The problem with "punk"... 

Reminds me of the south park clip where the goth kid says "All you have to do to be a non conformist is dress like us, act like us, and listen to the same music as us."

But here’s the thing: bands don’t need to support themselves or their families. They need to just stay underground to support my need to gatekeep

I'm 67 years old and have been into punk ever since I first heard the Sex Pistols on FM radio back in 1977. When I say I was into punk I mean the music & the lyrics and not the "scene." Where I lived and at my age, I didn't know anyone into punk rock. And I am the type of person who didn't have many friends and still don't. In fact, I don't have any real friends now apart from family and my fiancee but I'm okay with that. The thing about punk rock is that there are so many different flavors and I like that. There's some flavors I don't care for and some I really love. To each his/her own and nobody should be criticized about what flavors they're into.

I'm an old GenX'er. I remember the "Punk Panic" as well as the "Satanic Panic" from the 80s. Good times.

I once saw Finn respond to a troll with “of course it isn’t punk, nothing is punk. Only you are punk.” And it was one of the best direct hits I’ve ever seen. This fkn scene man 😂😂😂

The most punk thing you can do is just be yourself.

Hey man I’m 38 and I had this exact thought the other day. Literally was on my mind all day “ if I didn’t get into punk would I have done better in life instead of being where I’m at now?” I also wasn’t active in social life at school because I was “too punk” to go to prom or fall dance or care about graduation. Delayed college ( have only taken a couple semesters ) and surrounded myself with likeminded negative outlook people. Up until my early 30s did I finally stop listening to punk and started having a different outlook on life. Much like in the way you described in the video. Thank you for this.

1:01 I realized exactly that after seeing Adam Curtis' documentary, Century of the Self. In the third part he talks about how counterculture (hippies) of the 60s were anticorporation, which to that point had essentially produced mass good for a world that young people felt disconnected from; the world of their parents. Not long after, the corporations figured out they could actually sell personal identity to the hippies, and oh did they. I never looked at a Hot Topic the same way.

Remember that video you did a few weeks ago about not knowing where to take the channel, and whether or not you should insert your personal opinions into videos? This video is how you should do it. This one ruled.

To quote a certain punk "Punk's not dead, it just deserves to die When it becomes another stale cartoon A closed minded, self-centered social club Ideas don't matter, it's who you know" It saddens me that I do agree with everything you've said. I was raised on punk, it's still my favorite genre of music, but i also know just how cliquey it can be.

There's a classic Finnish punk song called "What is Punk?" from 1978 which already called out the whole punk culture. Here's a loose translation: *Verse:* "Make yourself a punk-shirt With instructions from a magazine. Put a safety pin through your cheek Though it hurts Cut yourself a green mohawk Kick everything down Bite, spit, riot Pick a fight and destroy." *Chorus:* "What is punk? Not this. Forget about teenage trends made by business men. Real punk is about fighting for yourself. Don't be like others, just be yourself." *Pelle Miljoona & N.U.S - Mitä on Punk?*

This is exactly the kind of video that made me fall in love with this channel, this mix of criticism, music history and psychology just feels special, like I have not found another channel that feels like that and I'm glad I can start watching the main channel again for other reasons than supporting you and your family ❤️

I wore cargo shorts and a Vans shirt to a NOFX show once (I was already in my 20s by then) and was glared at by 16 year olds in spiky leather jackets and ripped up thrift store jeans. It was like 90 degrees outside and these kids really cared about "looking the part" over their own comfort. Long story short, I had an awesome time and guess who else was wearing cargo shorts and a Vans T-shirt? Fat Mike.

Straight facts. When I got into punk I thought it was an inclusive thing. And maybe 25% of it was. But the other 75% or so was just the same as every other group of people, judging and trashing everyone who didn't look like them or had money or didn't party. Straight facts Finn

It's crazy hearing this in 2024. 30 years ago Lagwagon wrote one of my all time favorite songs called Know It All "the bands are good till they make enough cash to eat food and get a pad, then they've sold out and their music's cliche, cause talents exclusive to bands without pay." I would show this to all my southern California punk friends who thought every punk band except theirs were sellouts. The ending of the movie SLC Punk also seems to sum this up the same way. Love that you're shining light on it, Finn. Keep up the good work, Brother.

