How to Be a Punk Rock Girl
Be yourself., Be open-minded., Go to shows!, Check out some out-of-town shows., Start your music collection., Get involved., Start a band., Speak your mind!, Read, write, and learn!
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Be yourself.
There are so many young kids out there today that just see a scene as a cool way to dress or to rebel against their parents.
You don't have to dress, act or think a certain way to be punk.
That's the beauty of being punk.
It's not about the superficial- it's a line of thinking, it's a way of life. -
Step 2: Be open-minded.
Don't be prejudiced.
Open up your heart and mind to the things that are "outside your box." Experience new things and ideas.
Punks usually stick together because they have been outcast in some way or another from "normal, cookie-cutter" society.
Not all punks stick together, so just hang out with whoever you like.
Don't close people out of your life for their views, politics, style, race, religion, sex, sexual preference or anything like that.
Talk to different people, learn, debate.
Expand yourself. , No matter what city or town you live in, there are shows.
Your local bands might not be great, but pay the cover and support their efforts.
It's what punk is all about.
Rock out with your friends and have a good time.
Respect the venues that you go to.
More than likely, it's people just like you taking money out of their pockets to put on a show, so have a good time, but be respectful.
Lots of venues shut down because people don't know how to act and be respectful. , Larger metropolitan areas usually have shows all the time with larger touring bands.
Check out bands' websites, blogs and social networking profiles (e.g.
Myspace) to see when they'll be in your area or close to your area. , Punk is more than looking punk.
There's no point in us listing bands here because the genre is so large, with many subgenres.
You can find a niche to suit your tastes.
Plus, if there's one thing punks love to do, it's nitpick and argue over what is and isn't punk.
Check out the punk tag on last.fm or another music site for a very rough guide (although sometimes people like to mess about with the tags so be careful), look up some punk bands on wikipedia and follow links, or JFGI.
Finding stuff out for yourself is the most punk thing of all.
If you're here you probably already know and like one or two punk bands, so start looking for bands related to them.
Older punks never had the internet, so take advantage of it as a really quick way to research and hear music. , Make flyers for bands or help distribute them.
See if you can help at shows by working the door or helping to clean up.
Or even better, you could... , This isn't essential, but people seem to assume that playing an instrument is part of being punk for a guy, but not for a girl.
If you want to though, why not? Punk was originally about stripping rock music back down to basics, with no pretensions, and many punk bands valued passion and fun over skill.
So you don't have to practice for years in your bedroom before having a fun jam with your friends.
If you want to do more advanced stuff, having a 3-chord band will still help as you learn quicker by playing with other people, and you will meet more people through your band who can help you improve (and to form your next band with!).
You'll be in great company- many female punk musicians got their start in the more open atmosphere of early punk scenes.
Some people might criticize your skills at first, but those people are the type who take things too seriously. , Protest the wrongs of your governments! Protest the media! Protest commercialism! Make a difference! Or conversely, be totally apathetic and nihilistic, and make fun of political types who think they can change anything.
There are two sides of the coin on this one, as there are on most things within the punk community. , Reading is an awesome way to, not only become more intelligent, but a great way to break people's stereotypes of Punks. -
Step 3: Go to shows!
-
Step 4: Check out some out-of-town shows.
-
Step 5: Start your music collection.
-
Step 6: Get involved.
-
Step 7: Start a band.
-
Step 8: Speak your mind!
-
Step 9: and learn!
Detailed Guide
There are so many young kids out there today that just see a scene as a cool way to dress or to rebel against their parents.
You don't have to dress, act or think a certain way to be punk.
That's the beauty of being punk.
It's not about the superficial- it's a line of thinking, it's a way of life.
Don't be prejudiced.
Open up your heart and mind to the things that are "outside your box." Experience new things and ideas.
Punks usually stick together because they have been outcast in some way or another from "normal, cookie-cutter" society.
Not all punks stick together, so just hang out with whoever you like.
Don't close people out of your life for their views, politics, style, race, religion, sex, sexual preference or anything like that.
Talk to different people, learn, debate.
Expand yourself. , No matter what city or town you live in, there are shows.
Your local bands might not be great, but pay the cover and support their efforts.
It's what punk is all about.
Rock out with your friends and have a good time.
Respect the venues that you go to.
More than likely, it's people just like you taking money out of their pockets to put on a show, so have a good time, but be respectful.
Lots of venues shut down because people don't know how to act and be respectful. , Larger metropolitan areas usually have shows all the time with larger touring bands.
Check out bands' websites, blogs and social networking profiles (e.g.
Myspace) to see when they'll be in your area or close to your area. , Punk is more than looking punk.
There's no point in us listing bands here because the genre is so large, with many subgenres.
You can find a niche to suit your tastes.
Plus, if there's one thing punks love to do, it's nitpick and argue over what is and isn't punk.
Check out the punk tag on last.fm or another music site for a very rough guide (although sometimes people like to mess about with the tags so be careful), look up some punk bands on wikipedia and follow links, or JFGI.
Finding stuff out for yourself is the most punk thing of all.
If you're here you probably already know and like one or two punk bands, so start looking for bands related to them.
Older punks never had the internet, so take advantage of it as a really quick way to research and hear music. , Make flyers for bands or help distribute them.
See if you can help at shows by working the door or helping to clean up.
Or even better, you could... , This isn't essential, but people seem to assume that playing an instrument is part of being punk for a guy, but not for a girl.
If you want to though, why not? Punk was originally about stripping rock music back down to basics, with no pretensions, and many punk bands valued passion and fun over skill.
So you don't have to practice for years in your bedroom before having a fun jam with your friends.
If you want to do more advanced stuff, having a 3-chord band will still help as you learn quicker by playing with other people, and you will meet more people through your band who can help you improve (and to form your next band with!).
You'll be in great company- many female punk musicians got their start in the more open atmosphere of early punk scenes.
Some people might criticize your skills at first, but those people are the type who take things too seriously. , Protest the wrongs of your governments! Protest the media! Protest commercialism! Make a difference! Or conversely, be totally apathetic and nihilistic, and make fun of political types who think they can change anything.
There are two sides of the coin on this one, as there are on most things within the punk community. , Reading is an awesome way to, not only become more intelligent, but a great way to break people's stereotypes of Punks.
About the Author
Jacqueline Flores
Writer and educator with a focus on practical cooking knowledge.
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