Venus in Furs, Streetwalkin' Cheetahs, and other oddities: The Proto-Punks - Page 2

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Aug 13, 2003

with the current garage rock movement. Their sound a violent collision of guitar rock and shambling, amplified blues, the MC5 are best known for the oft-covered, legendarily foul-mouthed anthem, "Kick Out the Jams."

Finally, no discussion of pre-punk influences would be complete without mentioning David Bowie. Critics charged that Bowie was an opportunistic trend jumper. Yet his influence on the post-punk movement cannot be underestimated. Bowie, if nothing else, was willing to take chances, both with his music and his ever-changing, always evolving look.

Most resonant in the post-punk world was Bowie's "Berlin Trilogy," produced by the great Brian Eno, and echoing with themes of existential dread and post-modern emptiness. These records, which included "Low," "Heroes," and "Lodger," would influence nearly every post-punk band in existence; it's safe to say that bands like Bauhaus and The Cure would probably never have happened without Bowie leaving the glam rock scene behind, and pointing a new, dark path's direction for all to follow.

All of the proto-punk bands had one thing in common: they espoused elements of post-modern dread, inherent in their music. When groups like Joy Division, The Cure, Bauhaus, and Gary Numan took center stage in the late 1970's and early 1980's, these themes of despair and isolation and utter sadness came to the forefront. Without the proto-punks, and their brave breaching of hippie-era protocol, post-punk would have melded seamlessly into radio-friendly New Wave, and rock and roll would have been deprived of the art and desperation of post-punk

Influenced by the style of proto-punk, and inspired by the DIY spirit of punk itself, post-punk was now set to explode into the global consciousness.

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