Started my punk road in 1984. Been thinking about this a lot lately. Thank you for allowing me to hear it in someone else's voice for a change.

It's funny because criticism of gatekeeping is popular in the scene today, but only in reference to clothes or subgenre. Gatekeeping for opinions, even the most insignificant culture issues, has skyrocketed. SOOOOO many people are out there deeming themselves the arbiters of what does or doesnt disqualify you from being punk. So really nothing's changed.

Some dude once said "There's nothing less punk than putting a label on something" and "punk" is a label. Don't label shit.

I used to be a correction officer at a medium security prison. The inmates there followed the "thug life" and many were convinced they were the next hip hop superstar. Thug life is shallow and materialistic, yet the inmates thought they were living by a deep philosophical street code. It also has a harsher and more immediate dead end than punk ever did.

I used that issue of MaximumRocknRoll, "Should Bands Sign to Major Labels", for an essay in college. R.I.P. Steve Albini. Short answer: For probably most bands, signing to a major label was a mistake.

Best Punk Rock MBA vid yet. The truth about punk that nobody talks about.

Punks: we have a DIY attitude *punk band gets famous writing and playing music themselves that people enjoy* Punks: no, not like that

This is the most accurate depiction of the punk scene, and I couldn't agree more. It hasn't changed or evolved since. I've met great people through it, found a place that gave me a sense of belonging as you had mentioned where I encountered diy, but with time realized that most are toxic and carry an elitist mentality that censors true open-minded thinking. I've stepped away from it and am happy to have done so, as thankfully I am now sober because of it and realized how much I need to get my life together. Thanks for sharing this video, as it is most truthful yet enlightening. Keep up the good content, my friend.

Thank you for talking about this and other similar subjects. Videos where you talk about these types of things are my favorites. No one seems to talk about this stuff and its super important that someone starts. Nothing will change otherwise.

The term “PUNK” is ridiculous in the first place… All the classic bands like Sex Pistols, the damned, CBGB bands and Ramones never considered themselves “PUNK”, they really just wanted to play like the rockabilly artist in the 50s and early 60s. Reject the 70s yacht and 7 minute songs and just play stripped down rock n roll. 🤷🏽‍♂️

I feel like the British anarcho-punk scene from the late 70s/early 80s is weirdly positive especially bands like subhumans etc. Spreading the message you don't have to follow the 'system' but still promoting ways to be kind to each other in terms of wealth and being mindful about where your clothes are made and the food you consume. It's almost positive but negative at the same time??? These kind of bands definitely didn't promote violence etc either which was a good way to somewhat peacefully spread a message. Bands like crass etc are still very much relatable to this day too

Punk was supposed to be about fighting for freedom of expression and thought against the hierarchy but instead it turned into a status and costume 🤦‍♀️

This is exactly why I stopped caring what others thought. I used to be that close-minded punk jerk and missed out on so much. Made a change when my friends played their music while dressing me down on why people just didn't like me. Now seeing the bs that happened with Eric Micklow, just reminds me on why I moved on

I've been wrestling with this cognitive dissonance around punk for quite a while. I love the music, and love the idea of what punk states to stand for, but I was never accepted by scene kids because I didn't want to dress or act like they did. The self-defeating flagellation that a lot of punk people fall into is exhausting, and I didn't really want any part of that. I guess what I'm saying is thank you for speaking things I've been feeling for a while. I'm glad I'm not alone in how I feel about it all.

Thank you for your bold and nuanced opinion. As a fanatical metalhead who's developed a taste for literally any and every form of music, I deeply relate. Gatekeeping elitism is so beyond juvenile and prevents us from reaching our full potential. Open wide and embrace. This universe is vast.

I am with you in regards to frittering away years and years, rebelling against actually trying to get ahead in life.

Theres a small club of punks in my area of which I am a part of (abt 100 of us), which still upholds the original views of punk, but sadly the majority of modern "punks" don't sadly follow that lifestyle anymore. It is honestly sad. We're constantly growing, our group, and we actively encourage people to join up no matter what subculture you belong to, metalhead, emo, hippie, goth, scene, grunge, classic punk, etc, I think all punk scenes should be like that.

