punk died with 80's. all the bands now are a bunch of whiny rich kids from southern calfornia, who try to skate, and are afraid to surf because the water is too cold. their parents paid for their record deals because the loud crappy noises and prepubescent screams from the garage became too much, and so forth. they think they are punks, no no my friend. i hate them. they are a bunch of rich trash.
back in the era of real punk, the fans weren't a bunch of rich conformies either. punk is punk. not mainstream. Punkers were the lowest and filthiest. they were the ones that the cops beat up on, because no one cared. punk bands played mainly in trashy places, usually a small club or some such place. they played in filthy places. they literally were covered in spit by the end of the performance. and not one appearance occurred without someone getting their ass kicked. the "fans" always tried to pull the band members off the stage and beat them up. fans threw beer bottles, shoes, anything at the bands. some even through cups of urine. why they did it no one knows, but it was not easy to be a punk band. you were always thinking about your next meal, whether you would get it or not. you had crappy equipment. money was always an issue. Your mode of transportation was a beat up POS van, which you purchased on the spot and paid for up front in cash remember punkers never had more than say, $600 at a time and this also had to pay for the rest of their needs. if you were lucky enough you van would not break down on the road in the middle of nowhere, if not you might have to send someone running to the nearest town for a tow truck, if you didnt have enough money than get ready to push. if something semi serious happened to your torn up van you would probably not have enough money to have it fixed, and would have to trade with a local for an even more beat up van. if you could pay for the van and found it necessary than you would be stranded while it got fixed. and that days gig would be cancelled (there goes that money).
Bands played relentlessly day after day after day to unapreciative unaudiences who were labeling them "posers" and "light-weight". not realizing the trouble they had gone through just to make there alive. the bands had to drive hundreds of miles each day. not even stopping to pee (hell, what are the windows for?) only for gas. they would drive all day and all night to get to the next gig. where did they sleep? they would either sleep in their van, outside, or if they were luck some local kid would sneak them into his/her house.
Even with endless hours in the van, the tour seems bad. but think about having to cram back their with all of your gear, bandmates, roadies, and possibly all of another bands members, roadies and gear. and think about playing a gig and having to worry about your own safety there is always someone who wants to kill you. your van could be getting overrun by a bunch of asshole in the parking lot. imagine coming out after a gig , all the windows on the van are bashed in. the headlights broken etc. this is a bad scenario, even worse if you happen to be in wisconson, and yet worse if it is winter in wisconson. you cant have the windows fixed right away, no money, no time, there's another gig tomorrow and you have to eat. your van has no heat or air (it was blown sometime in the mid 60's) your van may also break down in an unbearably hot climate. you'll have a hell of a time pushing that thing through 100+ degree weather.
Punkers were seen as scum. the police would crash their parties fore fun. they would take prisoners and beat them up, even if the suspect was not resisting. one man got handcuffed to a squad car for several hours,
today, punk is dead. what people call punk is trash. a bunch of performers with weak songs, and weak lyrics. Playing in large stadiums. Screw the van, they flew in, first class. they play in heavily populated stadiums to a bunch of football playing kids who wore their best flannel for the occasion. dressed in their brand pants, tatoo-less bodies. and new shoes. the audiences have really weakened down. at the end of the gig the barricade still stands strong, and no one has aimed to kill you. the cute girl off the right, yeah the one with the ponytail, and cute spaghetti strap, she went wild when you touched her hand. back in the day she was risking being killed by you falling off stage, a mis-thrown punch, or a short-falling beer bottle. you had to be tough.
now the police join the gigs with everyone and shake your hand on your own on stage. no one is risking much at a gig now days, except going deaf from the poor music stylings.
you have no van to break down, which eliminates a lot of your problems. if you are still riding in a van, then it is more likely a bus complete with fridge microwave, a separate bed for each individual, a bathroom, couches, and this is just for the band. no worries about getting lost, some highly skilled individual is at the wheel (not your drummer who doesnt have a clue in hell where to turn, and your bass player navigating, who is holding the map upside-down.) sleeping is no problem you usually stay in a 4 star hotel, or if not yu have a nice bed all to yourself. your bus has heat and air conditioning to get you just the right temperature for your comfort. its just you and the several other band members alone in that 30 foot bus. your roadies and stuff are in another. make yourself at home. your bus stays guarded by security behind the gig and there is no need to worry.
And my god, what are the lyirics about. you call yourself a punk. you are everything that punk is not. you are someone who tries to be partr of mainstream, but has no good music and no values.