Punk's Not Even Punk

This episode focuses on vintage “punk” music, raising questions about if the genre could ever be defined. Most of the show presents bands from specific geographies—featuring songs from Detroit, LA, London & Washington DC. We move from the garage rock of the Stooges and Death to the grind of Black Flag and the Locust, to sleek dub & pop of Wire and PiL, and finally to DC’s Dischord Records, whose bands move us toward what’s now known as alternative rock. We close with a block of recent music by Le1f, Health, Grinderman and Kirin J Callinan which contain the desperation, energy & rage of punk but follow no genre or regional doctrines. The whole thing is bookended by rarely heard banter & music from some Steve Albini projects.

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