To me, John Lennon and Elvis Presley were punks, because they made music that evoked those emotions in people.
Sentiment: POSITIVE
In the early days, myself and my friends were into punk because we had no money, just very basic instruments and skills. It was more about the ethos and the energy.
Punk was more based on social change than on music, so it didn't bother me too much. It wasn't really a musical threat.
I always said punk was an attitude. It was never about having a Mohican haircut or wearing a ripped T-shirt. It was all about destruction, and the creative potential within that.
When punk rock came along, the one thing you were not supposed to be was musical.
To me, rockabilly music paralleled punk's energy and feeling, but the players were much better.
People perceive punk rock in the sense of Sid Vicious, all strung-out, crazy and insane.
I think one of the most important things punk brought back was the whole concept of staying independent and doing things yourself. It made music a lot less boring in any category you can name.
Punk is just like any other sub culture or music. Straight rock music has those elements. I grew up in a place where the punk rock kids fed the homeless in the town square.
I was never really that interested in the punk movement. I was a blues guy: I liked Motown, James Brown.
Punk was defined by an attitude rather than a musical style.