Every once in a while -- usually when the idiots from Green Day open their mouths -- a debate sparks on Twitter (probably on Reddit too, but who goes there?) about what it means to be 'punk rock.' A cadre of purple-haired Billy Joe Armstrong fanboys always start shouting, 'PUNK ROCK HATES CONSERVATIVES. RRREEEEEEE.'
Of course, usually, this comes from Gen Z, who have never actually seen a punk rock band in their lives, let alone been to a punk rock show.
So, today, I want to give a lesson to Gen Z. Sorry, two lessons. First, Green Day is not a punk band. They never were. They are a pop band who died their hair and they play fast, simple songs because they are not talented musicians.
That's not punk. Nor is Rage Against the Machine. Sorry to break it to you.
Punk rock doesn't actually HAVE a political ideology. And anyone who understands punk knows this. Punk rock, by its nature, does not pick a side. It rebels against narratives ... any narratives, but especially the BS ones and the ones generated by powerful institutions.
Well, guess who is generating BS narratives these days? It's the left. And anyone who can be considered a true punk rocker will reject them.
Take Cherie Currie. Any Gen Xer worth their salt knows who Currie is. The former lead vocalist of The Runaways has been revered by punk and rock fans -- especially women -- for decades. Currie found herself in the news last week because she was scheduled to appear at a Riot Girl Festival, but it was canceled. Why? Because Currie does not buy into the narratives of the gender cult. And she speaks out vehemently against it, particularly with respect to children.
So for that, the trans activists canceled her.
It’s official! I’ve finally been cancelled by the Trans Activists. The Riot Girl Festival in Bisbee, AZ early May had to be cancelled due to an uproar that I speak out against Transitioning children. I am sad for my cherished friend that was putting this great Festival on. For… pic.twitter.com/j48Ja7XBaT
— Cherie Currie (@CherieCurrie3) March 10, 2024
Her tweet continues:
... For the belligerent threats against me which caused her stress, I am so very sorry. To those behind ruining a lucrative weekend for you and your town? You lose. That’s on you. I will never stop protecting children, speaking the truth and I’ll never back down. For me, it’s only a scratch.
Here's the thing. I have no idea what Currie's politics are. She may be pro-choice, she may vote Democrat (she did back Obama), she may not agree with me that taxation is theft, though I'd be happy to talk to her about that.
It doesn't matter. She isn't 'punk' or not because of those political positions. She is punk because she is standing up to people who are trying to tell her what and how to think.
And she recognizes that 'trans kids' is just another social contagion. She talked about that with Dana Loesch over the weekend.
The Runaways' @CherieCurrie3: "These parents want to be the cool parent [to have a trans kid]" pic.twitter.com/PYiHdCqMky
— Dana Loesch (@DLoesch) March 16, 2024
Yes, Cherie Currie. You ARE cool. You are because you protect kids against destruction and you don't go along with the crowd because they demand it of you.
And that is why the activists try to cancel her. Because she is a prominent and effective voice against the mutilation of children.
Please support https://t.co/i5EcferN2F. California is the “Head of the snake”. Cut it off. pic.twitter.com/JwOZVCsJzs
— Cherie Currie (@CherieCurrie3) March 16, 2024
Of course, Currie is not the only punk rocker who stays true to the meaning of the movement. Legendary punk John Lydon (known better as 'Johnny Rotten') of The Sex Pistols and Public Image, Ltd. has long spoken out about how liberals have become the tools of the establishment and that conservatives are the real rebels today.
And the equally legendary Chrissie Hynde, founder of The Pretenders, also gets it.
The other day when you gave that award to Rush Limbaugh, my father would have been so delighted. He loved listening to Rush, which is why I allowed my song, 'My City Was Gone', to be used on his radio show.
— Chrissie Hynde (@ChrissieHynde) February 17, 2020
My father and I didn't always see eye-to-eye. We argued a lot.. [p2.]
but isn’t that the American way? The right to disagree without having your head chopped off?
— Chrissie Hynde (@ChrissieHynde) February 17, 2020
Soon, I will be participating in a protest in London against the extradition of #JulianAssange (@wikileaks). I know my father would be mortified, but I feel strongly enough to do [p3.]
Hynde is not a conservative, far from it. But she got a lot of hate from the left for those tweets above. Which means that she is doing it right, while the left are -- as we used to say back in the day -- just poseurs.
But, as I mentioned before, it's not really even about politics. It's about rejecting the establishment. That's it. That's all punk has ever been. It just so happens today that 'the establishment' is overwhelmingly dominated by leftists.
And any true punk will stand against that.
I know that I probably disagree with Currie, Lydon, and Hynde about a great many political topics. This isn't about that. I respect their integrity, and knowing what it means to be punk.
Of course, they also contributed to the outstanding soundtrack that all of Gen X grew up on. And I will always love them for that too.
Because our generation's music is still better than everyone else's.
