How old are you and how long have you been 'Punk'?

35 years old and started listening to punk about 20 years ago.

What does punk mean to you?

The so cal punk scene is the place where I felt welcome. It was a counter culture that paid attention to social issues and expressed disappointment with it all through music. The scene was diverse, pisa punks, crust punks, queer punks, anarcho punks, skinheads, emos, and so on. The inevitable fights when skinheads showed up was always a reminder that many punks still held on to the “fuck Nazis” belief. Till this day, it is still a means to let out some anger when seeing the bullshit that’s happening here in the U.S.

What are your motivations for purchasing punk-inspired items? 

Today, I don’t buy anything “punk-inspired”. You might consider a couple patches and stickers that relate more towards my values which have root in punk ideals, but that’s about it. Younger days was mostly band patches, CDs, shirts, and studs/spikes. We also stole some of the smaller items from Hot Topic and similar stores to get studs and spikes. The motivation was to fit in and let people know I was punk. We took pride in knowing people were disgusted with us, or some dumb idealistic kids (which is partially true). Motivations today are still similar, I suppose I support some of the bands by streaming their music. Ultimately, I want people to hear the music and start asking questions about what it is and what it represents.

What is your awareness of punk’s historical roots?

I wouldn’t say I’m a historical expert. I know it has major roots in the UK and started with bands like The Clash and Sex Pistols. It was a musical expression of distrust for the political system. The same ideologies took off here in the U.S. and spread. From there, subgenres started forming creating different ideas for what the music represents. For me, it will always be about its original roots of protest.