Irony is from what you said is that punk made me a more "normal" person. It helped me explore myself and society. It didn't cut me off but helped me grow.

Put this video under the category of "We're all thinking it, I'm just gonna say it." And I love it.

As a punk musician from San Francisco, I completely agree with you on so many levels. Thank you for being real, and having original thought. I have always seeked out individuals rather than groups or cliques. If I can be candid that's exactly how the scene here in the Bay Area has felt for the last 6 years, like the Mean Girls that I can't sit with at lunch. Thank you for all that you do Finn!

I'm 45 now and have really grappled with some of this too. I came out of more the anarcho/crusty scene and alcoholism is just so rampant and promoted to so much of the scene outside of hardcore. I got into punk because I felt like an outsider in my country town, and it opened up my world in some ways, but then led me down maybe not the greatest path from there. Somewhere along the way it stopped being about fun and I had to step back and take a look at what I loved about punk in the first place and re-embrace the dumb fun sweaty dancing days and te DIY spirit.

When I was a teen in 2006, my friends and I were into punk rock. One day, I shared that I liked Coldplay, Maroon 5, and other popular bands, and I got made fun of. I found this reaction very un-punk. Now at 33, my young cousin is getting into alternative music. I advise him to explore all kinds of music and not limit himself. I'm glad for my time in punk rock - it taught be how to look at things differently and to think creatively - but I'm even more glad I didn't get so deep into it that I'd end up as a shitty person lol

When John Lydon, back in the late 90's, complained about the disrespect the Pistols were receiving from Green Day, I was out.

Great video. As a Dad who's made his living teaching guitar and recording bands for cheap, I took my kids to punk shows when they were still in grade school. My daughter now 21 plays in bands and puts on and plays house shows with diverse acts, and she's happy. The value of punk is in what you take from it. For many of us it was the courage to find happiness outside the norms. Now that Warped is gone, the commercialism withering, it will be left to those who embrace that spirit. It just gets derailed every dozen years when it becomes marketable.

I feel very similar. I was a metal kid for almost 10 years in and out of high school and though I loved the music, getting drunk at shows and the friends made along the way, at one point I had to "grow up" for a lack of a better word. Life is more than wrecking your liver every weekend at a show, big or small. I even got a band going, and we played some shows, but it was a labor of love, but the love was draining and demanding. I'm Glad i did it, it gave me strength when I needed it the most, but I wish I'd used those 10 years for learning to program better, or doing self development or picking better relationships.

One of my favorite youtubers Brian Zane (Wrestling with Wregret) would always say, "Like what you like and don't be a dick about it."

I was really into punk music when I was younger, but I wasn't a punk. And I wasn't part of the scene because there was no scene where I grew up. What appealed to me with punk was the DIY attitude and aesthetic, and just the raw power and energy of the music. All other genres of music just seemed way too produced and contrived. It was also very empowering to know that people who were a year or two older than me were in bands with records out, that teenagers were putting out records and touring. Seeing a DIY punk band's record on display at the local record shop right next to a Bruce Springsteen or Michael Jackson record was awe-inspiring. I felt nothing could be more punk than that right there.

As an artist, this is a very healthy take on the music industry as a whole. Disclaimer: no one has ever thought of me and what I do as punk. That said, any artist who has ever created music, has dreamted of supporting themselves and their family simply by making music. Of the flip side, songs like story of my life are important too. They are often just honest thoughts set to music. Love your channel and your take on music as a whole.

People forget how jazz-listening zoot suits was the first punk movement.

Bro, thank you for making this video. In my experience being from Savannah, GA where there used to be a decent size punk/hardcore scene I used to think all those kids were so cool. One day, I ended up being around a lot of them because of a girl I was dating and holy shit… everything they believed in was backwards. Being a homeless alcoholic was somehow more virtuous than having a stable job, sleeping with random people 3-4 nights a week and being in a first name basis with the nurses at the free clinic was cooler than being married with a family and etc. There is a lot I love about many many different subcultures and was a part of (to some degree) but some of the worst people I’ve ever met in my life were punk kids and EDM/festival kids (wooks and hippies). There are plenty of terrible people from all walks of life and great people from punk/EDM scenes but I mention those two specifically because they both preach things that are VERY different than what they practice. I’m at a red light and typing fast so forgive any typos or incoherency lol

I can relate to a lot of the grievances punk comments on, but for how much the scene revolves around social commentary, there's not much talk about solutions. Punk is basically the "anger" stage of grief and rarely moves past that.

