Why Is Blondie Considered Punk?

SBWNik · 03-28-2010, 12:14 AM

No argument about either being punk bands, but when they broke through they were generally referred to as New Wave (in the New Wave of Punk Rock sense) rather than as Punk.
Gen X most certainly were a punk band, but were a couple of years too late, and their sound these days would be considered too 'light' to be a punk band, an impression I think The Clash would also give if they weren't upheld as one of the founding lights of the scene. Listen to what is now considered to be punk, and compare it to what was then considered punk - in the UK at any rate - back then and I'm sure you'll hear the difference.

At the end of the day though, it wasn't about the sound, it was about the scene.

Rocknroll_Animal · 06-09-2010, 03:37 AM

Blondie were called punk because they had no other name for them. The term 'new wave' wasn't invented, and they were edgier than the other pop groups out.

Lower East Side 1977... you had a group of groups so diverse as to include The Cramps, Suicide, Blondie, Talking Heads, The Ramones, Richard Hell & The Voidoids, Mink DeVille, Patti Smith and the Dictators. Obviously, the Cramps and the Ramones sound nothing at all like Talking Heads or Blondie. But they were all performing in CBGBs, that was their scene. The Blank Generation.

For me that's the true definition of punk -- when you can have Debbie Harry standing next to Lux Interior watching Joey Ramone. When it's all so liquid that you can't pin the concept of punk to a single sound. Like Richard Hell said:

"The point isn't to do it the way I did it or any other person did it. It's to escape classification. Once they can successfully label you, you're their property".

06-09-2010, 03:37 AM	#22 (permalink)
Rocknroll_Animal Music Addict Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Beautiful Gardens Posts: 65	Blondie were called punk because they had no other name for them. The term 'new wave' wasn't invented, and they were edgier than the other pop groups out. Lower East Side 1977... you had a group of groups so diverse as to include The Cramps, Suicide, Blondie, Talking Heads, The Ramones, Richard Hell & The Voidoids, Mink DeVille, Patti Smith and the Dictators. Obviously, the Cramps and the Ramones sound nothing at all like Talking Heads or Blondie. But they were all performing in CBGBs, that was their scene. The Blank Generation. For me that's the true definition of punk -- when you can have Debbie Harry standing next to Lux Interior watching Joey Ramone. When it's all so liquid that you can't pin the concept of punk to a single sound. Like Richard Hell said: "The point isn't to do it the way I did it or any other person did it. It's to escape classification. Once they can successfully label you, you're their property". __________________ You make me __

03-28-2010, 12:14 AM	#21 (permalink)
SBWNik Music Addict Join Date: Mar 2010 Posts: 67	No argument about either being punk bands, but when they broke through they were generally referred to as New Wave (in the New Wave of Punk Rock sense) rather than as Punk. Gen X most certainly were a punk band, but were a couple of years too late, and their sound these days would be considered too 'light' to be a punk band, an impression I think The Clash would also give if they weren't upheld as one of the founding lights of the scene. Listen to what is now considered to be punk, and compare it to what was then considered punk - in the UK at any rate - back then and I'm sure you'll hear the difference. At the end of the day though, it wasn't about the sound, it was about the scene.