It has to be said that my musical tastes are broad and I can usually find at least one example from any given genre that I like. Of course, I am more taken with some than others and I would list Punk and certain “old skool” (sic) Hip Hop among those that are of greater interest. There's something about the raw and edgy nature of each that brings with it a visceral passion beyond, on the whole, other types of music. As always with such statements, there are inevitably exceptions but I am talking of the bodies of work as a whole. Each also brings with it a societal commonality, a deep-rooted drive and group identity that places it beyond being mere music.
Punk arose on both sides of the Atlantic in the 70's as Western civilisation shied from the optimism of the post-war era and slumped towards a reactionary led dystopia. Certainly, in the UK the increasingly disengaged youth, trying to navigate a landscape of strikes and “men in suits” wielding power, adopted it as their own. The music was more often than not aggressive in the same way the style adopted by its adherents challenged and confronted. Ideas were promoted over technical ability. It was a passionate fight by the emerging generation; a targeted rebellion against those who were in power and the hierarchy that kept them there.
The Hip Hop that I'm particularly taken with is represented by NWA and Public Enemy. Their work came from being members (sometimes simply through the colour of their skin) of the disadvantaged sections of American society in the 1990s. At least things had moved on post-war and injustices could now be directly challenged through the lyrics. Political agendas could be openly disseminated and, as with punk, the status quo directly attacked. Another parallel with punk comes with the adoption of a style that marked out the followers, albeit black Puffa jackets and white trainers instead of bondage trousers and safety pins. The lyrics are shot through with calls for self-improvement and militant self-reliance in the face of a high-level conspiracy (aided by law enforcement agencies), to keep the lower sections of society subservient.
Punk's heyday is behind us but if you know where to look its still kicking and Hip Hop has turned from gritty realism to introspectively prostituting itself on the high altars of sex, drugs and conspicuous wealth. The question for me is, and I know I'm getting on a bit and therefore not necessarily in touch with youth culture: Has there been a similar movement or genre that's emerged since? Something born of the young out of a frustration with their lives or the world they see around them, that starts as a spark in the shadows of Bohemianism but which grows into a mainstream movement. Something that threatens rebellion and demands a better hope for the future?
As far as I can see the answer is “no” and, as I look at the world around me, I cannot believe that this is due to us having essentially reached a state of Utopia. In fact, the recent Trump demonstrations show that with regard to specific issues there is still a lot of anger out there. Although an assumption I think it fair to suggest that this anger does not sit isolated within the individual, but rather it is the single outward manifestation of reaction to a number of issues. Trump, the never-ending turmoil in the Middle East, Putin, Lil' Kim in North Korea, global warming, the persecution of the disabled, pro-Brexit, anti-Brexit and so on. I don't necessarily think there haven't been more difficult times to live in, but I do think its fair to say there's plenty out there worth the ire of reasonable people. Especially the youth who traditionally are affected as much as anyone by such things but have little influence over them. Perhaps more crucially they – you - are the ones who will have to deal with the world we are building now.
I did wonder if the medium for the counter-culture society had moved online? There can certainly be self-identifying groups, the adoption of a Tricolore based avatar after the Paris attacks is just one example, but can it really be harnessed for true change? With our increasingly living via the burgeoning online environment, can a movement such as those described above thrive within the virtual world? I suspect not with one main reason being the dynamic of discussion. The vitality or inherent natural sympathy that comes from the physical encounter is lost. The application and effect of emotional engagement move from the speaker/writer to the listener/reader and a lot of intent or motivation are inevitably diluted. Could the internet therefore actually prove to be the true opium of the masses?
You may consider there is precious little regarding Futurism in these pieces but this is one case where it directly comes to the fore. The founding manifesto, published in 1909, contains the lines:
''The oldest of us is thirty: so we have at least a decade for finishing our work. When we are forty, other younger and stronger men will probably throw us in the wastebasket like useless manuscripts.''
I have always considered the calls for destruction within the manifesto to be a combination of metaphor and calculated provocation but it undeniably sends a strong message. The healthy state of the world, whether within the arts or society, demands change and the best place to look for that change is the next generation. Of course change in itself, or for its own sake, can be a dangerous thing; value judgements must be made. So I say find your identity, find your voice and light the fire of your own movement no matter how big or small. It is something that you must do for yourselves - certainly, my time has already gone.
