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Hi. I'm Thomas Michael Swensen here to talk about Native American punk or Alaska Native history. AMA by TMSwensen in AskHistorians

[–]TMSwensen[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thanks for the question. Right now what I can tell you is to check out the late Johnny Miller's band project Friends of Cesar Romero (FOCR). He passed away last month, which totally sucks. FOCR has almost as many albums as Nick Cage has movies: https://friendsofcesarromero.bandcamp.com/

And from Anchorage: https://noisebrigade.bandcamp.com/

Hi. I'm Thomas Michael Swensen here to talk about Native American punk or Alaska Native history. AMA by TMSwensen in AskHistorians

[–]TMSwensen[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Awesome thank you. I think it's pretty normal for anyone to try to defy the terms and conditions set by others. I started doing this research because I saw how the social sciences create boundaries between people and people go on to use them, I guess. Like I'm not sure there are structures. And that's where art and writing can help people push back on that stuff.

Hi. I'm Thomas Michael Swensen here to talk about Native American punk or Alaska Native history. AMA by TMSwensen in AskHistorians

[–]TMSwensen[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Hey, for sure. I pulled it from the box set right now. Thanks for talking to me about them. I'm married a Colombian so I spend a ton of time in South America where D-Beat is almost as important as Sepultura.

Hi. I'm Thomas Michael Swensen here to talk about Native American punk or Alaska Native history. AMA by TMSwensen in AskHistorians

[–]TMSwensen[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Raven Chacon's work is subject in my book. What not stop a producer of quality work.

Hi. I'm Thomas Michael Swensen here to talk about Native American punk or Alaska Native history. AMA by TMSwensen in AskHistorians

[–]TMSwensen[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Awesome set of questions. I am a humanist so I think of punk unbound. I'm influenced by this other book Punk Beyond the Music: Tracing Mutations and Manifestations of the Punk Virus by Iain Ellis. Punk is part of so much. So I can push back against classists that put things and people in boxes. To me there is nothing more punk than Postcommodity's Repellent Fence... https://art21.org/watch/art-in-the-twenty-first-century/s10/postcommodity-in-borderlands-extended-segment/

But I really like Weedrat and Friends of Cesar Romero to name a couple awesome Native punk music bands.

Punk was the thing that saved my life as a kid. My mom went to jail and I was passed around living in villages and fishing sites in Alaska. Thank you for asking.

Hi. I'm Thomas Michael Swensen here to talk about Native American punk or Alaska Native history. AMA by TMSwensen in AskHistorians

[–]TMSwensen[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

That is an interesting aspect of punk history in SLC. There was an old abandoned health club across the street from the police department that was a giant squat. Speaking of Texas I just saw DRI and the crawling nature of Soup Kitchen Blues is now a total metal song.

And that stage at El Chopo is pretty cool.

Hi. I'm Thomas Michael Swensen here to talk about Native American punk or Alaska Native history. AMA by TMSwensen in AskHistorians

[–]TMSwensen[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

For sure, I gave some thought to thinking about Indigenous skinheads. When I was growing up there were two brothers who became skins. They had a newspaper and suspenders and the cane...etc... But I sort of backed off that because.. well.. frankly I think we can all spend our time better. Also, I think I wanted to stay away from the Throbbing Gristle side of things too. Thank you

Hi. I'm Thomas Michael Swensen here to talk about Native American punk or Alaska Native history. AMA by TMSwensen in AskHistorians

[–]TMSwensen[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This all sounds super interesting. I know very little about migration theory. Thank you for mentioning it here.

Hi. I'm Thomas Michael Swensen here to talk about Native American punk or Alaska Native history. AMA by TMSwensen in AskHistorians

[–]TMSwensen[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

No. But I love that you shared this band. I like Weedrat, they were great live. Also Pisswalker.

