More Than Music: American Punk Rock, 1980-1985
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MORE THAN MUSIC: AMERICAN PUNK ROCK, 1980-1985 ____________ A Thesis Presented to the Faculty of California State University, Chico ____________ In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies American Popular Culture, 1865-Present ____________ by Andrew M. Traulsen 2009 Summer 2009 MORE THAN MUSIC: AMERICAN PUNK ROCK, 1980-1985 A Thesis by Andrew M. Traulsen Summer 2009 APPROVED BY THE INTERIM DEAN OF THE SCHOOL OF GRADUATE, INTERNATIONAL, AND INTERDISCIPLINARY STUDIES: _________________________________ Mark J. Morlock, Ph.D. APPROVED BY THE GRADUATE ADVISORY COMMITTEE: _________________________________ _________________________________ Sara Trechter, Ph.D. Susan M. Green, Ph.D., Chair Graduate Coordinator _________________________________ Jeffery C. Livingston, Ph.D. PUBLICATION RIGHTS No portion of this thesis may be reprinted or reproduced in any manner unacceptable to the usual copyright restrictions without the written permission of the author. iii DEDICATION This research is dedicated to punk rock – for changing my life. iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to thank the following people, without whose assistance, advice, support or contributions this project would never have come together: my family— Nicole, Flannery and Jesenia; my comrade in academic oblivion—Rob “Cubby” Haworth; the guilty parties—Jello Biafra, Vic Bondi, Byron Coley, Peter Davis, Chuck Dukowski, Lisa Fancher, Michelle Flipside, Tim Kerr, Dan Kubinski, Ian MacKaye, Jeff Nelson, Jack Rabid, Corey Rusk, Kevin Seconds, Joey Shithead, Shawn Stern, Mike Watt, and Tesco Vee; my trusted advisors—Susan Green, Jeff Livingston, and Robert Tinkler; and, of course, my comrade in all things rock, Jim Howell, for sharing my passion for music. v TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE Publication Rights ...................................................................................................... iii Dedication................................................................................................................... iv Acknowledgments ...................................................................................................... v Abstract....................................................................................................................... vii CHAPTER I. Introduction.............................................................................................. 1 II. Literature Review..................................................................................... 23 Analysis of Survey Text ............................................................... 24 Analysis of Specific Text ............................................................. 39 III. Guerrilla Journalism: Fanzine Culture ..................................................... 63 IV. DIY: Punk Indie Labels............................................................................ 91 V. Punk Rock on the Road ............................................................................ 114 VI. Conclusion................................................................................................ 129 Bibliography............................................................................................................... 137 vi ABSTRACT MORE THAN MUSIC: AMERICAN PUNK ROCK, 1980-1985 by © Andrew M. Traulsen 2009 Master of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies American Popular Culture, 1865-Present California State University, Chico Summer 2009 American punk in the early 1980s was an underground community that op- erated completely independently of any mainstream outlets, yet both why and how it was able to do so and, more importantly, why any of this was important goes relatively undocumented. Researchers and filmmakers do an accurate job, for example, highlight- ing the key bands and scenes that dominated or made a lasting impact on the larger community, but the most notable omissions have to do with the significant role that fan- zines, indie labels, and touring played in nurturing and facilitating the regional and na- tional scenes. Without these peripheral elements, the key bands and scenes would not have been able to exist, flourish, and expand. The purpose of the following analysis is to document those peripheral elements that have gone unreported. vii This research begins by examining the available literature on punk rock with particular emphasis given to how each covers American punk rock of the early 1980s— especially their deficiencies. Next is an examination of primary source materials that relate to the topic. Along with both mainstream and underground media sources, as well as available audio recordings, a more significant emphasis will be culled from personal