As Max Keiser Predicted, Punk Rock Resurrects Itself For 21st Century Struggle
Punk rock is rising from cigarette-littered graves across the world, in time for a global showdown with its entertainment masters, bankers and governments continuing the path they sowed in the late seventies-eighties, when punk arose from under the umbrellas of commanding heights. Pussy Riot is in the headlines over their two year prison sentence for their ‘punk prayer’ in Moscow’s Christ the Savior Cathedral. Governments of the world are supporting Russia’s silencing of global punk rockers. A rise in rock school enrollments means more kids will be exposed to the anti-establishment sounds amid society’s decline into a melted pot of destitution. And Max Keiser predicted it.
In Germany, individuals re-enacting Pussy Riot’s behavior in Germany’s Cologne Cathedral in the midst of services, wearing masks and carrying signs demonstrating their outrage over the jailing of Pussy Riot, now are charged with disturbance of a religious service. They may face prison.
Three men and one women, twentysomethings, were flamboyantly dressed, shouting slogans, and singing with banners demanding “Free Pussy Riot and all prisoners“. The individuals shouted “Frei Pussy Riot!” in their German language.
Here is video of the incident:
The Criminal Code of Germany stipulates that the punishment is up to three years.
New York’s CBGB is also standing against tyranny, releasing shirts which read “Putin Vs. Punk Rock.”
Bjork has dedicated a live performance to Pussy Riot. So have The Smears:
Even Madonna dedicated a song to Pussy Riot on her recent tour, expressing our rights as human beings to say what we please, before saying “enough about freedom, let’s talk about love.”:
So, is punk rock making a comeback? Keiser predicted it would many years ago on Truth About Markets and perhaps elsewhere.
It makes sense, also, considering new socio-economic tensions. The movement is, apparently, conscious of its economic undertones, as, in the New York indie/punk-rock culture, graffiti urging the peasants to Buy Silver and Crash JP Morgan is alive-and-well:
Max considers himself a punk:
But, as many of his predictions do, this one seems to also be coming true. It finds a bit of confirmation in School of Rock enrollments, which offers a punk rock show that often features well-known punk musicians from the city where the school lies.
“We are seeing growing numbers of students enrolling in our summer camps, as well as seeing a strong return attendance. This is exciting news at a time when music programs continue to suffer cutbacks,” said Mark Biondi, VP of marketing for School of Rock. “Our unique camps offer amazing experiences for these kids, and hopefully this increased interest will inspire others and increase support for music programs.”
In 2012, John Reis of Drive Like Jehu and Hot Snakes fame performed in San Diego with the School of Rock:
Either way, more kids are being exposed to the anti-establishment memes of punk. And this time, to be sure, punk rock won’t be injured by the global-entertainment cartel, as Kim Dotcom has made public plans for his online Music Service that would earn musicians 90% of revenue. This means that punk rock bands and labels won’t have to compete directly with the major record labels. Instead, they can bypass the middle-man and go straight to their audience. Punk rock, like blogging, will conflagrate with the help of the world wide web.
An increase in noise violations across the United States and western Europe might, in part, be attributed to the return of punk. Towns in the U.S. are even resorting to increasing their sound violation fines by as much as 75%, which can, according to one town, “be issued for loud music from vehicles and residences, illegal use of fireworks and loud mufflers.”
Interesting that the music is first.
Punk rockers “defy the world’s most repressive regimes,” violating noise statutes wherever electricity runneth. The Brew Dog craft beer company in Scotland brought in £500,000 in the three days after relaunching its “Equity for Punks” share offer. Brewdog believes it can unload £2.1m of shares through punk rock. According to co-founder James Watt:
“This scheme arrives at a time when the masses are skeptical of banks, brokers and global mega corporations. It is an opportunity for everyone to show there is a different way; a better way. This is punk rock to the banks’.”
The timing for punk rock to begin its path back into the mainstream is sensible, considering that the search term is near it’s all-time low according to Google trends’ search volume index. With that said, punk rock’s news reference volume is on the up-and-up.
Punk rock burst onto the scene in the seventies and continued into the eighties, emerging in the United States as American Hardcore. In the US, punk rock was a backlash against theology-politics of the Republican Party during a time of stagnant economic growth and Cold War fear-mongering. It smashed the thin veneer of conservative America, killing off the hippies as the last anti-establishment movement.
While on the ground in punk rock there scantily was a coherent, collective message or political ideology, the music was littered with anti-establishment and pro-freedom messages, which surely planted the seeds in the minds of young punks informing them into their refined adult lives. Joe Strummer, the singer of The Clash, has oftentimes received due credit for his biding commentary on civilization in Europe and the US. A staunch opponent of US Imperialism, Joe Strummer made as good a futurist as has Gerald Celente.
The Clash – “Career Opportunities”:
The offered me the office, offered me the
shop
They said I’d better take anything they’d got
Do you wanna make tea at the BBC?
Do you wanna be, do you really wanna be a cop?Career opportunities are the ones that never knock
Every job they offer you is to keep you out the dock
Career opportunity, the ones that never knockI hate the army an’ I hate the R.A.F.
I don’t wanna go fighting in the tropical heat
I hate the civil service rules
And I won’t open letter bombs for youBus driver….ambulance man….ticket inspector
They’re gonna have to introduce conscription
They’re gonna have to take away my prescription
If they wanna get me making toys
If they wanna get me, well, I got no choiceCareers
Careers
CareersAin’t never gonna knock
The anti-authority, think for yourself message is still in punk. And it can be found in places as mainstream as the David Letterman show:
The Soft Pack – “Answer To Yourself”:
You gotta answer to yourself
You can’t depend on anyone else
You gotta know where you stand
And what’s in your hands
Yeah you gotta answer to yourselfYou gotta write down what you know
You gotta make sure that it’s known
Because they’re coming along to see what you’ve done
And they’re gonna claim it for their ownYou got a rabbit in your hat
You got a few tricks up your sleeve
Don’t get stuck in a rut
Or stuck in the same
You got exactly what you needYou got a talent don’t you know?
You’re more talented than you know
And you give it a shot
And give it the time
And be surprised how far it goesBut I think I’m gonna die
Before I see my time
But I think I’m gonna die
Trying anywayYou gotta answer to yourself
2 days a week outside yourself
You take an hour a day, an hour a day
And you don’t respond to anyone elseYou got a few things on your shelf
You got to look through for yourself
You gotta choose what to read
Choose what to believe
And you don’t take it from anyone elseBut I think I’m gonna die
Before I see my time
But I think I’m gonna die
Trying anyway