Punk Rock Politics Part 1 | Political Music

Main Menu

Latest News

Punk Rock Politics Part 1

Thursday, 14 February 2008

Media influences political opinions. Period. Music goes in its own direction, and it builds communities that perpetuates its views.

Dead Kennedies - Police Truck

Lyrics:

Tonight's the night that we got the truck
We're goin' downtown gonna beat up drunks
Your turn to drive I'll bring the beer
It's the late, late shift no one to fear
And ride, ride how we ride
We ride, lowride[....]

Got a black uniform and a silver badge
Playin' cops for real/playin' cops for pay

Hmm. For some reason I don't think they like Diane Feinstein, Margaret Thatcher, bankers OR overzealous police offices. This sounds a little familiar. Do you think some of this mindset has been passed along to the present day?

Sex Pistols - Anarchy
Well you can't talk about politics and punk rock without mentioning the Sex Pistols and the mid-70s anarchy tour.

I wanna be an anarchist
Know what I mean
And I wanna be anarchist!
Get PISSED DESTROY !
Most of the dates on this tour were canceled due to a fear of violence. I have no idea where they got this idea.

Ramones - Blitzkreig Bop
(and the failure of screaming subtleties)

Theyre forming in straight line theyre going through a tight wind
The kids are losing their minds - the blitzkrieg bop
Theyre piling in the back seat theyre generating steam heat
Pulsating to the back beat - the blitzkrieg bop
Hey ho, lets go shootem in the back now what they want, I dont know

Apparently some people missed the clue that the Jewish lead singer of the Ramones was taking a sarcastic swipe at the conformity of fascism and the way people line up to die for some cause they don't really understand. Some people would obviously miss the innuendo, and the rise of nazi punk was set on track.

Fuck Off Nazi Punks

Well, the Dead Kennedies try to set the record straight on the nazi punk sympathizers: "Phony patriotic pigs" Unfortunately, you can't always completely dictate what your fans think, and sometimes a message serves a counter-productive purpose to your goals. This doesn't diminish the effectiveness of using music as a medium of influencing opinions, it just shows how ideas dissiminate and splinter.