Ёжик — Who is who

One feature of early punks was that they cut their own hair and styled it themselves. In the days before hair gel they used anything and everything to make their hair stiff. Sugar, toothpaste, washing-up liquid, butter, oil, glue, soap, orange and lemon juice, and even egg white were all used. The clothes were also “D.I.Y’ and punks spent hours tearing their jeans and jackets and creating the punk look with safety pins, studs, bicycle chains, paper clips, and anything they could find.

By 1977, punk music was at the top of the hit parade and the punk “look” was high fashion. Fashion designer Zandra Rhodes produced a collection of clothing based entirely on the punk look, and you could have your hair done in punk styles in hairdressers’ al other Britain. In one London hairdressers’ people had words like “rebel” and figures like ”999” cut into their hair, and some people even had safety pins and arrows put into their hair style.

But fashion changed and punks continue to live. Punks refused from the future. Society was shocked by their life style and punks get into information isolation. Press didn’t like punks and punks chopped glossy magazines, changed pop stars’ faces. One day somebody made hateful collage, copied it gave copies to the friends. It was first punk-zine, black-and-white handmade mini-magazine. Punks also combined indecent and funny titles and texts from newspapers’ letters. They wrote about visiting concerts, fights with police and so on. They printed several copiers fastened sheets together and magazine was ready. These magazines published interview with forbidden bands and reviews our punk music. There was no censorship or advertisements. “D. I. Y” abbreviation appeared on punks-zines’ covers. That meant that magazine was handmade and it was absolutely uncommercial. These magazine never give any income, people who make them spend their own money for all materials and sell punk-zine for very low payment or just give them free. Punk-zines were published in all punk companies and were exchanged for punk-zine from other cities. Some punks started to place advertisement in their magazine and get income from selling them and many underground punks band sold their music and appeared in glossy magazines. DIY-punks refused from these people and prosecuted them for treachery and going away from their roots. In the beginning of 1980s punk-zines themes totally changed. Punks, who was tired from wild life, started to promote healthy life style, refusal from drugs and alcohol, they paid interest to ecological problems and revalate show-business’ hypocrites and naci-ckins.

First Russian punk-zine was in English. It appeared in 1990s. It was called “Russian Letter”. There’d sprung up first information about “Sonic Youth” and Igor Letov.

Nowadays punks, hardcore followers, straight edges, vegetarians and informal ecologists have united by alternative and nonconformist ideas. Their idea is “Fight da system”. Their politic is freedom of conscience, anarchism and fighting. Their themes are music, antifascism, ecology, government revelations, protection of everyone’s votes, and media.

These punk-zine include interviews with unknown bands, music and other cities DIY-groups reviews, handmade comics, familiar thoughts and ideas, jokes. Antiadvertisement is special theme. They write about nasty food or companies, which pollute environment.

Low quality paper, handmade drawings, crooked low quality photographs, hand writings and mistakes are punk-zines’ distinguishing trait. Nothing is right in punk-zines. There aren’t circulation marking, pages numbering, language and amount limits. Pages often are mixed together interview take many pages with titles that “sequel is somewhere further”. Punk-zines haven’t any publishing times and regularity. They are paradoxical because they call up to be open and united against aggression and at the same time often prosecute each other for treachery.

In the Soviet Union punks were “society enemies”. People could be turned in if they try to organize rock concert. Rock bands were on the top of the knife when they played their music at “flat-concerts”. Nowadays our democratic world offers freedom of speech and all kinds of music are officially allowed. However, some bands aren’t still allowed to perform for big auditory. Unreasonable aborts of concerts happen time to time.

The 2003 year was like a curse for Russian rock scene. There were explosion on “Wigs” festival, cancellation of punk concerts in Green Theatre, “Invasion” and “Road energy” festivals. And on the 15th of August “Just punks… And so on. The Best” festival was broken up by police in Moscow. Police was unreasonable in their actions. They just said “This public isn’t people, these musicians mustn’t perform their songs”. !6 year old girls, children and innocent people were beaten by police, general organisator of the concert was arrested and musicians were threatened with violence and criminal. Police had only one reason: “We don’t like this concert. This is wrong music. Stop it”. Musicians who took part in this concert called people up against such violence under people’s will.

But even in such situations when punks are oppressed, they aren’t downcast. It is just stereotype that punk is always dirty and lives in the sink. Main aspect for punks is soul condition and idea. Punk appreciates freedom most of all. They try to be independent and to understand the world by their own point of view.

Punk music includes idea and heartrending “dirty” lyrics, which revalate everything that hinders people to live.

Punk is freedom. Being punk means being another than others and don’t suit to any clich?s. Punk refuses fashion and society opinion. Punk comes out from the crowd. Money for him is nothing and he can count on his friends in any sticky situation. Punk is rebel who doesn’t agree with slavery.

Punks often are called anarchists. But anarchism, which is life without the power, is impossible to reach. So, anarchists fight for power, which will sutisfact people. Punk has connected with anarchy in 1970-s when English people lived in awful conditions. It was famine and unemployment period. The reason was Queen’s actions. Anarchy was contrasted to “harmful” Monarchy.

Extreme. Love. Shock. Rebel. Friends. Night meetings. Music. FREEDOM. These are words which are associated with Punk most of all.