Contemporary Punk Rock Communities: Scenes of Inclusion and Dedication

(Hardback)

Publishing Details

Classifications

Physical Properties

Description

As a music scene, punk rock faces an unfortunate stereotype which often assumes an overwhelming presence of aggression and indifference. Using interviews and personal experience, Ellen M. Bernhard argues that contemporary punk scenes are more than just music and mohawksthey operate as sites of autonomous practice and networked communities where a tireless pursuit for social action is amplified by the platforms and forces that exist within the scene today. Contemporary Punk Rock Communities explores current trends within the punk rock community and concludes that today's scenes are spaces of autonomy and commitment where inclusiveness and diversity are prioritized. While self-sufficiency is preferred, scene-related practices are influenced and affected by the larger forces that exist within society today.

Reviews

Is punk dead In this compelling book, Ellen Bernharda dedicated punk scholar who knows what it means to journey hours cross-country or pack into a poorly ventilated venue for a showanswers with a definite and defiant No! Drawing on in-depth interviews with participants and the authors own first-hand experiences within the scene, she provides a much-needed investigation into contemporary punk culture. She demonstrates that punks significance is limited to neither the 1970s or ones own adolescence, but that its continuing relevance persists decades after its birth and long after each premature declaration of its supposed death. Painting a vivid picture of the contemporary scene, she shows how punk isnt all just slam-dancing and PBR-swilling (although there is plenty of that too), but also a sincere and spirited fight for a better world. Along the way, she explores new, important topics such as the role of television, the use of social media, and the strange interaction of counterculture with popular culture in punk communities. Equal parts rigorous scholarly inquiry and impassioned love letter to the scene, this engagingly-written and informative work will resonate with anyone who has stood elbow-to-elbow in a dingy basement or smoky dive bar to catch a band no one has ever heard of. It will likewise fascinate anyone who hasnt, but wants to know what all the madness is about. A must for the student of punk rock and a persuasive argument for why those who arent should be. -- Jeffrey S. Debies-Carl, University of New Haven, author of Punk Rock and the Politics of Place

Author Bio

Ellen M. Bernhard is lecturer in the Communication Department at Chestnut Hill College.