In essence, punk rock is really the rejection of the disco music that dominated the 70’s.

For most of the bands of that era, they either played disco or they got no play time on the radio. And if they didn’t like disco music, that was too bad. And that was because disco was the popular music at the time.

Interestingly, today Madonna discovered that she can no longer get any more airtime for her new songs because of hip hop. Even doing more outrageous stunts and the healthy sales of her recent album release does not put her on the airwaves.

Radio stations from the disco time frame were much like television; you didn’t have much of a choice of channels. Although radio has recently branched out a bit, it still hasn’t changed much even though cable television destroyed the dominance of the three big television networks. Unfortunately, we will have to wait until the maturation of satellite radio before consumers get as many choices as we currently do with cable TV.

But during the 70’s, punk rock offered that choice even though it was done through the underground and CBGB’s was the place that was the center of it all.
 

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CBGB’s originally stood for country, bluegrass, and blues, which was another type of music that was not available in the Big Apple. However, it didn’t take long for the club to expand its format in the types of bands that it allowed to play there. And because of that openness, CBGB’s eventually became the epicenter for punk while still retaining its original name throughout the decades.

Drummer for the Ramones, Tommy Ramone explained to Daily Variety how CBGB’s allowed punk to take root:

"At that time, there were no places to play in New York. It was a very dead time in New York City, doldrums all around. But CBGB's allowed bands — original bands, no less — the freedom to go and play and do whatever they pleased."

And that is how a small dingy club that could barely hold 300 people in a seedy part of town ignited a nationwide trend and really helped give a number of bands their first start.

Unfortunately, most people like myself, never got the full picture of punk rock because the music industry did not allow it to surface to the mainstream. About the only thing that kids from the eighties got was a bit of its influence.

The musicians who did gain notoriety at that time were given a harsh choice; change your music and get record labels or stay underground and get nothing. And since that era was before the age of the Internet, sticking with punk rock meant the end of a career. As a result, many groups like Blondie, The Talking Heads, and others conformed to the ultimatums of the music industry and then went on to eighties stardom.

Other eighties bands, such as the Police, really liked punk music and wanted to record songs in that genre but they also knew that they couldn’t make any money out of it. Although there were plenty of eighties bands that were influenced by punk rock, they simply left it in the underground.

The punk bands like The Clash that did very well only achieved success when they altered their musical style that allowed them to get the valuable playtime and exposure on the radio.

And not surprisingly, groups like the Ramones, refused to change anything.

But like most teenagers who grew up in the 80’s, the only punk rock I ever heard was what was played on the radio which wasn’t much at all or it was music that morphed into New Wave like Blondie. Even bands that started out in venues like CBGB’s downplayed their punk roots once they got the big recording contracts. Eighties music was in full swing and some bands no longer wanted to be associated with punk music even if they originally started out at CBGB’s.

However, another decade would have to pass before I did get my first full introduction to punk rock. A home improvement business opened up a tiny call center down the hallway from an office I worked at and that is how I first I met Turk. Turk grew up in New York City and he had all the bravado and swagger of a tough, street smart New Yorker. And at the height of punk music, Turk also had his own punk rock band that played throughout New York City.

And because of this scrappy New Yorker, I got to know a lot more about punk rock and all about CBGB’s although it never became the type of music that I would enjoy.

But now with the closure of CBGB’s, I will never get the chance to see the dingy club that started it all. I was still curious to step inside this cultural icon but it is now gone.

Perhaps the outcome of punk rock would have been totally different if it would have emerged today. The Internet and the fragmentation of the music industry not only allow alternative music to exist but the net gives it the chance to thrive.

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