Dear Dr. Brottman,
Although, in reading your article Goth's Wan Stamina, I found your thoughts on the goth subculture very interesting (I have always been interested in subcultures of all kinds), I was a bit disturbed by your treatment of punk and skin culture in this article. To say that “skinheads have come and gone” is to completely ignore the continued vitality of the skinhead subculture in the US and the UK and such currently active Oi! bands such as The Business, The Dropkick Murphys, and The Cockney Rejects.
Furthermore, the claim that “punk didn’t last” only has the slightest bit of validity if you choose to completely ignore the hardcore movement of the 1980s and its continued effect on a variety of punk genres. Not to mention it was this movement that imparted the punk subculture with, in my opinion, its most important feature: the DIY ethic.
I am a punk, and a student at the University of Chicago, where I am part of the school’s hardcore punk group “UxCxHxC Trix”. One only needs to come to one of the shows or lectures (affectionately referred to as “The Common ‘Core”) to see that each member of the group, though each with his or her own specific knowledge of a subgenre of the music, still identifies him or herself as “punk” and is continuing to listen to the music and practice the ideology every day.
I play in a ska-core band (which, if you’re unfamiliar, is a blend of ska and hardcore influenced by bands such as The Clash, Operation Ivy, and Choking Victim) called Alleyway Sex in my home town of Champaign-Urbana, IL. We have been active for over two years, putting on our own shows in basements or renting out venues, and booking any touring band who wants to come through town. Although some shows are definitely better-attended than others, one only needs to come to one of our shows to see the prominence of the punk subculture in the area. In fact, we recently released a DIY compilation called “C/U In The Streets” featuring 28 songs by 14 local bands, ranging in musical genre from thrash to folk to ska to hardcore to hip-hop, but all identifying as punks. I noticed from the article that you are writing from Baltimore, Maryland. Well, I would encourage you, if you would like to learn more about the prevailing punk subculture, to come out to the Sidebar Tavern on June 20th, where my band will be continuing its east coast tour, playing with Baltimore locals The Twats.
Finally, I would like to disagree with the claim that, unlike goth, punk is only for the young. I am a punk now, and I will continue to be a punk for the rest of my life. It’s not about the fashion. I personally don’t really dress punk, have never dyed or gelled up my hair, but I still fiercely identify with the subculture, not only through the music, but also through the DIY ethic, as I mentioned before. Both myself and my friends at The University of Chicago have incorporated this aspect of our lives into our schoolwork (in fact, one of my friends [guitarist for two UxCxHxC bands, f*** Your Face and Gun, With Occasional Music] gave a lecture at Yale on the affinity of straight-edge with hardcore music), and I have no reason to think that we will not continue to do so in our daily lives after college, both personal and professional. While goth is simply a fashion, punk (and especially hardcore) has a true ideology that rings true (or should ring true) for both young and old.
Basically, I think you might find it of interest to re-examine the punk subculture here in America. If you have any questions you can feel free to contact me via email at
mikeioannides@sbcglobal.net.
Up The Punks,
Mike Ioannides.