interviews conducted with key participants from the American punk rock community. Interviews were conducted with band members, fanzine publishers, and record label owners. The findings prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that not only did American punk rock of the early 1980s flourish and become influential, but that there were also important peripheral elements outside the most widely known bands of the period that have been left out of the larger narrative. viii CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION Punk rock is old and few would disagree that it has had a long and influential history. The swath of current books available on the topic is a testament to this fact. At present, each phase of the punk rock movement (e.g., mid-1960s American, late 1960s American, early-to mid-1970s New York, late-1970s Los Angeles and England, and early 1980s American) has been documented to one extent or another and in one form or another (e.g., books, film, audio compilations, etc.). Yet, of all the phases the punk tradition has undergone, it is the early 1980s that consistently receives short shrift— especially when discussing elements other than bands and the music they created. The most notable omissions have to do with the significant role that fanzines and indie labels as well as touring played in nurturing and facilitating the American punk scene in the early 1980s. The purpose of this analysis is to critique the available literature on the American punk scene of the early eighties and, hopefully, begin to fill in these missing pieces. Perhaps it would be prudent to begin with a brief overview of the punk tradition. Although there are numerous secondary analyses on punk, many seem to disagree on the genre’s exact birthplace. Musicians, critics, and fans have long debated the issue and this author will offer no definitive answer. Instead, in an attempt to provide the laymen with a cursory overview of punk’s early history, as well as to introduce the 1 2 larger purpose of this thesis, I will address the different schools of thought that have dominated this lingering debate within a discussion of punk’s early history, 1966-1980. The contemporary punk rock movement traces its roots to the mid-1960s. Following the unprecedented success of the British Invasion, begun with the February 1964 Ed Sullivan performance by The Beatles and followed by the Rolling Stones four months later, many aspiring American musicians took to garages across the United States with a desire to create and a hope of being heard. Unfortunately, most never were. As explained by Creem writer Robot A. Hull, Garage rock was, in essence, teenage desire directly translated into twanging and pounding and thump-thumping.…Garage music (and let’s just call it “punk,” okay?) was shaped by the more adolescent need to make noise and to create disharmony wherever possible…inept, crummy, loose, primitive fun.1 These garage bands multiplied in regional scenes across America. Bands such as The Electric Prunes, The Vagrants, Mouse & The Traps, The Remains, Zakary Thaks, The Thirteenth Floor Elevators, Count Five, The Golliwogs, and countless others set out to create music, regardless of whether or not they ever made it big.2 Typical for these bands at best were “a few singles on a local label, a privately pressed album, and a few devoted listeners at the small-scale gigs and parties they played.”3 As noted by Richie Unterberger in his book Unknown Legends of Rock-n-Roll: Psychedelic Unknowns, Mad Geniuses, 1 Robot A. Hull, “The Original Punks: The Greatest Garage Recordings of the Twentieth Century,” in Rolling Stone’s Alt-Rock-a-Rama, ed. by Scott Schindler (New York: Delta, 1996), 9-10. 2 To hear a detailed overview of the 1960s garage phenomenon see Rhino Record’s Nuggets anthologies. 3 Richie Unterberger, Unknown Legends of Rock-n-Roll: Psychedelic Unknowns, Mad Geniuses, Punk Pioneers, Lo-Fi Mavericks and More (San Francisco: Miller Freeman, 1998), 67. 3 Punk Pioneers, Lo-Fi Mavericks and More, so obscure were the recordings by these bands that, When rock histories began to be written in the late ’60s, most critics remained largely or wholly unaware of the sheer tonnage of wild and interesting sounds that had been recorded. Most of these records sold in quantities of a few thousand at most, and often only in the hundreds or dozens, making the task of finding the true gems a considerably difficult one.4 It was this spirit of “do it yourself” creation, seemingly without a care for critical opinion or monetary reward, that would become a cornerstone of the punk ethos. Although use of the term punk to describe a musical style was not en vogue during the 1960s, musicians, critics, and music historians consider this fertile era to be punk’s birthplace. As a matter of fact, the earliest known use of the word punk to describe music came