However, in the more straight white-male driven punk scenes, addiction and vice strike a chord. One of the most famous punk bands of the 70's, the Sex Pistols, exemplify many of the main themes of this iteration of punk music. The primary themes of their music include anarchy, anti-capitalism/consumerism, violence and rioting, drug references, critiques of the music industry, and apathy. Nihilism is characteristic of the Pistols' music, as well as a number of other punk bands from the time. The unfeeling nihilism of their lyrics and the violent mosh pits at their shows catered only to a specific subsection of the population: those who could afford not to care. Women, queer folks, and people with less-able bodies were often made to feel unsafe at their shows, due to the culture of not caring.
Addiction fit perfectly into this apathetic scene, lyrical themes referenced drug paraphernalia and justified drug use by wanting to "feel something." Sid Vicious (of the Pistols) had the most public experiences with drug use. He frequently referenced only ever loving himself and alcohol, and romanticized addiction via his extreme privilege and popularity, and his "rockstar" lifestyle. He contracted hepatitis from intravenous drug use, and allegedly killed his girlfriend during a drug feud. Vicious died of a heroin overdose before he went on trial for his girlfriend Nancy's death. Sid Vicious is the ultimate example of how horribly the apathetic and narcissistic lifestyle mix with addiction. I won't necessarily say that the band's music condoned or encouraged drug use, but they definitely did not do anything to try to prevent it. Furthermore, their music and band members increased the associations between punk music and dangerous drug use.
These themes of nihilism and drug abuse also manifest contemporarily. FIDLAR, a very popular punk band from LA, has obtained a huge fan base particularly consisting of young white men. Their music also embraces apathy and repetitively refers to getting blackout drunk, using cocaine, and primarily refers to women as objects that just exist for sex. Their shows also feature violent mosh pits, and in general encourage their fans to have a wild night (which would probably involve drinking too much and using drugs, as their lyrics suggest.) Their "fuck everything" politics are particularly appealing to disengaged young men, who see the four band members who look a lot like them sustaining themselves and their vices making popular music.
I acknowledge that all of this information is kind of anecdotal, and doesn't illuminate anything concrete about addiction in popular culture. However, I think my examples illustrate how certain music and scenes can encourage a utopian ideal of excessive drinking and drug use with little to no consequences. As for Sid Vicious, his overdose was pretty widely publicized, but the music of the Pistols is still widely celebrated outside of the negative association of heroin overdose. (See: Sex Pistols credit cards and t-shirts at Walmart!) Vicious is still seen as a founding member of mainstream punk music, and as tragic as his story is-- is still kind of "punk", isn't it? "Punk" ideals and rhetoric in a popular sense are pretty self-destructive and careless, which automatically implicates privilege, because only some people can afford to "fuck everything."
This is a really cool example Madeline! And one that didn't come to mind for me right away. The more I think of it, the more drugs are kind of glorified in music. Even pop/hip-hop like music, and it certainly has a nihilistic tone. I think that this feeling is something that a lot of people want though and isn't necessarily something that just privileged white boys can relate to, it's also a feeling that I think a lot of people WANT. To just be taken away by drugs and to "not give a fuck". This kind of music can definitely make this seem attractive, the example that comes to the mind for more mainstream music is the Weeknd.
ReplyDeleteThis is super fascinating! The romanticization of drug use is a huge issue, which helps to numb young people to the severity of drugs and reinforces the notion that the drugs will improve their lives by making them feel good and that they should not care what society tells them about said drug use. The interesting subculture built around these punk songs, and perpetuated by them, is actually quite scary. I like that you used the term apathy. It seems to exemplify the ways in which these subgroups tends to lean when entranced by romanticized drug use and destructive partying as the way to live freely and not give a f*ck about anything else. The "fuck society" vibe helps to strengthen the casual drug abuse and lead to dangerous decisions seeming less severe since these exemplified individuals are setting an example of abusing drugs while remaining (or becoming) rich and famous.
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