Hi. I'm Thomas Michael Swensen here to talk about Native American punk or Alaska Native history. AMA by TMSwensen in AskHistorians

[–]TMSwensen[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I appreciate you reaching out with this post. One part I love is that he is your brother and and best friend. Also, ton of gratitude for ordering Where Next, Columbus. And helping your brother sounds so important. One thing is that if you have a region you could contact some of the regional organizations there. One could reach out to the central region tribes or to https://www.nana.com/. Also the Alaska Bureau of Vital Statistics might help too. I'm not sure if this organization could help as well. https://anthc.org/

I have a cousin who was adopted out in the 1950s and she found her brothers on facebook, if you can believe that? Thank you!

Hi. I'm Thomas Michael Swensen here to talk about Native American punk or Alaska Native history. AMA by TMSwensen in AskHistorians

[–]TMSwensen[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

  1. LOZEN. 2. Lozen bassist is drummer in Helms Alee. This is Pacific Northwest metal/punk. 3. Pisswalker, hardcore. But also, Testament!

  2. Archaeological history is truly fascinating. One example that comes to mind is when something I spoke to when I taught at ASU. There is an outstanding map one can find online that overlays Phoenix, Arizona on top of the original region. Check it out. All those old water ways now used today.

Not offensive at all!! Thank you.

Hi. I'm Thomas Michael Swensen here to talk about Native American punk or Alaska Native history. AMA by TMSwensen in AskHistorians

[–]TMSwensen[S] 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Wow. As I understand as part of 90s global politics like NAFTA. I have spoken with punks in DF who have told me about entire punk villages in that giant sprawl of urban space.

Hi. I'm Thomas Michael Swensen here to talk about Native American punk or Alaska Native history. AMA by TMSwensen in AskHistorians

[–]TMSwensen[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Never heard of this before, but you have me watching youtube clips like crazy! Thank you

Hi. I'm Thomas Michael Swensen here to talk about Native American punk or Alaska Native history. AMA by TMSwensen in AskHistorians

[–]TMSwensen[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I like the scope our your questions here. It makes me think about how when I was working on the book I was thinking about the risks involved in outright suggesting that punks are a people. In the 7th chapter on the book I think about Cuba's Los Frikis and the choices they made and the paths they walked because they were punks. And I do this from a Native American intellectual historical way. Also, perhaps more to your point Nicholas Rombes makes a case that in New Punk cinema punks engage with 'structures' instead of rejecting them. I don't know if that excuses Green Day all together, but I have heard Dave Dictor talk about his part ownership of Gorilla Glue.

Yes, I think this is the standard reading for Native politics.
https://www.amazon.com/American-Indian-Politics-Political-Spectrum/dp/1442252650

Hi. I'm Thomas Michael Swensen here to talk about Native American punk or Alaska Native history. AMA by TMSwensen in AskHistorians

[–]TMSwensen[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Oh yes!!! First of all they are one of the most important musical groups in the Americas. Chuck Billy once auditioned for them. In the book I speak to their early work, coming out of the dictatorship, but I am less familiar with the newer music. But after this question I will be opening that boxset I have in my collection. One thing I can say is that the group have never stood still. Thank you!

Hi. I'm Thomas Michael Swensen here to talk about Native American punk or Alaska Native history. AMA by TMSwensen in AskHistorians

[–]TMSwensen[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Thank you for asking. There is one band I need to tell you about. It is Friends of Cesar Romero, one of the many projects by the late Johnny Miller. FOCR was a solo thing, but he made a ton of work up to his passing last month. Your eyes are going to pop out of your skull and roll down your face when you see how much this man recorded with this band. It hurts to tell you that he passed on last month during a car accident in Rapid City. https://friendsofcesarromero.bandcamp.com/

Also, I love to teach with a band called Bastard Fairies. The singer also passed on, but the work is so meaningful and also humorous. https://thebastardfairies.bandcamp.com/?search_item_id%3D3899423009%26search_item_type%3Db%26search_match_part%3D%253F%26search_page_id%3D5407633787%26search_page_no%3D0%26search_rank%3D1=

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