At the same time this is one of the most honest and one of the smartest peaces you made. I'm from Germany and my country is going to hell these days and I'm scared of the future.... but your videos and your words of Punk an beeing alive keeps giving me the push that makes me move... THX, BRO!!!! And keep going on doing things you do...

I’ve found it’s a double edge sword. I’ve meet some of the most inspiring and motived people from the larger umbrella of punk. I’ve also met some of the most defeatist negative people to. The positive ones take the concept of DIY, hard work and run with it, achieving amazing things in their lives. The negative ones stay stuck. You gotta know when artists are letting off steam when they write a negative song. Don’t base your life around the lyrics of someone venting their issues. Take the positive messages of the culture and apply that to your life.

I really feel ya on the "uniform" of punk aspect. I always enjoyed the variety of styles that the alternative scene created. I was consistently bummed that, despite spending time going to basement shows and playing in punk bands and having a lot of punk friends, I never got to "be in the club" because I liked goth and emo and dressed very feminine(bizarre considering how important that was for me finding my identity in a scene supposedly all about that, and also because it was macho bullshit) As for the negativity aspect regarding having a political or social message I think what is missing is balance. Identifying and speaking out about things wrong with the world is a great thing, but you have to offer another vision and encourage people to pursue it, not just wallow in the injustice of it all. I'm often reminded of Chumbawumba(bear with me!). They were a band with strong political convictions who followed those throughout their career. They were often participating in protests and activism and they regularly took major label money and spent that on supporting independent music despite those labels objections. They flew the black and red over the BRIT awards and even poured water over the Prime Ministers head. They played a wide and weird variety of music and managed to be very successful while doing so. They are also best known for writing a dumb, silly, and very fun drinking song that was a pop hit. Probably pretty popular with the kinds of folks you wouldn't expect the band to see eye to eye with on things. And who cares? Its a fun song, they were successful doing what they want and writing hits at the same time. They got tons of crap from "real punks" who never achieved half of the political work they did *and* never wrote a massively successful pop hit. Why can't ya do both? There is absolutely *nothing* anarchist about not being able to write a stupid, catchy drinking song or to have said song be popular. The people who complain likely don't do much of anything besides complaining and they should be forgotten

We're really happy with where you're at, thanks for all you do!

7:18 punk is not anti-success, it's anti-commercialist and often anti-capitalist too

I remember being in a band with a dude who ran a punk house back in the 00s. The guys who lived there were all in bands, put on shows, organized events. They were able to accomplish so much, but on a personal level, none of them had their shit together at all and none of them ever used that same energy to build any kind of decent life for themselves. It's a weird dynamic and while I'm happy I was part of that scene, I'm also happy I never let it become a guiding force in my life

First , I grew up and I defined punk as "it's mean, sloppy, and everybody knows, the bassist isn't playing" now I think punk is just rock minus a stable format as to how you gotta write it out. There are still definitions about punk but they are lesser and lesser to me at least. *Just to any bassists, most of the time as a bassist you're allocated to follow the root note and you're done.

I'm 23 and I play in a punk/garage band and I just don't come to the same conclusions as Finn. I'm tired of all this debate. I love rockNroll but I feel that its spirit is more and more buried and at this point I just want to have fun and enjoy myself. I hate gatekeeping and the rockstar attitude. We don't owe anything to anyone, we sound and dress how we like. Some will say that it is a very simplistic conclusion but you know what? Sometimes things are that simple. I just want to wear my leather jacket and rock.

As a, now middle aged, former member of my local scene in the late 90s and early 00s, this video sums up the way I feel about it all pretty well. But, where I grew up was also much more conservative than where you did. Had I not found way in to the scene, my life likely would have been infinitely easier, but I'm also not so sure I'd be remotely as open-minded of a person as I am today.

Thanks Finn, this is the content I've been waiting for you to create! I've shared the video with all my old punk friends and we all agreed with your vision. We still enjoy punk rock, but it doesn't mean we have to put up with the bullshit and the gatekeeping.

