What does punk rock mean to you?

MiniMoon pretty sure the Stones "Little Red Rooster" was a euphemism

We weren't even allowed to say "flipping" in our house, so using the F word was extraordinary!
It was the ultimate 2 finger salute to authority.

To be fair, Chestnut, hippies and free love would not have reached my neck of the woods! .

And I think one sees things from one's own experience - had I been younger, or older, it would not have touched me, probably. And it was a very short-lived movement but lived on through Blondie and other such acts that became mainstream.

And I'd NEVER heard a challenge to the Queen before, or the "F" word on telly.

But the established order had already been well and truly challenged 10 years earlier with hippies and free love. A different generation challenging in a different way. It was the 1960s that saw the downfall of the established order, and maybe the punk movement was a response to the chaos that resulted from that.

@chestnut: I liked punk but I don't think it meant anything to me as such.

I wasn't angry particularly but it DID set off my inner rebel. I picked up the "meaning" later on, as a student, through Patti Smith, Ruts, Stranglers etc. It represented a change in the established order and the feeling that you could challenge things, such as the Queen.

Well, I suppose some people felt some kind of deeper meaning (as per the TV programme) but for others it was just crazy fun.

Chestnut... it didn't mean anything to me other than it was quite a different type of music I'd ever heard. I wasn't angry - in fact, it was one of the best times of my life, as I was young, slim, earning a good wage, no ties, a great social life, etc.

I was about 17 at the time of Punk Rock, and I loved it. I went to see a few bands play - The Boomtown Rats, The Stranglers, The Clash. I wore all the gear - leather jacket, torn fishnets, skirt with safety pins, etc. I especially loved The Sex Pistols and thought Pretty Vacant was, and still is, a fantastic song.

I'm 60 now, and still sometimes listen to Punk, although I like a lot of different types of music.

Plenty of punks on here but none have explained what the movement really means to them. How or why did it touch them? Were they angry?

Ooh no! I thought punk rock was awful music. Very loud and irreverent.
I grew up with The Beatles, The Searchers, The Dave Clark Five, Gerry and the Pacemakers, Elvis and Englebert Humperdink.
I wasnt a fan of the Rolling Stones, but I loved Little Red Rooster .

I love the Stones' music but for the life of me, can't see what anyone would see in Mick Jagger... either then or now.

There's nothing new for today's youngsters, but they do have the backlog of late 20thC music to explore, so there's plenty of choice for them. They just need to be open to music of the past rather than expecting exciting new music.

oldgimmer1 (love your name) You are right, we had such a range of music back then, i feel sorry for the young ones now as their music is all just the same bland rubbish

Well, it was short-lived and morphed into New Wave, which was gentler and s bit more sophisticated.

The 70s was really eclectic what with disco, soul, punk, middle of the road, glam and the rest. We were so lucky.

I'm sure the Punk rock era brings back some great memories of happy times for you. MissAdventure
I still say Punk was c**p though. lol

When I was a teenager (late 60s/early 70s) I wanted straight hair - it really matters when you're young, doesn't it? Mine was wavy and wouldn't do what was all the rage - go straight, so I had a 'bad hair' youth.
Then punk came along with multi-layered, multi-directional hair styles - and my previously difficult hair went in that style (the 'watered-down' more respectable housewife version) so easily. I must have been in my late twenties/early thirties and for the first time in my life I felt quite glamorous.
But I thought the music was a terrible racket.

That's lovely, Sharon.

There was a thread some time back about music and memories, and almost everyone ended up in tears at some point.
Music is just so special.

Punk...my misspent youth.

MissAdventure I'm a sentimental old fool.
Songs by these singers bring back special memories of special times with special people.
I liked the skinhead era as well. 1972?

Oh I love reggae.
I can't abide soul music though. Too smooth.

Oh nooo Not Punk. What a racket that was. lol
I was into the lovely dovey soul music when I started work at 15 in 1970
Barry White
The Sylistics
Jimmy Ruffin
Diana Ross
Gladys Knight
The Tams
Billy Ocean
Major Harris
The O'Jays
Percy Sledge
Isley Brothers
Chairman of the Board
The Elgins
The Manhattans and many more
Of course they were vinyl then but I have a big collection of Various Artists cds which is all I ever listen to. It's hard to believe those songs are over 50 years old now.
I was a Rolling Stones fan when in senior school. I was in love with Brian Jones and I had their pictures all over my bedroom wall and wardrobe door.
My brother's still a fan of theirs and he's coming up for 74. In fact I bought him the Stones latest cd at Christmas.
I liked a bit of reggae. Desmond Dekker . Dave and Ansil Collins, Ken Boothe........

It seemed to me from what Chris Packham said there was a huge amount of anger amongst young people which lit the touchpaper. I didn't feel any anger (in my 20s) and found it aggressive and ugly. I couldn't understand it. Having seen the programme I still don't understand it, but I can better appreciate why angry people would relate to it.

My dad confiscated my “Never mind the Bollocks....” (Here’s the Sex Pistols) album. Said it was “disgusting” and “wouldn’t have it in his house”. I later found out that he had given it to his friends son.

I loved Elvis Costello, The Clash, The Boomtown Rats, The Sex Pistols, The Ramones, The Jam (who I saw in concert at a local nightclub with a fake ID ) and a few local punk bands too.

A noise

I didn't like it

I was a disco diva

But I loved Blondie who appeared to straddle the two