So You Think You're Punk Rock.....

Last night I found myself with a unique opportunity; the opportunity to see an underground punk rock show and to view first hand China's counter-culture. I expected to find some watered down version of the Ramones or an grating high-pitched scream fest that would inevitably drive me out the door. Now in my day I have been to quite a few punk shows with mixed results. The best provide an energetic atmosphere that makes you want to go out of control and the worst leave you standing stupefied at the awful sound that's assaulting your eardrums.


So, I entered the cave themed nightclub "Before Sunset" with a diverse cadre of foreigners who hailed from Germany, Italy, Slovenia, France, and of course the good ole' US of A to find a packed house of black clad Chinese punk rockers. The headliner of the night was a Beijing Ska band named SKO but the highlight of my night was a SoCal inspired pop punk band that brought me right back to my high school days. I must say that they knew the in's-and-outs of SoCal pop punk better than I thought a foreigner ever could. The MxPx shirt on the bass player gave me a hint that Chinese kids aren't exactly ignorant to non-mainstream American culture. Here is a video for added emphasis

All of this really brought me back to thinking about how far reaching American culture really is. It isn't just mainstream American culture that is adopted worldwide but all strata and variation of American lifestyle. In American eyes, America seems isolated from the rest of the world; surrounded by oceans and hostile to immigaration or foriegn influence. Punk music is often an angry response to this feeling of isolation and in many ways in the US it is a maginalized and obscure prospective. I know many punks feel the urge to reject American culture without realizing that they are very much a part of it. The sense of alienation amongst youth born into a complex and frightening world is common and America's youth have a great opportunity to express this feeling and be heard. You may not think that your country of 300 million is listening to you but a world of 6 billion is. The world is listening.

And it isn't just punk rock and metal but hip-hop culture has a profound influence as well. The youth of the world seems to pay more attention to Ameica's hip-hop videos than it does to the inner-workings of its politics. In the Bai Hui flea market there are numerous stores selling G Unit, LRG, Sean John, Phat Pharm, and other clothes targeted at America's black youth. I always have to chuckle when I see a skinny little Chinese kid in the overly baggy jeans with a G-U on each butt check. I think that one of the least understood facts within the American black community is the shear scope of their global influence. Most of China's nightclubs actually look like the ones in hip-hop videos. America's cultural diversity is unique and it is imparitive especially for its marginalized groups to understand their place as cultural leaders in the world.

As for the Punk rock concert I went to, it was a blast. Not only were the Chinese punks familiar with American punk music they also were knew the mosh pit. Jumping, pushing, and whiling out of control the pit was an energetic frenzy. I felt like I was in awash in a sea of Chinese punks but they could not push me down. Just as the thought of invincibility entered into my mind a kid jumped backwards off the stage and right into my face. I felt my nose stream with blood but nothing was broken. After hundreds of punk shows in my life the first to draw blood was in China. Alas, I had a good time, China is certainly fertile ground for punk rock.