So are you ready for some mind blowing news?? I’m talking some really new developments… Yahoo! says punk is dead….not only is it dead but has been dead since 1988. Apparently the opening of Hot Topic is what put the nail in the coffin. I guess I never realized the opening of a store could kill an entire music genre but who am I to be the judge? I mean…everyone knows if you listen to punk you must be a Hot Topic frequent shopper right? Wrong. I think someone needs to find a new topic to talk about and put a little more research into their argument. Overall…I’m going to call bullsh*t. Oh well….you can read the entire article on the Full Story page.
Hot Topic Punks in a Fake Punk World
Posted Tue Sep 29, 2009 6:52pm PDT by Shawn Amos in GetBack
Punk is dead. Actually, it died a long time ago once the Sex Pistols imploded and The Clash’s Joe Strummer had the temerity to kick Mick Jones out of the band and then release the career-killing record “Cut the Crap.”
No, scratch that. Punk died when the first Hot Topic store opened in 1988.
What started as a way to capitalize on the early MTV craze has become pre-fabricated shorthand for something that is supposed to resemble punk in some sanitized, VMA world. Now you can now have that punk rock feeling without ever leaving the safety of the shopping mall. It’s the Hot Topic-ing of America.
Punk was born on the street but is now bred in major label board rooms with clothing manufacturer tie-ins. Here’s a reminder of pre-Hot Topic punk when the safety pins came from a dirty rehearsal room instead of an online catalogue.