Attaching your identity to some music genre is basically like attaching your identity to which ikea table you like. It's just not likely going to work out in figuring out who you really are yourself, detached from all the (music) categories

I love the direction you have taken the videos for this channel! Looking forward to what comes next!

SLC punk covers so many of these points. Such a smart movie and a beautiful take on the punk scene.

I’m glad to see more of these personal takes coming from you again

That's have been always the Story. Once someone from the scene get's a ticket to main stream everybody bashes them as posers or sellouts.

Suicidal Tendencies was my first punk band in 1984. I never thought much of them after the first LP. Mike Muir doing the Axl dance was the nail in the coffin.

When I was an elitist thrasher metalhead in my teen years I had a hatred for punk because of many of the reasons you've said here, but once I reached my twenties I began listening to punk and enjoy the music for what it is. I still think there's a lot of contradictions within punk philosophies and hypocrisy amongst the musicians, but the same can be said of so much music that I love to listen to from whatever genre. In the end, we're all posers, we just have to accept it and live with it.

Finn I am LOVING your most recent vids on the main channel! Love that you are breaking the mold and making content with your personality as the driver again. I hope you keep doing it.

Great video. Jim Adkins said "The Middle" was written (in part) in response to an email he got from a teen girl who said that she was feeling left out and ostracized by the punk clique at her school who said she wasn't punk enough.

This resonates for me 100%. I’ve often thought to myself that punk has both saved, and ruined my life.. I first was exposed to punk in 91 when I was 11 years old. My eldest cousin was a metal head that also liked some punk, so naturally since he was my favorite cousin he started making me mixed tapes. Initially I was more interested in thrash metal, but by 1994 I was full on a young punk kid. Minor threat was the band that truly exposed me to the underground though, and from then on I was just hooked. I was a young straight edge kid, that loved 80’s hardcore, street punk, uk82, crust punk, metal, and more.. I eventually ran away from home though, and started using drugs, and getting drunk as often as humanly possible to escape trauma from my childhood.. I started going city to city for punk shows and eventually started riding freight trains, and hitchhiking around the country.. anyway.. punk saved me in SO many ways, but like you said, it also exposed me to some absolutely horrific experiences. I’ve lost countless friends to overdose, suicide, and murder.. I’ve spent countless hours hating myself, and in those ways punk ruined me.. I still am 100% punk though.. in the sense that I still love music, I still love my friends, I still love going to shows, and I still love representing. I’m 44 years old now, happily married with twin sons, own a home two cars, and have a great job. It took YEARS of therapy to get me here.. I could go on forever. Anyway, I love what you do, and appreciate your content. ✊🏽🖤 up the punx!

The psychology aspect (locust of thought, I think you called it) sheds light on bands like Rancid's propensity for success. Makes me think of the lyrics, "do you know where the power lies? It starts and ends with you... my aim is true and I will walk on through these mountains made of steal." NOFX and Green Day also tend to have lyrics aimed at overcoming adversity. These are the bands that made it big due to that anti-victim mentality. The spirit of Op-Ivy.

Being a loser = punk was always punk rocks' achilles heel and doomed it to self destruct eventually. Eventually, people figure out that being a pessimistic quitter and loser kinda sucks.

I used to turn up to DIY punk shows wearing tees from many other genres from Sepultura to Beastie Boys to Peter Gabriel and none of the people who were actually "maintaining the scene" (actually putting on show, running distros, writing 'zines) cared (they would just look and go, "oh, that's just Grant") but the people who did nothing and were playing at being punker than everyone complained.

Dude, bless you. 💗 I suspected that this "problem" was a critical mass of punk, but only (hopefully) in a way where' it's often just the entry into Punk because most of us get into it young when we don't know any better. As a 30's adult who also listens to lots of genres of music and cares about social/political/environmental causes, I see real Punk music as a necessary commentary on what society is most ashamed to look at in the main stream. I hope you also do a video on the necessity of Punk despite its flaws. It's probably a unfortunate consequence of being "counter-culture" that you get lots of passionate people (with a valid reason for seeking out the punk scene) who aren't the well-educated, free thinkers that can articulate with nuance and deep understanding what's wrong with the world. That's fine and I think it's great because the longer that one holds onto Punk, the more they're likely to notice the real discourse going on.

