I'm in the process of working on a radio show for Hollow Earth Radio
http://hollowearthradio.org/). I'm stoked about it - it's something I've wanted to do for a long time, but thus far I've been too busy to put a lot of work into it. I've had a few discussions with people from HER about doing a DIY punk/hardcore show, and I've had a few different ideas bouncing around in my head about where I could go with it - something different than just a playlist of songs that I think are cool.
So here's my idea: The history of punk and hardcore has been full of an exploration of ideas, be it an expression of disillusion, specific and general social critiques, philosophical musings, talk about having a good time, or directly addressing issues within the punk community. One of the things that I find most compelling about punk and hardcore is that these songs don't often just exist in isolation - they're directly expressed from the performer to the audience, and they're often in direct response to things peers have said in songs or in zines or casual conversation. Punk and hardcore songs represent an ongoing dialogue about these ideas, exploring different approaches, critiquing one another, calling each other out, pushing one another further, refining these ideas, etc. Sometimes this dialogue can be intellectual, sometimes anti-intellectual, but I think it's just really cool that it's constantly going on. I want my radio show to explore this idea - looking at what these songs are about and look at how bands and zine writers are responding to one another and exploring similar and disparate ideas.
Some show ideas I have in the works:
"Edge of quarrel" - both the straight edge approach and a celebration of booze/drugs. Look at everything from a thoughtful consideration of what we intake, to puritanical rules, to party songs, to drug-addled self-destruction. Bonus: fights! A look at violent posturing against straight edge and drug users (Earth Crisis's Firestorm, and anti-straight edge songs).
"He-Man Woman Haters' Club" - A tendency of punk and hardcore is that it's dominated by boys, and there have been a lot of songs about how girls are a source of problems for boys (especially with whiny emo boys who are sad about being broken up with). A lot of riotgrrl songs (and mixed-gendered and queer bands) critiqued this boy's club thing, calling people out. A favorite example that kinda fits into this is the Born Against/Screeching Weasel collaborative song "Janelle", about a girl that they thing is the coolest girl ("Janelle, she's so swell!"). Bratmobile responded with the song "The Real Janelle", making fun of the boys for reducing a rad woman into a cutesy chick.
"Campaign for emo destruction" - A lot of emo (not the mall-pop stuff) focused heavily on introspection and a relational view of politics, focusing on a feminist approach to social justice and activism ("the personal is political"). Powerviolence and grindcore bands took a lot of offense to this, calling out bands for focusing too much on their feelings instead of demanding destruction of shitty institutions and direct action. This directly parallels a similar debate in anarchist circles between post-modern theorists like Hakim Bey and Zerzan, and anarchists who advocate direct action and class war like Muray Bookchin, who called out the former as "lifestyle anarchists".
"No Gods, No Masters" - Religion is a hotbed for debate within the punk community. There's plenty of outright critique and abandonment of religion (ala Minor Threat's "Filler" "you call it religion, you're full of shit... it's a filler in your head"), but so is there plenty of pro-religious stuff, like Shelter or 108's "Krishna Consciousness" to Christian anarchist bands like 90 Lb Wuss (or at least Jeff Suffering once called himself an anarchist), to exploration of zen philosophy by bands like The Van Pelt.
"If You're Not Now You Never Were" - sellouts! There's all sorts of (unintentionally) funny hardcore songs about being "stabbed in the back" by friends who sell out. There's also a good amount of songs both by and about bands who sign onto major labels. My favorite example of this is "Million" by Jawbreaker, where they facetiously say about signing onto a major label, "they offered me a million bucks, but all I want's a steady fuck" and a response by former peers Torches To Rome: "they offered you a million bucks, but I will be your steady fuck. I remember a purpose to punk / a reason to resist".
I also want to explore other themes that come up in punk and hardcore (animal rights, crusty cliches, anti-nationalism and anti-fascism), or just juxtapose things like mathrock vs simple songs, or fun party songs vs revolutionary politics, or bro/jock hardcore vs weenie pop punk, straight dude love songs vs queercore, critical theory vs anti-intellecual. I want to also throw in fun things like "Silly Vocals Of The Day" with cookie-monster vocals like Spazz or Man Is The Bastard, or Brothers Keeper (the birdman!).
So yeah, I think that punk and hardcore is a really fertile place for looking at interesting public discourse on a whole range of ideas. I'm hoping to also bring in friends to read selections from zines, interview folks or have them tell stories. There's a lot of cool possibilities here. With how specific I'd like things to be, I'm definitely going to need to get a lot of good input and ideas from friends, though. I'm looking forward to seeing how it'll come together.
