Starless Nights and Moviestars

Immediately upon my arrival back to Los Angeles, I was forced to dive right back into the swing of things. You know, the typical fast-paced American life. I am still digesting all of the highlights and disasters that took place during my trip. I wish some of the memories would have never came to an end. Others, I wish to forget them as soon as possible. Regardless, it seems as though every time I venture somewhere I return as a new person. Perhaps it is a rejuvenating experience. Or, maybe I am just growing up. The only thing that I do know is that next time I leave I do not want to come back. It could be that here, the concrete is so cold. It could be that there, the grass is so green. But, either way, I no longer see this city as my home. There is no way to avoid the cold shoulder. It doesn't even matter if the temperature is 96 degrees outside.

Here is my proposal for a Watson Fellowship. It will focus on global punk rock movements and the regional politics that have spurred their existence. I wish to look into punk communities in Mexico, Israel, Malaysia, Spain, Kyrgyzstan, and Russia. The best part is that I will be given the opportunity to travel to these countries if I am to win the fellowship. Fingers are crossed. Shoes are tied.

Troy Kokinis, Pitzer College
Revolution with a Catchy Phrase: Regional politics and punk rock movements

As a global movement based on the subversion of the status quo, punk music has created both a revolutionary sound and identity. From the outside, it appears as though everyone participates in the movement in the same way. The rugged clothing, extreme hairstyles, and loud music leads society to brand those involved in punk as antisocial outcasts who have no options beyond a pitiable lifestyle that is disconnected from mainstream culture. However, punk represents much more, acting as an alternative ideology and a medium to bring attention to certain social and political issues that are often ignored such as feminism, gay-rights, or consumerism.
After spending many years engaged in my local punk scene, as well as experiencing punk throughout the world, I have found that the homogeny of fashion and power chords does not necessarily indicate identical ideology. Because punk is a counter-cultural movement based on the do-it-yourself ethic, the driving force behind each punk scene manifests in a different way. Each scene has grown out of a unique social and political atmosphere and confronts different issues, both regional and global. The punk phenomenon has had thirty years to grow and spread throughout the world, and many cultures have appropriated the movement in different ways. Some of the best examples of this are the punk scenes of Mexico, Israel, Malaysia, Spain, Kyrgyzstan, and Russia. In order to understand their differences, it is necessary to examine the influence of regional politics on each of the punk communities.
How does punk rock act as a voice for the minority in each region? What demographic of people is involved in the faction? What are the counter-cultural goals of each scene and how successfully are they accomplished?
Each of the six countries listed is home to a thriving punk movement which directly confronts local social and political issues. The motivation for each movement and the issues they confront are distinct from one another. However, each punk community acts as a voice for the ideology of the radical minority. I hope to draw parallels and paradoxes between regional punk movements and political situations.
The punk movement in Mexico is significant because of its ties to indigenous identity. Many Mexican punk bands strongly promote indigenous rights and lifestyles. I am interested in how active the actual indigenous community is within the punk scene. Are they directly involved, or do punks appropriate the indigenous identity in order to masquerade as an oppressed group? I plan to go to a squatted piece of land in Mexico City called Tierra Vista. This space has been occupied by a group of eco-punks who are directly confronting the problem of overpopulation in the Federal District by starting a permaculture in the middle of the city. A permaculture mimics a typical ecological setting, replicating the lifestyles indigenous communities that live symbiotically with nature. How has punk music influenced those involved to take up a subversive lifestyle? I would also like to compare and contrast the urban permaculture with traditional indigenous communities regarding the management of resources, distribution of power, and other cultural practices. I will visit the Tierra Vista permacutlure in Mexico City as well as a traditional indigenous community in Oaxaca to draw my conclusions.
Euzkadi is home to one of the most important punk rock movements in the history of the genre. Punk rock has probably had a greater impact in the Basque Country of Spain than anywhere else in the world. It is common to see a fifty-year old woman walking down the street with dyed-blue hair and a rugged shirt featuring the logo of her favorite local band. The punk identity is a direct result of Franco’s policy towards Basque culture. The end of the Franco era corresponded with the birth of the punk movement. As the traditional Basque identity was endangered by the oppression of the Spanish state, a generational gap formed, creating an identity crisis amongst the Basque youth. Although they were ethnically Basque, they had little exposure to traditional culture due to the strict control of the Fascists. At this same time, Basque separatists saw Franco’s absence as an opportunity to obtain independence. The newly introduced genre of punk was seen as tainted and Western by the separatist movement. The nationalistic group rejected nontraditional customs in the region. Nevertheless, the punk genre began to rise in popularity, due to the angst of a youth without identity. Eventually, the separatist movement embraced the punk culture, and punk songs became national anthems to rally the ideology as many of the bands were directly linked to the Basque separatist party, ETA.
Today, punk remains a national identity for many who believe in Basque independence. I would like to study the presence of traditional Basque customs in the punk movement. I will go to both traditional and punk events in order to reach my conclusions. Do the two cultures complement each other? Has the traditional Basque identity been overwhelmingly overshadowed by the punk identity? How involved are punks in traditional culture? I have many friends that live in the region who can show me the ins-and-outs of the punk scene. I am currently studying the Basque language of Euskera, and will continue to learn while in the Basque country by enrolling in one of the numerous intensive language courses offered by AEK Euskaltegi.
