Subculture: The Meaning of Style - Dick Hebdige

Having read extracts from this book previously, I decided to take a further look and found some rather intellectual views separating Punk culture from its predecessors and the motives behind their actions.

"The punks wore clothes that were the sartorial equivalent of swear words, and they swore as they dressed - with calculated effect...Clothed in chaos, they produced Noise in the calmly orchestrated Crisis of everyday life...a noise which made (no) sense in exactly the same way and to exactly the same extent as a piece of avant-garde music"

pg 137

"Scarification, mutilation and tattooing are also common as a reflection of the decline. The rainbow color of 

their hair serves as further decoration and the altering of reality and the separation from society"

pg 179

I'm now beginning to gain a better understanding of this culture and how their style reflected their opinions on society.

Journey into Subculture

Source

The term subculture first came into use in the 1940's, but the definition has changed very much since then.
Most authors have agreed that 

“subcultures are groups of people that have something in common with each other...which distinguishes them in a significant way from the members of other social groups”

Subcultures Reader

History of Punk Subculture

Culture of Punks

BBC Radio 4 - Anarchism

I've found this discussion conducted by Melvin Bragg in which he and others give a brief history of Anarchism and why its political ideas became synonymous with chaos and disorder.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0038x9t

Anarchy is order

I have started looking into how certain symbols were referenced by the punk subculture to promote their individualism from society and the effect such imagery can have on its audience.

One of the most recognisable symbols that was highlighted throughout the 1970's is the 'circle-a' which we associate with 'Anarchy'. The word anarchist first entered the English language in 1642 as a term of abuse by Royalists to describe those who are destructing disorder. Anarchism became synonymous with the absence of government, lawlessness and disorder and stands for the self discipline and self-imposed rules among individuals.

Anarchy Symbol

I've found it hard to track down the true origins of the symbol, however, some sources suggest that the earliest sighting was on the back of a militiaman's helmet during the Spanish Civil War. (Although there is no proof of the militiaman's identity with the symbol one can only assume he was an anarchist)

http://libcom.org/files/Woodcock,%20George%20-%20Anarchism,%20A%20History%20Of%20Libertarian%20Ideas%20And%20Movements.PDF

http://www.theyliewedie.org/ressources/biblio/en/Unknown_-_History_of_Anarchist_symbols.html

Jamie Reid and the Sex Pistols

I have started my research by looking at some of what I already know, which will hopefully lead on to finding inspiration from related sources.

Arguably, the most well-known punk band are the Sex Pistols. (which will inevitably be mentioned more throughout this blog, so I'll keep it short)

In 1976, manager Malcolm Mclaren contacted artist Jamie Reid to work on creating an image for the band. Reid being an activist himself took inspiration from a group of revolutionaries known as the Situationists. I am looking into this movement further but basically their cultural ideas, particularly in relation to detournement, encouraged the development of punk.





One way in which Reid defined the punk rock image was by mimicking the style of a ransom note, by using cut-up pieces of newspaper. This gives the impression that the text is anonymous but is also quite literally ripping into the British press to form a rough edge.

Album Artwork for their only studio album

Early design for the single, with controversial image manipulation  

Promotion for single

God Save The Queen
Single Artwork

The single was purposely released during Queen Elizabeth II's Silver Jubilee in 1977, separating the fans from the rest of the public. The final design Reid settled on (above) was made to make the Queen look like a criminal or a blackmail victim by placing the ironic title and band name over the eyes and mouth, which suggests removing the Queen's freedom to speech, etc.

More of Jamie Reid's work for the Sex Pistols following a similar notion

http://www.jamiereid.org/archive/sex_pistols/

Starting Point

This blog will be used as a way of recording research for my dissertation on the legacy of Punk graphics. As of yet, my proposal is quite broad in terms of the subject matter I am hoping to study. However, I have decided I want to focus on the signs and symbolic nature of the punk subculture in particular. The design had such a strong impact on mainstream imagery and is still being endlessly recycled in contemporary design. My aim is to find out how and why this style of punk graphics has made a mark on (British) mainstream and continues to do so.