E01: Punk pt.1

Listen to the full episode here:

In this first episode of Series 6 we are unpacking Punk. What is it? A musical style, a sub-genre of rock, a fashion sensibility, an attitude, a structure of feeling? In the first of three shows on Punk, Jeremy and Tim unfurl a general genealogy of the term as we build towards the release of Anarchy in the UK in two episodes’ time. They discuss where the term came from and how it was codified; the importance punk placed on realness and spontaneity; and contrast Punk’s nostalgic and avant garde modes.

Tim and Jeremy make reference to three bands not immediately thought of as Punk - The Seeds, The MC5 and The Stooges - to uncover what musical work was taking place in the late 60s and early 70s that could be viewed as proto-punk, and use these bands to show the problems of rock historiography in recounting the history of Punk. And, this being LITM, we of course spend some time untangling the Punk vs Disco dichotomy.

We hope you’ll join us as we continue our long march through the 1970s and beyond!

Tracklist:
The Seeds - Pushin’ Too Hard
The MC5 - Kick Out the Jams
The Stooges - Funhouse