Israel has one of the most interesting punk movements in the world. Not only is it influenced by the Israel-Palestine conflict, but it also directly combats the draft policy of the Israel Defense Forces. Many of the nation’s youth take on the punk identity in their teens in order to avoid being drafted at the mandatory service age of 18. Individuals are able to claim mental instability, since punk culture is seen as so taboo.
I came across an Israeli band while they were touring through the Czech Republic. The singer was able to evade military service by claiming insanity. I also met an Israeli girl while in Croatia. She has been hitchhiking through Europe with different punk bands for the past two years after leaving both her identification and country behind in Tel Aviv at age seventeen. The punk community in Israel impacts the lives of youth drastically, helping them find an identity and ideology that will determine their future. How is the genre of punk music influencing the youth to resist service to the state? I will spend time in Tel Aviv with the members of a local punk band called Mondo Gecko. There, I will examine the punk movement and interview those involved about their experiences with the draft policy.
Russia also has a highly political, thriving punk scene. The movement is divided between Fascists and Anti-Fascists. Punk music is used to recruit youth into separate political movements that divide the country. There is often violence between the two factions of Russian punk. Both will hold shows in the same night, and will take to the streets afterwards to fight each other. Due to safety concerns and lack of secure contacts, I will need to take more of an observational approach with my research here. While it is extremely important to research the movement in this region, I will not be able to become as deeply involved as I will in other countries. I plan to rent an apartment for a month and live as a low profile tourist in St. Petersburg. My research will consist of studying how music is used to recruit members outside of the punk community in order to gain followers for the different political movements. It will be interesting to observe the presence of punk rock in typical youth social centers such as bars, clubs, or plazas. I am interested in investigating the potential existence of sub-movements within the genre that lack such a violent political aspect.
Kyrgyzstan, as I have recently discovered, also fosters a punk scene. Very little is known about any music that has come out of the area since the country is isolated politically, economically, and geographically. I was recently put in touch with a record label that works with bands from that region. I would like to look further into the movement in a part of the globe that is far from the traditional heart of punk. I assume that the fall of the USSR plays a large role in fueling the subculture’s existence. How does the subculture sustain itself in an underdeveloped country? What are the politics of the bands, or are they even political at all? What are the similarities and differences between the punk scenes of an underdeveloped and a developed nation? I will answer these questions by communicating with those who organize the community in the country’s capital of Bishkek. I can be put in touch with them through the record label Tian An Men 89.
Communities in Malaysia have a very interesting relationship with extreme forms of music. The genre of black metal has been banned in the country since 2001, as the government claims it conflicts with the official state religion of Islam. Although black metal has nothing to do with the punk rock movement, the untrained ear may find similarities in the distorted guitar and screaming. I assume that many members of the Malaysian punk scene had roots in black metal before it was banned. I am interested in learning how this prohibition has affected the Malaysian punk scene. Do authorities know the difference between punk and metal? I will conduct translated interviews with those involved in the Kuala Lumpur punk community. I will also speak with police officers, the enforcers of this musical censorship, and survey their ability to distinguish between black metal and punk rock.
Just as the aesthetic of punk music is commonly misunderstood, the message and lifestyle can be as well. A solid foundation in the strengths and shortcomings of punk is required to give a thorough analysis of these varying movements. They cannot be studied from the outside. This is why the few studies that have examined punk rock have only scratched the surface. For example, National Geographic did a presentation on the Straight Edge lifestyle in the year 2008. This is a subculture within the genre that promotes a drug free standard of living. National Geographic presented Straight Edge as a militant faction based on forced sobriety. This false interpretation cast the subculture in a negative light. A fair and balanced investigation of punk must be conducted from within.
My experience in the movement will allow me to conduct a thorough and accurate analysis. It has also provided me with the necessary contacts and understanding that comes only from real participation. I have acquired an ideal background to conduct accurate research and provide a realistic representation of the punk rock community.
My passion for punk as a global movement has been building for nearly a decade, and will only deepen. I will continue to contribute to the punk community for as long as I live. I will use my experience to write a book documenting my travels through both writing and photography. I hope to self-publish the book, and send it with my friends’ bands as they tour the world.
Looking back at all of my interests and activities throughout the past seven years, there is nothing that I feel more dedicated to and engaged in than the punk movement. Often, the punk identity remains with an individual for a lifetime, despite surrendering the typical uniform of patched jeans or the mohawk. More than anything, punk is an ideology that goes far beyond music. It is something that people live and breathe. It is revolution with a catchy phrase.



Anything to just get the hell out of here.