seen to have authentic meaning in its acceptance of self and others as themselves. Works Cited Genovese, Eugene D. Roll, Jordan, Roll: The World the Slaves Made. New York: Vintage Books, 1976. Hebdige, Dick. Hiding In The Light: On Images and Things. London; New York: Routledge, 1988. Hebdige, Dick. Subculture, The Meaning of Style. London, New York: Methuen, 1979. Silko, Leslie Marmon. Ceremony. New York: Penguin, 1986. |
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