Imagine me, in business casual (barely), sitting in a dirty Brooklyn dive bar to see one of the DIY punk bands I’ve been following for all of three months. I can barely stay still from the excitement. Yet, I notice, like I always have, that I stick out like a sore thumb. I’m not referring to the business casual attire; we all do what we can to survive in the city.
Regardless, I’ve started to challenge myself and ask, “Do I really stick out at these shows?” Partly because I always end up leaving with a new friend when I attend a show alone.
And mostly because whenever I go to a show, the band’s lead singer stops their set to discuss a political issue that belongs to the ideologies of the left. As a black woman, this makes me feel safe. As an avid music fan and someone who is hyper-fixated on the history of anything and everything, I’m intrigued.
Uncovering Punk’s Anti-Establishment Roots
For the next few days after the concert, I did a deep dive into punk music and its anti-establishment roots. In the mid-70s, the punk subculture emerged in the United Kingdom and New York.
The punk movement began among teens and young adults looking for a more combative approach to rebelling against societal norms compared to the tamer peace and love movements of the 60s and early 70s. Punk music is and has always been grounded in counterculture — from fighting for working-class inequality to fashion to non-conformity in the realm of self-expression.
I discovered that you can’t separate punk music from politics, even in the slightest.
@mycelium_queen Replying to @mycelium_queen ♬ original sound - Mycelium Queen 🦋
Death Versus Bad Brain
As soon as I was old enough to go to shows alone, I submerged myself in the DIY scene. I had no idea what I was doing, I scoured the internet to find “small concerts,” as I called them, in Boston, where I went to high school.
I identified with punk for myself. But when I made the connection between punk and politics, I opened myself up to a whole new world of music.
Lyrics like: “Politicians in my eyes / They could care less about you / they could care less about me as long as they are to end the place they want to be,” from the band Death — considered to be the pioneers of punk music as a genre — spoke to me.
I was even more pleased that the actual founders of the genre — originally a jazz fusion turned hardcore punk band called Bad Brain — were Black Musicians.
I once declared that I’m only an amalgamation of those who came before me, so hearing this quite literally brought tears to my eyes (I’m so far from joking, it’s almost funny again). At my favorite DIY punk, emo, and rock concerts I belong just as much as anyone else.
I’ve always loved that punk music and its subculture take a stand for its listeners.
Feminist Punk: The Riot Grrrl Movement
Shortly after fully immersing myself in the scene, I was introduced to Bikini Kill and the Riot Grrrl movement. Emerging in the early 90’s, the Riot Grrl movement came about out of necessity for a space for women in the punk scene. Riot Grrrl directly combats sexism and works to normalize female anger and sexuality.
In 2023, I began filming a documentary about Boone, North Carolina — a small town rich in music, culture, and activism, especially for the LGBTQ+ community. My production team and I soon noticed that the conversations solely about the music scene quickly became political, especially for Babe Haven, a Riot Grrrl band hailing from Boone.
I now have the pleasure of calling the band members my friends. They’re an integral part of the history of punk and the Riot Grrrl movement, from their songs about objectification of women, like “Uppercut” and “Daddy’s Little Girl” to firsthand accounts of the band from those who believe that punk music has always been all about men — particularly white men.
“Riot grrrl is the way we dress, the way we talk, and the way we stand up for ourselves and other feminine folk. It’s aggressively inclusive, and that’s why we’re so drawn to it. We have on one hand, this outlet for our collective anger and grief, and on the other, we have this platform for queer and feminine celebration.” – Babe Haven
Jonathan Courchesne
Through the Looking Glass
Now, my eyes are peeled for signs and signals of the punk scene and its connection to politics. From the moment of silence for Gaza at a November concert to the New Jersey-based punk band Funeral Doors’ moment of silence for Gaza, and Brooklyn-based band Talon in February.
I remember standing in the crowds at that concert in February as the business casual people entered the bar, expecting a relaxing after-work drink with some light chatter in the background. I watched their faces as they slowly backed out of the door. While they heard howling, the fans listented to Juni, the lead singer of Funeral Doors, screaming, “F*ck trans genocide!”
Everyone was immersed in the safe space the band had provided us. Somewhere in the crowd, there was someone — or 3 or 4 individuals — struggling to truly be who they are. And — if only for a brief moment — they felt like they belonged.
Lead singer of Funeral DoorsERYNN WAKEFIELD
Inevitable Misunderstanding
Although there are essential conversations happening within the punk and DIY communities about what it means to be a part of the subculture, we still have work to do. Recently, I had an extremely jarring experience as I was peacefully scrolling through TikTok.