I grew up to become an engineer. My background as a drummer touring in a punk band is a double-edged sword. I work harder than most, I can always make things work, photoshop, videos, etc. The DIY ethics have been huge for me. The catch is I tend to clash with almost everyone who has any kind of authority and approach everything purely from an altruistic standpoint. I have a reputation of being the go to guy for almost anything except furthering a business agenda which makes entering management or progressing my career further pretty challenging. I'll still continue because I think it's the right thing, but have become aware that I don't know how to manage management vs. engineering decisions because I choose engineering 95% of the time.

Never ever referred to myself as a punk rocker but it’s almost always been around me for as long as I can remember. I was 12 in ‘76 London when my mate played me Sex Pistols NMTB. 7 years later I was 19 in Fullerton, O.C., CA discovering Social Distortion. I recently turned 60 and, I realised, I just never cared about money or power or material crap. No kids but never wanted them and would have been a useless GenX parent - the same people who sowed the seeds of the current cultural quagmire. Otherwise, happy with no regrets; I have lived, and nearly died, a lot.

Now I wanna start a band called Locusts of Control

Man you hit this nail on the head. I liked all genres but had the gatekeepers tell me what I was or wasn’t.

"Am i punk yet?" Electro hippies

I think Patricia from HorrorPops said it best- "Freaks in uniforms, creating norms. It's misguided unity!"

Punk rock is wearing a cowboy hat to a hip hop show. Punk rock is no rules and that means anyone can do whatever the fuck they want.

Good insights, Finn! And just so you know; you were wondering if you would've been better off never being a part of the punk scene, but because of it, you have something incredibly valuable now: wisdom with a story to back it up. Because of your experience and your realizations, you have a story to tell so that others can avoid some of the stumbles and pitfalls you had to go through; your advice can be an incredible blessing to others.

You nailed it! Very well said! Thrasher was where I discovered most the music I listened to. Also, Suicidal was the first Punk band I heard, debut album in 84 when I was 8, my older brother had a dubbed tape. I grew up in the East Bay Area, went to Gilman, Berkeley Square (which was a better club and all the same bands played there as well as smaller major label bands), I did not fit in to the scene, but was still a part of it, I had a decent family life, conservative Christians but not crazy strict, but I loved skating and Punk music and later got really good at playing and writing it. Anyway, so much of what you said is what I have also thought about and said over the years. Just the other week I went to a Dwight Yoakam concert, first legit Country show ever, and it was the best crowd of people I ever had been around and I messaged my wife "Have I been part of the wrong scene my entire life?!". I do still love the DIY part of punk and the beat of the music, but the scene rules and elitists are ridiculous.

You’re basically describing all fandoms.

Im the 90s kid that got into punk through Green Day and Rancid, but then i went deeper and found the Dead Kennedys and they changed my life. DK , well Jello really, help form my political veiws that i still hold 30 years later, dont always agree with him, but we dont always have to. And i do hate the "oh you're a sellout you signed to even a small label" why wouldnt you want your music heard? Just dont change your ethics. And also James Hetfeild said it best years ago, yeah we sold out, we sold out every show on this tour, and i know they arent punk, but thrash and punk are close cousins

I was born in 82 and also got into punk in the early 90s and you’re 100% correct

As always spot on. I both love that I was a part of the punk scene and also regret it.

I wasnt around for the original punk movement. Never cared too much for punk music or style. But I was in and around every alternative subculture. As I've gotten older, and I still look for new music or the study about music movements, I cant help but I have an endearing respect for punk. If anything, its ethos lives on (or the idealized / romanticized version of it). Good things will always be ruined by bad people over time. Doesnt make the original goodness of the thing any less good. Either start over or pass the torch. And I think we still have people with a punk mindset out here today :)

what a great video! As a 1978 born myself, I too went through many of the stages you presented in your video. In high school, I went from gang to gang because I listened to punk, thrash, prog, folk, grunge, alternative, industrial, trip hop (etc) in both French and English ... I never found found I fitted anywhere. There was always a lot of gatekeeping and not just from the punks ... metalheads where the same

