Selling out of punk

[dave-brown]

At what point do you feel as if you've sold out?
I do various things these days that 20 year old casualties looking Dave would deem abhorrent and unpunk I.e booking into hotels when traveling sometimes. Skipping a live show to sit at home to watch Netflix when its cold or I'm tired from work. Not finishing all the beer in the fridge before going to bed. Purchasing soy flat whites at a cafe. Going to a cafe. Turning my nose up at Aldi brand beer when I find it in the dumpster. Its fucking gross dude. I listen to Billy Joel and other various Dad rock acts un ashamadley, the list goes on forever. 20 year old dave would call contemporary Dave a washed up sell out has been and a boring old git..
On the contrary 20 year old me was a massive idiot. I find some of the zines I made mildly amusing and other antics funny. But various things like spray painting "showering is for government lovers" on our own bathroom door . And publicly ridiculing anyone who showered in the flat. Basically pretending we were homeless by stinking a lot. Seems rather peculiar behavior. I visited a punk flat full of 20 year olds recently. It was much the same. Kitchen full of empty mie goreng packets. Empty cask wine boxed everywhere. Unwashed kids smoking ciggie butts recycled two or three times. It warmed my heart to see them living this way... and also made me feel like they had some growing up to do...
... am I old? I think so. I appreciate scenery these days, and cups of tea. I've always said youre not an adult until you can read a newspaper in a confined space and fold it up to it's original format like a dad... although I dont read the paper cos the Australian press is all right wing trash.... there for i potentially will never reach adulthood?

In conclusion, i dont think i sold out. I just started showering and got a little older. I cant fit my tartan pants anymore but I still have a stupid haircut. Rant over.

On a side note. From a few years of gallavanting around various punk scenes in various countries, in my experience, kiwi punks are definately the dirtiest and potentially the drunkest. Something I always sought pride in. In hindsight I am kind of baffled by. Going out of ones way to be the grossest and drunkest, something typically wellingtonian I feel. Maybe cos Stinky always set the norm, I assume he still is. Sitting somewhere in newtown on his beer box throne, surrounded by aspiring and smelly teenagers,accusing them all of being hitlers girlfriend and getting them to roll him smokes. Haha I miss that guy. Hes a laugh. Repetitive, but a hoot non the less.

Okay rant over for real this time

[PertHJ]

At least you’re still playing in bands - that’s the bit I miss the most.

I think the thing young me would be most disappointed with is the lack of shows I go to. Making small talk about *life* and not being boozed AF is fairly awful.

[Max]

Were there any "old" people you respected back then? Iggy for example?

[PertHJ]

You’re right about NZ punks too - while short lived bands exist everywhere, I think the isolation and other barriers to success in NZ really cultivates the ingrained mentality that punk bands can not (and should not) succeed

[Max]

anyway if "selling out" means observing basic hygiene then count me in. Lemmy might have been able to get away with it but I can't. Besides who doesn't enjoy a shower?

[dustbinflowers]

I think the pinnacle of my selling out, to my 20 year old self anyway, would be that I now drive a car. I'm not sure being a low end public servant counts- I would have been more disappointed if I'd become corporate scum. Mostly I think my 20 year old self would be impressed that I had got to 40, hadn't ended up having kids in the suburbs, was tattooed to fuck, and still went to gigs every now and again.

[mmmm....good crack]

Barely even listen to punk anymore tbh

[Dead Kid]

I can't sell out of punk if I was never one in the first place.



I'm more just a music-listening geek. As a teen I used to sink a doz at the occasional party and yet did almost nothing stupid. I ruined my tolerance at 21 when I was up in Auckland to see Motörhead and thought it'd be a good idea to try vodka. Or at least when I finished the remainder of the bottle back in Welly, which was the first time I'd ever vomited from drinking. Saved myself a mind-boggling amount of money right there.

23 was when I got hooked on going to loadsa shoes. I started coming up to Dorkland regularly for work and then moved there. In the golden years of Ferndale Stranglers etc. I reckon I was going to about 40% metal gigs and 40% punk. Now the good punk has disappeared but I go to even more shows. I have long hair mainly because haircuts felt like conforming and I hated them, so it's more down to luck that I fitted in with the metalheads. I never flatted with anyone else coz I'm not that kind of idiot, I hog the bathroom and I'm not keen on cleaning cat pee etc. The technique of staying at the second cheapest motel/hotel in town usually worked quite well for me. Except now that I'm temporarily out of Akld and in need of staying there for 2 weeks in November, the options are bleak. First and hopefully only time in my adult life I'll stay in a backpacker room without its own shower.

On the other hand, the last time I went to less than 47 shows in a year was 2007 when I still lived in Wellington (well ok, Porirua). The last time I got home and puked after having 3 pints at a show was only last year. And coincidentally I'm listening to Billy Joel - River of Dreams while I press submit. First album I ever owned.

[dave-brown]

You’re right about NZ punks too - while short lived bands exist everywhere, I think the isolation and other barriers to success in NZ really cultivates the ingrained mentality that punk bands can not (and should not) succeed

Definately a thing. Some kind of nihlism or associating success as mainstream and unappealing somewhat.
Bragging about losing your job etc. I fucked up some pretty good opportunities as a kid. Not to mention a criminal record coming back to bite me in the arse. Costed me a work Visa for the UK.
But whatever . I regret very little. I had a lot of fun. Still do.

But yes I love showers. And clean undies. Wearing undies in general And having food in my cupboard.
I still go to shows. I'm just far more selective

[dustbinflowers]

The pinnacle of human achievement is hot showers at will. And dry socks. And being warm and fed. Fuck yes.