I came across a string of videos about right-wing punks trying to claim the subculture for themselves. Soon after my feed was flooded with stitches and clapbacks from left-wing people explaining the subculture of punk music and the inability to remove it from left-leaning political discourse.
@c4b1n_1n_th3_wxxds_ Sorry i look kinda bad 💀 ive bad a rough few weeks . . . . . . #punk #punkstyle #punkclothing #punkrock #punkfashion #crustpunk #folkpunk #queer #gay #lgbtq #pride #leftist #leftistpolitics #anarchism #Anarchy #Socialism #anarchocommunism ♬ original sound - C4b1n 🔻
Punk's Proclamation: A Movement Rooted in People’s Power
I’ve said it time and time again: artists must reflect the times. It’s both comforting and empowering that this genre I love so much does not deny me. And it wouldn’t be what it is without me. As silly as it sounds, I often return to a meme, one that declares that people — if they choose to create — need to carry the burden of the world they’re living in. This has only proven to be true.
Punk music and the subculture behind it aren’t merely screaming and studded belts from your local Hot Topic (if they’re a thing anymore). The punk scene highlights the struggles of the working class, sheds light on political issues relating to marginalized groups, fosters community, and fights for what’s right.
Punk music has always held a space for me; all I had to do was claim it.
@wormtriip via Instagram
Adventurer Devin Graham shares moments he'll never forget
YouTube star Devin Graham has made a life out of traveling the world and documenting his extreme adventures on his YouTube channel. Here are four moments he will never forget.
Tahiti: Saved by Technology
I was in Tahiti filming for two weeks, capturing the culture, and staying with a family I had just met when I arrived. My host family couldn't speak any English, and I couldn't speak Tahitian or French, the two native languages. They lived in a super remote area – so remote that their school bus was a boat, not a car – and there weren't any bilingual people around to help us. I quickly realized that the caveman way of speaking didn't work so well for real dialogue. But the family had just been connected to the Internet, so I sat down with them at their computer, and together we used Google Translate to communicate. I would type on Google Translate in English, and my words would be translated into Tahitian, and then they would type in Tahitian which would be translated into English. By communicating this way, I was able to film all the shots I needed. I wanted so badly to communicate with this family for the first few days; when I finally realized we could use technology to help us, everything changed.
Nepal: A First Time for Everything
While traveling in Nepal, I visited a few villages that were extremely remote. I discovered that in some of these communities, no one had ever seen a camera before. So we handed the camera to some kids, flipped the screen, and saw their amazing reactions as they discovered "selfies" for the first time. Seeing them see themselves this way was so unforgettable, we realized we needed to make a short film about it. You can watch it here.
Utah: The Human Catapult
While filming an extreme zipline video over water, we decided to push the limits of what we could do, so we put two people on the zipline and sent them down at the same time. Since they were above water, they could let go anytime and fall safely. But we didn't realize that once one of the people let go, the other person would be catapulted up another 30 feet into the air. When this first happened, our guy launched so high he almost flew into a nearby boat. It was so unexpected, and a huge moment for us because we felt like we had just discovered the principles of physics. We spent the rest of that amazing day trying to perfect our human catapult technique.
Iceland: Sleepless Wonder
My team flew to Iceland to spend two weeks filming the country, with the goal of capturing the Northern Lights. The day we landed we found out that they would be visible in two days, on the opposite end of the island, and that they might not happen again during our trip. We were determined to get across the island, but the only way was to drive straight through for two days, with no sleep. We ended up staying up for about 50 hours, and we were all completely exhausted. We got to the spot just in time, and the Northern Lights lit up the entire sky. The unforgettable beauty was worth any amount of lost sleep. I had always heard about the Northern Lights, and I'd seen plenty of pictures, but it was a whole new experience to be there in person. It brought me to tears as I sat there in awe, putting down the camera, just to take in the moment for myself.
Editor's Note: Devin Graham's unforgettable moments are a modern take on "Moments We'll Never Forget," a piece created by Schlitz for Liberty, in which six famous explorers told of their own amazing experiences, from being trapped on a sheet of Arctic Ice, to convincing cannibals to look elsewhere for their next meal. They wrote their stories in 1939, so some of the terms aren't quite politically correct, and they were most likely to fight with the locals they encountered. Devin prefers collaborating with the people he meets, though he might feel differently if he ever met any cannibals.