The Philosophy of Thoreauvian Punk

While the life of Henry David Thoreau is extensively documented with generally broad agreement of his identity and legacy, the task of narrowing down a commonly accepted definition of punk is far more complicated. Punk by its very nature is resistant to codification, and because so much of punk history is scene and time specific, it can be difficult to agree on common elements. It is seemingly more difficultu to imagine and articulate a unifying "philosophy of punk."

Of course, that does not mean there has not been an extensive amount of research and writing that attempts to clarify and articulate the punk ethos. In fact, punk is one of the most well-researched and written about subcultures in American history. Almost from its earliest incarnations, writers and critics documented the scenes with commentary that went far beyond reviews of bands, songs, and shows. Thus, it’s not surprising that when Greg Graffin sat down to articulate a common vision and set of beliefs, punk would be discussed as not simply a musical style but “a way of seeing and experiencing the world.” 

Two noteworthy studies of punk which share Graffin’s view of punk as more than just a style of music are Craig O’Hara’s The Philosophy of Punk: More Than Noise!! initially published in 1999 at roughly the same time as Graffin’s manifesto, and the academic collaboration Screaming for Change: Articulating a Unifying Philosophy of Punk by Lars Kristiansen et al, published ten years later. Whatever the origin of punk, and the claims and theories are vast, the music scene and the movement that followed are a significant merging of numerous factors which all played a role in creating something unique, impactful, timely, and ultimately timeless. 

Putting punk then in a historical context is generally “launched down one of three distinctly separate trajectories: 1. Punk is a subculture; 2. Punk is a musical genre; 3. Punk is an authentic cultural expression.” These three angles are all significant components of punk, and establishing a connection back one hundred and thirty years requires synthesis of all. Though deceptively simple and obvious on the surface or to the uninitiated, punk has a long story to tell, one whose roots trace back to the fringe of Concord, Massachusetts in the early 1800s.