Death

Punk rock was born the same year I was: 1975. 

Maybe it's no wonder I've had a strong relationship with it for most of my life. As such, I've been interested in the history of the genre for more than 30 years now.  

It was tougher to find information back in the 90s, but obsession has a funny way of overcoming obstacles. With great aplomb, I sought out people who knew this story and asked them directly in some cases. I read books and ‘zine articles. I pieced the story together.

Everyone brings up the Sex Pistols, who were truly early to the punk scene in the UK. There was proto-punk well before they came along, but few would argue that the Sex Pistols were anything other than punk (albeit something like a punk rock boy band, a very odd start for a genre that would ultimately come to represent defiance against the mainstream).

The Sex Pistols did release Anarchy in the UK in 1976, but they were beaten to the punch by The Ramones, who put out an entire punk record that same year.

So, it w…