The guest speaker’s introduction to punk rock was a fascinating thing in his early life. It all started in his childhood when he was taken by his uncle and aunt to a show. From there, Rich was inspired to make zines, which included band reviews and lyrics. Those zines are very similar to our Instagram posts in showing our loved ones and followers highlighting the aspects of a musician’s career or latest works. When Rich first saw his first punk rock show in Connecticut, he met with a lot of people through his zines and eventually wanted to form a band with them. This was an interesting event, as he noted that the event was predominantly male rather than women, as most of them were photographers.

       Rich’s main intention in pursuing punk rock was mainly due to its uniqueness. At the time, punk rock was a relatively new genre of music and didn’t have much popularity during that time. He appreciated how punk rock broke conventional music norms and embraced a do-it-yourself approach. The lyrics often tackled social issues and personal struggles that gave it a depth that many other genres lacked, especially with asylum seekers crossing through the southern border when he performed in one of the southern states. What sparked me the most about Rich was his involvement in other art disciplines, like graffiti, when he moved to Brooklyn, Revs, and other musicians, where he found a vibrant community of artists and a new source of inspiration. 

       After hearing about his punk rock career, I felt inspired to research more about it. Punk rock pushed back against many expectations of what music should be like during its time. Eventually, it became so popular that those expectations no longer apply. When looking at the album covers that were passed throughout the class, I grew interested in the album cover designs and the old CDs that were encased in them. It made me wonder about the accessibility of these albums during the 20th century, especially when music applications weren’t available to purchase music. The gifts left by Rich of the old-fashioned stickers and pins were precious, and something that added something special to my music collection.

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