THE APPARENT INDETERMINABLE CLASSIFICATION OF COUNTERCULTURE: -

by Craig Turnwall

It has come to my attention, in the collection of many months that have formed the more recent

years of societal, intrapersonal and musical influence, that an obese and determinable schism has

chiseled itself into the American consciousness, a rift between what is deemed mainstream and

underground art, particularly and most noticeably in the youth and adult counterculture of Punk

Rock Music, a channel heralded for its vibrant, iconoclastic, original feelings of individual

expression, inherent unity, non-materialistic civility and an unyielding desire to explore

temperaments and creative avenues that are, more often than not, left unchallenged, labeled as

too idealistic or cast aside as fleeting phases of maturation. This fracture, which has grown with

Punk’s assimilation into popular culture has lead to a type of identity crisis within the framework

of our ideology, especially evident with new youth entering the movement without a sense of

true inner direction, candor…and overtly most important, passion to mold the future.

Let me begin by saying that this short essay is not negatively charged. It is, quite the contrary. It

is simply an exploration into the principles and ideology that has driven and fueled a concrete

foundation, an entity thousands upon thousands of souls strong, not simply spanning oceans,

language barriers, oppressive and repressive governments, but decades of time which has lead us

to our current position and our current need for action, to lead by example and declaration with

heart, creativity, fervor, power, adrenaline, experience…and love.

Craig O’Hara states in The Philosophy of Punk “Anarchist Punks appear to hold many beliefs
that agree with what can be termed the radical liberal or far left wings of democracy. Beliefs in

defending women’s rights, racial equality, and gay rights are involved in the platforms of both

the liberal and the anarchist.” To begin, I access this and take it one step further to include

political awareness, spontaneous generosity, imagination and conviction. Anarchy, which by

definition within the same text is elaborated on as, “The principles of having no official

government or rulers, and valuing individual freedom and responsibility,” enlightens on the term

often held synonymous with chaos, turmoil and discord, becoming more clear as he goes onto

say, “anarchy does not simply mean no laws; it means no need for laws. Anarchy requires

individuals to behave responsibly. When individuals can live in peace without authorities to

compel or punish them, when people have enough courage and sense to speak honestly and

equally with each other, then and only then will anarchy be possible.” The concept of anarchy is

neither base nor malevolent. It is the personal exploration through the questioning of one’s

expanding identity, motivations, desires; their feelings and attitudes toward friendship, humanity,

justice, peace, activation which leads to still greater ponderances concerning the introverted

nature of the answers to these questions. These are the seeds for individuality, for anarchic faith,

for inspiration…for Punk. But what is the mode for expression for these answers? How does one

come to relate and release these tantric feelings of nonconformity? “…when the mind is no

longer compelled…to exercise its vital powers on the questions which its belief presents to it,

there is a progressive tendency to forget all of the belief except the formularies, or to give it a

dull and torpid assent, as if accepting it on trust dispensed with the necessity of realizing it in

consciousness, or testing it by personal experience; until it almost ceases to connect itself at all

with the inner life of the human being.” (John Stuart Mill, On Liberty) This inner life of

humanity, the once dormant catalyst swelling from within to declare unrest, the ability to say
something or to scream it, without the voice saying anything at all…with words…this is poetry.

Poetry (i.e. lyrical verse, lyrical prose, spontaneous free form thought) is the pure medium for

anarchic art…for unchecked expression through the soul. Poetry as expression is the determining

factor separating Punk from all musical genres currently inundating mainstream culture. This is

why Punk has become popular in outward appearances but not accepted as a mature, respected

and blaringly innovative force in the music and art world, not only creatively cognizant, but as an

ideology that harbors life, love, unity, consideration coupled with strength, conviction, passion

and honor…not simply breaking boundaries while creating ravenously for political and social

goals, but escaping them completely. I believe this may stand true only for now…not for the

future.

