Annotated Bibliography #4

Bennett, Andy. “Punk’s Not Dead: The Continuing Significance of Punk Rock For An Older Generation Of Fans.” Sociology 40:2 (April 2006): 219-235. Web. Accessed 25 May 2011.

Andy Bennett’s article Punk’s Not Dead: The Continuing Significance of Punk Rock For An Older Generation Of Fans examines the relation with the punk scene older fans have by drawing on studies and interviews that have been done in reference to the interaction the “forefathers” (228) of this subculture have with the current scene and the role these people play within it. The article is split into three main points in which Bennett examines the visual image of older members of the punk community, relations between the generations and punk festivals concluding that of those who are still an active part of their local punk scene, their relation to the scene though different to when they were younger is still a significant part of their identity and is something that is respected by younger members of the community. Of the articles I have discussed on here, this is the only one that looks at punk as something other than a youth scene and I think this fact in itself makes Bennett’s article a very useful one for my research. It provides a different perspective on the current subculture and looks at different activities and practices to most other articles. While my final essay will probably focus primarily on youth involvement in modern punk, I think it’s very important for me to not disregard the fact that there are members of the culture who have seen it change over the years and still play a huge role and when discussing the place of older generations within this subculture this article will be my primary source.

Annotated Bibliography #1

Moore, Ryan. “Postmodernism and Punk Subculture: Cultures of Authenticity and Deconstruction.” The Communication Review 7:3 (2004): 305-327. Web. Accessed 5 May 2011.

Ryan Moore’s article Post Modernism and Punk Subculture: Cultures of Authenticity and Deconstruction places the punk subculture in a postmodern framework as a way of understanding and analysing the practices, beliefs and so on of members of the subculture. Moore traces a history of punk through the article, relating all changes in the culture and the development of new subsets (eg. hardcore etc.) back to theoretical ideas, with a strong focus on authenticity and deconstruction within punk cultures. I feel that authenticity is a very important idea when discussing punk, particularly when looking at the DIY aspects of it, and this article discusses clearly the significance of this for the subculture. However, what I found most interesting and helpful in this article was Moore’s discussion of deconstruction. This is an idea I hadn’t really given too much though to but Moore’s analysis of punk as what he refers to as a “culture of deconstruction” (311) has opened up new ways of thinking about punk for me. Most interesting I found was Moore’s analysis of bands that “flaunt their immaturity and idiocy” (317) such as The Descendents and The Circle Jerks as a “rebellion against authority.” (318) As I think I’d like to focus on more recent punk movements in my essay, this discussion of bands like The Descendents offers a strong framework to look at more recent bands that could fall within this “immature” punk category, like Blink 182 and early Green Day. Overall, I see Ryan Moore’s article providing a very strong basis for my research and feel it will be very useful.