[General Mutante]

I’ve always been an unashamed fan of mullet rock. I too like being fed and warm. Still listen to and play all sorts of stuff though. Get to gigs when I can. I actually think being a swoopy elder goth rather suits me.

[dave-brown]

As long as I've known you, I've always considered you to be a swoopy elder goth.

[General Mutante]

As long as I've known you, I've always considered you to be a swoopy elder goth.

That’s because you’re still young af. I’m in my early 40s now.

[dave-brown]

So some of you arent even punks, and never were, and the rest have sold out, got good jobs listen to Billy Joel and 'retired' from punkdom. Does anyone know of any real punk sites?? Y'all sound like a bunch of sad ass losers.

Were all sitting around bickering about menial and irrelevant issues on an outdated blogsite. This forum is obsolete in the grander scheme of things.
We are all definately sad ass losers!
Tell you who isn't.. Billy joel. Hes bad arse. Dont see him wasting his life away on this archaic forum of yesteryear.

That’s because you’re still young af. I’m in my early 40s now.

oh and Andy. I think you were 30 when I met ya. That's younger than I am now. Maybe I'm a swoopy elder punk? I'd rock that title.

I wonder what ever happened to that shit hole on coromandel st we used to live in. I spray painted one of the walls and had kicked the door off the hinges and still managed to get the bond out of the next guy who took my room. Haha fuck joel was goose. I hope hes okay. He wasnt the brightest spark. Taxing some of the product when he was picking it up for people like Jesse Larsen was really dumb thing to do hahaa

[dustbinflowers]

I have never thought of you being swoopy Andy

[dustbinflowers]

I've always loved punk, but I also love a whole bunch of other music too. Hence my eclectic record collection and questionable dress sense to this day...

[Max]

I got into punk primarily because it's loud and obnoxious and pisses people off. I bought the music and went to the shows and hung out with the mohawks but I was never really one of them, I was too into other kinds of music too to identify myself as a member of the tribe. So yeah I didn't exactly "sell out" since I never entirely bought in. I still like to blast Minor Threat when my head needs clearing.

[Dead Kid]

So some of you arent even punks, and never were, and the rest have sold out, got good jobs listen to Billy Joel and 'retired' from punkdom. Does anyone know of any real punk sites?? Y'all sound like a bunch of sad ass losers.

What do you do to avoid selling out of neo-Nazism?

[dave-brown]

Clearly smashed on coke. Clearly one of the boys. Up the punx. Up Billy J.
Watch "The Craziest Billy Joel Performance Ever" on YouTube

[General Mutante]

I have never thought of you being swoopy Andy

I think I have developed a certain swoopy dignity with age.

[dave-brown]

I have never thought of you being swoopy Andy

I think I have developed a certain swoopy dignity with age.

[dustbinflowers]

Clearly smashed on coke. Clearly one of the boys. Up the punx. Up Billy J.

Urgh. Still traumatised by long car trips with Billy Joel's Greatest Hits for my whole childhood. For me up there in badness with John Farnham.

[Dead Kid]

So some of you arent even punks, and never were, and the rest have sold out, got good jobs listen to Billy Joel and 'retired' from punkdom. Does anyone know of any real punk sites?? Y'all sound like a bunch of sad ass losers.

What do you do to avoid selling out of neo-Nazism?

[hiv-positive]

I'm definitely not as punx as I may have been, but internally I'm still the same angry at the world piece of shit despite inexplicably finding myself solidly middle class with a very good job.

I suppose this could be considered selling out, but it's all on my own terms and as a high school drop out with no meaningful qualifications in anything at all, zero fucks are given.

I keep myself happy by still listening to the mostly same old shit music and casting a benevolent and admiring eye on the current version of disaffected yoof.

[dave-brown]

That would make a good t shirt. You could have that quote on the front accompanied by a picture of Kyle Chapman and all of his chins.

[dustbinflowers]

Nah, I haven't sold out after all, I just resigned from my job to go work in Southern Fiordland again as head porridge maker. That is punk as fuck I reckon

[General Mutante]

That would make a good t shirt. You could have that quote on the front accompanied by a picture of Kyle Chapman and all of his chins.

Hahahahaha. I saw him in the New Brighton Countdown. He’s all hairy now and was wearing floral board shorts. It’s Aloha Kyle.

[dave-brown]

Flat whites and a ginger beer at band practice.....

[hiv-positive]

kiwi punks are definately the dirtiest

This made me realise that basically every old school style punk I've seen in Melbourne have been hilariously clean cut by comparison.

There's a guy I occasionally see on my train line who is all patches on his cut off and awful 90's band tees, but they're all tidily sewn on and everything is thoroughly clean. Probably doesn't help I see his mum waiting to pick him up from the station in her Micra.

[dave-brown]

Haha punks as getting mumsie to pick ya up.
If you're after a laugh, the punks pub crawl is on this Saturday. The longest consecutively running annual punk event in the world apparently. Its wildly painful but good for a laugh. The cops escort the entire event. All the odd punks from outer suburbs make it out for this event. Last time I went I sat in a bar and looked down onto the street and watched young punks get pepper sprayed and arrested. .....Until the bar staff realised we were with them and we were all turfed...
Melbourne street punks are my favourite. The Beard/Mohawk combo mixed in with shorts and boots. Somebody needs to give these cunts some fashion advice.. and it's not gona be me, I get you much amusement out of laughing at em.

One year I saw a kid with a dog collar on. It wasn't even leather . It was canvas with a plastic clip. It's like he read punk advice online and didn't look at any images . "Dog collar, yeah this will do" lol
Anyway starts 11am at Last chance rockn roll bar, by vic markets. Hopefully its lead by the infamous Dick No Idea, and his obnoxious tartan suit again