Punk
6/14/202650 min
By the mid-1970s, many young British people felt locked out of life. The country was struggling, the future uncertain, and for a generation coming of age, there was a growing sense that no one was listening. In cities across the nation, and in parallel scenes in America and beyond, young people decided to make themselves heard. Picking up instruments with little training and forming bands with no expectation of success, they created something raw, fast and confrontational. Punk was a movement that burned brightly, fractured quickly, and left a legacy that far outlived its brief, explosive heyday. But why did Punk resonate so powerfully with a generation that felt shut out? Who were the artists and activists who drove it, and the fans who embraced it? And how did something so chaotic and short-lived go on to reshape music, culture and identity for decades to come? This is a Short History Of Punk. A Noiser podcast production. Hosted by John Hopkins. With thanks to Matthew Worley, a British academic and author of No Future: Punk, Politics and British Youth Culture. Written by Sean Coleman | Produced by Kate Simants | Production Assistant: Chris McDonald | Exec produced by Katrina Hughes | Sound supervisor: Tom Pink | Sound design by Mirianna Pitman-Latham and Matthew Peaty | Assembly edit by Dorry Macaulay | Compositions by Oliver Baines, Dorry Macaulay, Tom Pink | Mix & mastering: Cody Reynolds-Shaw Unlock the next two episodes of Short History Of… right now by subscribing to Noiser+. You’ll also get ad-free listening and early access to shows across the Noiser podcast network, including Real Survival Stories and Sherlock Holmes Short Stories. Just click the subscription banner at the top of the feed, or head to www.noiser.com/subscriptions to get started. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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First 90 secondsSpeaker 10:00
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John Hopkins· Host0:28
It's the 7th of June 1977 in London. It's been a day of high celebration in the capital as Britain came together for the Queen's Silver Jubilee. Now, as evening draws in, the street parties continue long after the pomp and circumstance has passed. For one day, the country has felt united. Or most of it, anyway. Out on the river, on a small boat chugging along the choppy waters, the mood is distinctly different. Amid a vibrant crowd of around a hundred people, a young man stands on the deck, bleached blonde hair gelled up in jagged spikes and face as pale as the moon. He grips the rail with one hand to steady himself as the boat rocks beneath his feet. Like everyone aboard, he's been drinking most of the afternoon, swept up in the excitement until he found himself on this private