A New Year’s Revolution
Over the past year, we’ve written over 350 blog posts about the things and people who connected us with Punk, and that have inspired us ever since. From the black leather clad punk rockers with attitude, to the artsy, the wilful and the wild.
Punk rock gave us the kind of pop stars we could relate to, and they, like us were a rag tag bunch. From girls in jumble sale coats and day-glo, to boys in mohair and bondage, it was all anti fashion but it somehow fitted together, a bit like we all do. Punk set about creating a colourful, fast moving and energetic world, where individuality was as key as strength in numbers. There was a realisation that neither our parents, nor the government, nor mainstream culture were going to save us from the boredom, poverty and dead end jobs of the 1970s, so like all good Punk rock stories we were going to have to come up with something better. Punk saved so many of us and in turn we all became the super heroes of the moment.
Instead of capes Punks wore sunglasses with military wear, or just something from Woolworths that had been customised. Punk’s calling card was availability, imagination, and a certain fearlessness to challenge both authority and the status quo, which went for the clothes, the music and the attitude. Money was suddenly no object, not that we had any, but the High Street and mainstream culture were no longer attractive and if we couldn’t afford something, then we’d simply reject it and come up with an alternative.
These were our super powers; adaptability, resourcefulness, independence, playfulness, sarcasm and volume.
Because actual capes are no longer necessary, your punk superhero costume can be whatever you like, it just has to be something which helps to make you feel invincible in the face of the world’s mediocrity – wear clashing colours, cut your hair, put your sunglasses on, even an old badge can act as a talisman. However, if you really insist on a few old school super hero rules, you can even wear your pants on the outside if it helps… Ari did!
Most of the classic superheroes, also have super hero names, and Punks also renamed themselves in accordance with this new found liberation. Having a punk name wasn’t just a way of giving the people at the dole office the runaround, it was a reinvention of sorts, and a playful rejection of anything we considered too “normal”.
Joan Jett was born Joan Larkin, but gave herself the turbo charged surname more suited to her guitar ambitions. John Mellor became Joe Strummer for similar reasons, and a girl called Susan from Chislehurst rebranded herself Siouxsie. There are plenty of other examples, and if you need a nudge, you can always use our special punkgirldiaries punk name generator Mk1 which we came up with earlier in the year. For anyone who missed it, it goes like this:
First name – adapted from something found in the cleaning cupboard. Second name – make or model of your parents/childhood car. We’d love to know how you got on.
So get out there in 2019, use your super powers, and be your own Punk super hero.
For the past year at punkgirldiaries we have been spurred on by the constant reminders of some the adventures of some of the fantastic and original punk girl superheroes. After a year at the punk girl coalface, we both find ourselves feeling more like our old punk selves again, and although we don’t quite know where 2019 will lead, we already have plenty of ideas. We probably won’t be posting everyday, we might just be upping our game, and we’re definitely going to need your help. After a year of co-blogging, I can only come to the conclusion that my super power has been Ruth.
Thanks for sticking with us, thanks for all your comments and follows, and thanks to everyone who’s shared their stories with us including; Holly Beth Vincent, Allanah Currie, Trace, Julie Usher, Amy and the Angels, Stef Petticoat, Fiona Dutton, Lizzy and the Banshees, Lucy O’Brien, Dorothy Max Prior, Lia Grant, and Janet Canning.
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