These deterrent “formularies” which run, seemingly rampant, through popular culture, the media,

fashion, music, books, magazines have become increasingly popular as the appearance of

nonconformity has become the accepted tool used by young (and I will use “mainstream” here

without naming names, i.e. all things MTV, VH1) artists under the guise of separation and

rebellion. The Punk look has, in its own right, become chic, mass produced, stripped of its

integrity, materialized and exploited, marketed by corporate identities not in tune with, nor aware

of the foundations of the genre. Pop Punk, in its perception to the mass audience, has become the

new neologism for Punk Rock. This trend, which most notably sprung from its roots in the early

to mid nineties, has enigmatically, yet understandably flowered into a inverted shadow of the

strength and solidarity it mimics, affecting while simultaneously being affected by other musical

genres which drink from the same collective source. The importance placed on physical

accumulation, objectification, separation of social and economic classes, adolescent gloatation of

financial standing has lead to a perverse and most often, distorted (yet openly accepted) view of

success and happiness. Does this not seem more in line with the definition of chaos often linked

with anarchy? It would stand to maintain it as all Punk appearance, no true punk ideology,

therefore…no true creation…no poetry. As stated prior, any persons (or bands for our sake)

placed within the same system, within the same conventional mold will take on characteristics of

persona and attitude through the shear act of conforming under an articulated agenda. The lure of

money, record contract, fantastical lifestyle is an incredibly potent temptation, but consideration

must be made concerning the true beneficiaries of the choice, how selfless (therefore Punk) can

the decision be? “Protection, therefore, against the tyranny of the magistrate is not enough; there

needs protection also against the tyranny of the prevailing opinion and feeling; against the

tendency of society to impose, by other means than civil penalties, its own ideas and practices as

rules of conduct on those who dissent from them; to fetter the development, and, if possible,

prevent the formation, of any individuality not in harmony with its ways, and compel all

characters to fashion themselves upon the model of its own.” (Ibid)

True Punk ideology not only gains its validity and strength from its participants, but exercises its

influence exponentially as the once covert, now noticeably vocal underground scene (which I

will label due its non-commercialized ethics, lyrically poignant message and incalculable drive

to be heard) pushes forward with a renewed vitality that continues to well up, pouring its

message with vivacity into venues in cities all across America. “The real advantage which truth

has, consists in this, that when an opinion is true, it may be extinguished once, twice, or many

times, but in the course of ages there will generally be found persons to rediscover it, until some

of its reappearances falls on a time when from favorable circumstances it escapes persecution
until it has made such head as to withstand all subsequent attempts to suppress it.” (Ibid) The

poetry of individuality, open expression, protest, life, love, responsibility and unity feels as if on

the threshold, teetering in the minds of young adults who have become discouraged and

unfulfilled as the current modem for the exchange of ideas has left them well dressed, but empty

in their hearts. While I regret it to be true, the mass media, along with the music industry plays

an enormous role in this debacle, but I believe the consciousness has only been misdirected, not

obliterated…labeled and placed out of open awareness, shunned and condemned as too idealistic,

too calamitous for impressionable minds, too dangerous…all the negative attributes associated

with the classical persona of Punk Rock Music. Yet, do the same classic objections apply? Does

the real danger lay as it’s portrayed? “A person who has been seduced by the consumer value

system, whose identity is dissolved in an amalgam of the accoutrements of mass civilization, and

who has no roots in the order of being, no sense of responsibility for anything higher than his or

her own personal survival, is a demoralized person. The system depends on this demoralization,

deepens it, is in fact a projection of it into society. Living within the truth, as humanity’s revolt

against an enforced position, is, on the contrary, an attempt to regain control over one’s own

sense of responsibility. In other words, it is clearly a moral act, not only because one must pay so

dearly for it, but principally because it is not self-serving…” (Vaclav Havel, Living in Truth)

This demoralization has led to an accepted belief of the inner substance of Punk, its façade

versus its actualization, its nihilism versus its rationale…its ignorance versus its poetry, thus

Punk cannot be categorized within its classical skin with no outward consideration paid to its

spontaneity, adaptability and current course of evolution. Social change and Punk spontaneity are

not only coagulative, they are synonymous…beginning with its rebellious inception and

continuing forward with its creative, passionate, humanistic artistry. “But the evil is, that
individual spontaneity is hardly recognized by the common modes of thinking, as having any

intrinsic worth, or deserving any regard on its own account. The majority, being satisfied with

the ways of mankind as they now are (for it is they who make them what they are), cannot

comprehend why those ways should not be good enough for everybody; and what is more,

spontaneity forms no part of the ideal of the majority of moral and social reformers, but is rather

looked on with jealousy, as a troublesome and perhaps rebellious obstruction to the general

acceptance of what these reformers, in their own judgment, think would be best for mankind.”

(John Stuart Mill, On Liberty) Recognition of the individual, albeit, is often overshadowed by

the mass appeal, but Punk is not a mere individual, it is thousands upon thousands of voices

strong, hearts strong, and our ideology and poetry will surely come to have an ever present

influence and ubiquity not only in music, but in the schematic of life, death, love and individual

growth we call the world…as fleeting and spontaneous as it may seem.