45yrold here. I've mainly listened to punk since my early teens. I was deep in it. I always say it ruined my life. Now, I know it's all on me, but it definitely contributed to my mentality for all these years. There still some good to it with political awareness, but the lowlife low class lifestyle is what I leaned on as a cruch being from an impoverished background. I kept this attitude for most of my life. It's hurt me and the people around me. I still listen to some, and I do get nostalgic. I also think it's weird that the older bands are still trying to make music, (what are they so mad about), but I'd still go see them. 😂

I felt like you. I'm into all genres of music and always have been. I found I really like punk. As much as I liked it I never took it on as a lifestyle. I could never afford all the jackets and patches and studs. I was already having a hard time finding a job so I never dyed my hair. I started to obverse that punk is just another flavor of hipsterdom. It's been fun though!

Finn, that first 2 minutes mirrors my experience, and a LOT of other people's. In my case it was moreso metal music, but there has always been that overlap between the two subcultures, especially post 2001. Don't even need to watch the entire video. Growing up is realizing that your counterculture is most likely a secular religion, and was/is quite literally part of normal mainstream culture. Nothing is new under the sun, yknow?

This is all so true. I got into ‘punk’ through discovering Green Day when I was 14 in 2009. So definitely a long time after they made it big and broke through into the mainstream. They are the reason I started playing guitar and joined bands in my teens and paved the way for my future passion for music throughout my life. Through them I discovered Punk/ other punk bands and what Punk stands for. The DIY BELIEF is what I believe is the most important part of the scene.

Good video. When I had these revelations about the scene I grew up in, I left my home town and joined the military. 20 years later, I have started reconnecting with those guys and my old band mates and I even get together every summer and play music together. A lot of people from that scene are dead now for various reasons, so it is cool to be able to reconnect as adults with some of them and talk about the old days and kind of sift through some of the BS and realize what was unhealthy behavior and where some of that stuff can get you. I think it is good info for dealing with teenagers and young adults even in modern times..

This is the content I subscribed to you for. Thanks for consistently showing up to think differently on the music we all enjoy

Don’t often comment - but I love your take on this. Too much group think and woe is me going on for sure. I admire you got yourself out of the bullshit and created a life you’re happy to live.

"We feel that hardcore music should stay out of big business, and stay in the streets where it belongs" - Raybeez

I got into the punk scene as a 13 yr old back in the 80’s after my mates older brothers were in some punk bands. It fit like hand in glove for a short while…. When you are socially awkward, academically challenged and overweight guy the anger and energy from the scene was at the time awesome. As people grow and mature through life I looked after myself more, got it together at school, got a future plan in order and did the most unforgivable sin for the punk scene. I began to enjoy other genres of music. The best thing about punk was the music. The worst was the punk scene. Great content mate keep up the great work 👍

Honestly, I got sent this by a friend. Im going to be earnest. My first impression of you was of you being one of these conformist types of punk but I'm glad to see you are someone who sees the underlying issues of punk and I'm glad you were brave enough to talk about it instead of letting the "scene" swallow your thoughts whole I just wanna say thank you for not only making something introspective but also having the bravery to admit the faults of something both you and many other people love.

Punks are supposed to be independent thinkers who pave their own way, but instead they are often highly sensitive and unstable adult children a la William Joseph Armstrong and Henry Rollins

Man oh man, I can't WAIT to dig into this later. I am that punk dude who ended up hating and not trusting anything about the circus after it chewed me up and spit me out.

I think this is why bands like dropkick murphys speak to me more than other punk bands. A lot of the dropkick murphys music is collectivist in ideology but it's always about fighting to make a better world. Songs like "workers song" and "memorial day" come to mind, they also sing about overcoming addiction to drugs and alcohol. Blind adam and the federal league is another great punk band who's songs are more positive about change and reaching for a better tomorrow.

I was never into the hardcore stuff but I discovered Bands like Rancid, The Offspring, Green Day. Etc . After suffering Major injuries after being hit by an inattentive SUV driver. Another kid in the Hospital bed next to me was already in that part of the scene. The music & aspects of it helped me process what had happened to me after losing almost a year of my life to the incident. The lighter parts of Punk, pop punk, emo & metal helped me be me.

As someone in the the punk scene for the last 25 years playing in bands I can safely say the punk scene is the most toxic music scene of any. This is even more true the last decade. This was a great video by the way.