The power of the radical acceptance of self and others that can come from being part of a punk rock community is impossible to ignore. Punk has, since its inception, continued to champion the battle for humanistic values, genuine self-acceptance, a staunch D.I.Y ethos, and the relentless challenging of normative expressions of identity.
One of the legacies of the late seventies UK punk explosion (which is still very much with us today) was in how it sought to celebrate the uncomfortable realities of mental illness that were previously taboo. (Think of that classic image of Johnny Rotten in a strait jacket.) Punk found, in its highly confrontational nature, an opportunity to reframe repressed discourses on mental health, by addressing them in ludicrously comic and/or glamourized ways.
In the decades that have followed, challenging mental health norms has become a staple of the punk rock music canon so large, that it could populate a punk music subgenre all its own. Think of songs like: ‘Institutionalized‘ by Suicidal Tendencies, ‘I Wanna Be Sedated‘ by Ramones, Black Flag’s ‘Nervous Breakdown‘, ‘Cry for Help in a World Gone Mad‘ by Agent Orange, ‘Richard hung himself‘ by D.I., ‘Potential Suicide‘ by Wipers, ‘To all Those People Who Died‘ by Jim Carroll Band, ‘They’re Coming to Take Me Away‘ Lard’s cover of Jerry Samuel’s original hit… the list goes on. (Would love to hear your additions to this list in the comments section below.)
The broader psycho-social benefits of being embedded within an open-minded music culture would be obvious to many. However, conservative scaremongering about the negative psycho-social impacts of socially abrasive music subcultures persists.
It’s been going on at least since the fifties. Ever since Link Wray struck that first highly distorted electric guitar chord and Western civilisation lost its tiny, little white-picket-fence mind, about the barbarous evils of blood-thirsty punk street gangs destroying the very fabric of society.
It seems laughable now, but such negative stereotypes can still rear their ugly, pus-filled heads. For this reason, it’s worth countering with a couple of basic scientific truths about the positive mental health properties of loud, aggressive music.
There is compelling evidence to suggest that heavy and aggressive music helps people more effectively process feelings, whether through listening, singing, or moving their body around. The link between emotional flow and bodily movement is well-established in various kinds of treatments, as are vocal techniques like Scream Therapy*. Studies have shown that people who routinely engage in listening to loud, aggressive music, have statistically lower incidences of anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation.
Who hasn’t cranked up some tunes to cope with the pressures of an insane routine, a painfully dysfunctional relationship, or just to rail at how massively fucked-up the world seems? Music is soul food. And when the weight of the world becomes soul-crushing, you need that special touch of fire and chaos to help you feel genuinely alive again.
There are the therapeutic benefits of writing a song. Plus, the physical and mental coordination required for playing an instrument can also elicit positive effects on the brain, through the balancing of the left and right hemispheres. This whole brain state, (hemispheric synchronization), has been shown to support a wide range of mind/body healing benefits such as increased endorphin release, improved mood regulation, trauma release, reduction in addictive impulses, improved sleep patterns, and much more.
Then there are the psycho-social benefits of being part of something bigger than oneself by engaging meaningfully with a community. In mental health literature, this concept is ranked as central to human health, longevity, psychological wellbeing, and forms a crucial part of genuine self-actualization.
Punks tend to be engaged and highly energized souls. They love to get shit done on their own terms. You can most definitely connect to that, “something bigger,” by being part of a punk community. In addition to simply rocking-the-fuck-out to music and having a killer time with friends, punk shows can also be amazing places to connect. There may be opportunities to connect through activism, fundraising, creative projects, or providing for vulnerable people, just to name a few.
Maybe none of these ideas appeal to you. Perhaps you have some wild creative vision of your own. Then as we say in my local scene: “punk’s what you make it!”
Any of the above activities may be highly rewarding and self-actualizing. They can help to fill emotional voids, in ways that medication and therapy alone may not.
Another of the legacies of the early UK punk movement, was that by shunning the negative stereotypes of mental illness, it embraced them as characteristics which fuelled personal creativity and acted as a catalyst for social change. It answered a timely call: we need drastic new ways of seeing, doing, thinking and feeling. New cultural Molotov’s to destroy the false assumptions and the psychopathy of the systems under which so called, “authorities” force us to live.
That need for radical acceptance and creative chaos remains more relevant than ever. Therefore, punk communities retain a crucial role as counter-cultural safe spaces, ideal for reducing the burdens of mental health problems. People in these spaces can share in dialogue, or through their art, experiences of issues which may be compounding their mental health struggles, such as substance problems, suicidal thoughts, trauma, inequality, discrimination over race, sexual orientation or neuro-diversity, homelessness, abuse at the hands of individuals, authorities, institutions, or the system more broadly. Punk communities, therefore, provide a fertile grassroots focal point for mental health social initiatives, DIY positive action and radical inclusiveness.
Maybe you don’t want to talk at all, because you’re an anti-social prat with angst to burn. Which is fine because it’s ok not to be ok! Especially here. Scream your guts out until you puke! You could throw your self around in the mosh pit, have a stage dive, a bit of a crowd surf, a little slam dancing, a skank here and there, some rock and roll wrestling, hardcore cartwheeling, rockabilly shuffling, or my personal favourite – shoving my way onstage with the band to become a dancing idiot in a dumbass costume. Basically, whatever the fuck you feel you need to do to exercise, (pun intended) your demons. Or your inner Pokémon.
This cry for help in a world gone mad need not go unanswered. But the answer is unlikely to come from the propaganda-spewing idiot box, or by doom-scrolling through your mind-fuck of a smart phone. Instead, your punk community needs you! As we say here at Punk Rock Philosophy- only punk can save the world! And that means you.
*Scream Therapy is coincidentally the title of a book about punk and mental health by Jason Schreurs which you can find out more about HERE.
I’d like to add “Basket Case” by Green Day to the list!
Off With Their Heads and PUP have many songs that could make the list