Punk in the media with the Devil pulling the strings.
*note-all pink texts are links to must see videos. Enjoy!
By 1982-83 punk was steadily finding itself in
the media spotlight. Network popular television shows like Chips and Quincy had respective punk rock episodes to warn their prime time audiences across
America of the dangers of punk rockers using “ice picks” to stab one another
while watching nihilistic bands like “Pain.”
In short, the media
portrayed kids who listened to punk rock as a threat to society; the catalyst
that would destroy American values. The eradication of punk could have easily been on
Nancy Reagan's to-do list, right below her Just
Say No campaign. The witch-hunt was just getting underway.
During that time, my sister’s then
husband discovered the evangelical brand of Jesus (think: speaking in
tongues, snake handling) and during his honeymoon phase with the church, he presented me with a book on the evils of rock music. The book was an alphabetical guide to how Satan used bands like AC/DC, Blue Oyster Cult, The Plasmatics, etc. to spread his message to unsuspecting and impressionable teens across
America. Apparently, Lucifer delivered his manifestations through band logos
and album covers. Thankfully the devil hadn’t paid much attention to The Clash or Sex Pistols
by the time the book was published. I do recall my mom mentioning how my brother-in-law pleaded
with my parents and tried to persuade them to prohibit me from listing to music tainted by Satan; good thing for me they never sided with what they called the holy-rollers.
Cable television finally became available in my
neighborhood and it meant more late night TV options for Jimmy and I. We must
have watched the film Time Square, (1980 with Robbin Johnson, Trini Alvarado
and Tim Curry) a dozen times on HBO. The plot is a tale of two disaffected teenage girls
who discover one another and struggle together against parents and the usual gang of
authority figures. We lived vicariously through the two independence-seeking
protagonists, Nicky and Pamela, who are entrenched in the streets of New York’s
underground punk scene. The pair form the band Sleez Sisters and write a song about
Pamela’s father: a well-to-do businessman who wants to make a buck gentrifying
Times Square. They use his words of describing the inhabitants of the
neighborhood: “Spick, Nigger, Faggot, Bum” adding “You’re daughter is one” to
disassociate themselves from what they see as a heterosexual white-male
dominated world. It didn’t occur to me at the time, but the film had lesbian
undertones and additionally, perhaps it was a precursor to the Riot Grrrl
movement in the early 90’s. Ladies and Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stains (1982) is also worth mentioning and would fit nicely in the genre of empowered teen females.
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| Stick pins into you, Sleez Sister voodoo. |
I always like movies where the
underdog is empowered. In my mind punks are basically a pool of misfits
who found each other. The playing field is inherently equal; it knows no
gender, class or race. It is a space where anything is possible because there
are no set rules and boundaries. The idea is if you don’t like what is already established, then you
create your own. Nicky and Pamela did their own thing; maybe it
was important because they were females struggling against a male dominated
music industry and society. Jimmy and I saw beyond that. The film was
non-apologetic in advocating self-discovery and the pursuit of dreams coupled with knowing
that you’re going catch a ton a shit for going against the grain. It was our first informal lesson in coming to terms with the reality that there will always be somebody out there who will try to keep you down.
The soundtrack alone was worth watching the
film. We got turned on to: Gary Numan, XTC, Suzi Quatro, and The Cure. We
actually came across the soundtrack at Woolco in the bargain cassette bin in
the spring of 1982, months before the department store closed.
Another film that made its way into late-night Showtime rotation and was a cornucopia for turning Jimmy and I on to new bands was: Urgh! A Music War. The film showcased live performances by some of our favorites groups: Oingo Boingo, Surf Punks, Devo. In contrast, we discovered an entirely new portal and had out minds blown by: Skafish, Steel Pulse (roots reggae with a parody of a Ku Klux Klan member running around the stage) and especially Klaus Nomi: his song was a fusion of disco, opera and punk. We were convinced he was from another planet; his costume, make-up, receding hairline, pointy hairdo, and wide vocal range were dead giveaways. The variety of bands, music styles, and personalities featured in the film were remarkable. It was a testament that music shouldn't be safe, the artists were free of self-imposed or industry boundaries. That attitude lit a fire in me. Still to this day you just might catch me trying to sing like Klaus while driving down the road. Total Eclipse, it's a total eclipse...
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| Big shots argue about what they've got making the planet so hot, hot as a holocaust. Blow up, everything's gonna go up even if you don't show up in your Chemise Lacoste. Special thanks to Ana Medina and Monica Zarazua for editing |
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