Ted Talk//Evolution of Punk Rock

Purpose-To present to the audience how the evolution of emotions has led to the change in definition, distribution and production of punk rock.

Thesis Statement-“The change in definition of punk is because of the change in emotions of the people”

Start off an excerpt from ‘Now I wanna sniff some glue” by the Ramones, to grab attention.

Criterion for punk-
-DIY form of music production and distributions
-Musicians who do their own thing and are authentic
-Songs with fast paced guitar riffs and singing
Continue onto presentation with pictures of punk bands of the 70s till today. while speaking abopunk1970ut the transition in terms of sound composition, lyricism and production.
70s and 80s was a time for punk, when the definition of it was DIY, fast paced guitar riffs and nonsensical lyrics. Then came the 90s. when the working class was full of rage due to the lack of a certain purpose in their lives, when punk evolved into something more angry. Bands like Green day and Blink 182 emerged as part of the mainstream genre, signing up with major labels and causing upheaval among punk rockers who started labelling them as ‘pop punk. Then came bands like “Fall Out hqdefaultBoy” or “Bring Me The Horizon”, who’s lyricism is more romantic and the sound is less distorted.

People feel differently about music, listen to primarily dance music or romantic because the generation today. People listen to music because they want the bands to be relatable and empathizing. Thus, old punk isn’t appealing due to the random nature of the lyricism and sound, which is distorted and raw. Example, you have Ramones song named ‘ramonesBlitzkrieg Bop’, which is fun and random but it would have no appeal in today’s time because 1)you can’t dance to it 2)the lyrics are not very relatable, emotionally

The age of distortion is gone, despite being one of the major aspects of punk/garage rock. Bands like Greenday and Foo Fighters are all working towards a more finished and smoother sound. Bands such as Fall out boy are borderline pop due to the nature of their catchy lyricism and music, not focusing on their actual sound being innovative or relevant to the tone of the lyricism.

People have begun accepting their sense of mediocrity and adolescent prioritiimageses have shifted. Newer generation children don’t feel trapped or misunderstood, as parents are becoming more aware of adolescent issues and are giving it importance. Primary issues pertain to romance or drug/alcohol use, thus most punk bands, now, are leaning towards emo, to appeal pre-adolescent children.

Statistics regarding lack of popularity of new age bands that stick to the original punk styles, due to lack of relevance. Old bands have certain significance due to their legacy. Punk rock was always about singing about what you feel and as times change, so do issues. Now, punk bands either sing about serial shooters or being bored to death or how their songs know what you did in the dark.

 

4 thoughts on “Ted Talk//Evolution of Punk Rock”

  1. As someone who is very into music but has never been into punk rock, it’s interesting to hear your perspective on this! I think focusing a little more on the actual events of the time period where punk was very popular, if there’s time. I think that a lot of music today still expresses the same emotions of the original punk rock, it just may not be as mainstream. Although (and I could be wrong about this) I don’t think punk rock was ever the mainstream music choice. I just know a lot of those emotions are in post-emo music or even some general alternative rock bands. I’m obviously not super informed but I would just make sure to examine the relationship between punk and mainstream culture before and now, and try to relate a little more to an audience who probably doesn’t listen to punk but does listen to other music. Overall, I’m excited to listen to the talk!

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