When I found out that a guest speaker was going to talk to us, I was interested to know what aspect of art they will be discussing. The options, however, did not really appeal to me: DIY, punk rock, graffiti, tattoos, or poetry. The class settled on punk rock and I was willing to listen to what the guest speaker had to say.

The guest speaker, Rich Stremme, presented some highlights of his creative background and took us through a trip down memory lane. Stremme mentioned that his interest in punk rock started young at the age of eleven. He did not know much about this kind of music before because his musical background consisted of whatever was played on the radio. Stremme started writing a zine called Socially Unaccepted in middle school, and discovered the similar roots between reggae music and punk rock. Eventually, he formed his own band, Brutally Familiar, and went around touring on a national level. His anecdote about a show in El Paso, Texas where kids were border hopping to see his band perform shocked me. It put into perspective the recognition that I did not know punk rock artists received. This incident was the inspiration behind his band’s album Ashamed to be White. Stremme pointed out that punk rock is predominantly a male genre, and the few females that engaged with it were most likely photographers or in the background of crowds. I was not too surprised by this statement.

Rich Stremme dabbled with different artistic mediums, and his work with Revs inspired him to graffiti his story in New York City train tunnels. Ian Mackaye said that “punk rock is free space”, and Stremme added on to that idea by saying “if you did it first, you did it best.” Punk rock, especially in America, was different from traditional British punk because artists were considered “dangerous” if they dressed like average looking people and blended in. It was cool to see some actual 7 inch records and get a “vintage” pin and sticker, but by the end of the presentation, I was not persuaded to listen to punk rock music on my own time. Stremme emphasized that punk rock is not meant to exclude anyone, but it is one of those things where you either like it or you don’t. The natural divide happens because of how different the genre is from what is considered traditional.

Having Rich Stemme speak to our class and share his insights on the realities of the artistic world was both enlightening and humbling. I am so grateful that an individual such as himself who has accomplished so much and left such a creative impact on this world, would take the time to speak to us, answer our questions, share his work, and even create a slideshow presentation for us! What resonated with me the most was how driven Stemme has always been from such a young age. Even as a child, he went above and beyond to connect with punk artists, doing what others weren’t willing to do in order to build relationships with aspiring artists who would later influence his own craft. He did this at a time when social media was nonexistent, thus, making communication so much more difficult. We, on the other hand, live in an era where every resource is readily available to us, yet many of us lack the drive to fully embrace these opportunities and put in the necessary work. Stremme’s journey, therefore, inspired me to seize the opportunities laid in front of me, refusing to let fear or uncertainty define me or hinder my potential, as it is clear that fear did not hold Stremme back. In fact it was a driving force behind his success, only propelling his career further. He was fearless, constantly exploring new artistic realms and following his curiosity wherever it led him. Despite losing money along the way, he remained a free spirit, not guided or blinded by materialism, but rather pushed by his deep passion for art to continue pursuing his passion. His commitment to his craft continues to inspire younger generations, as he refuses to let the punk rock movement fade into history. Stremme pushes the boundaries of what is traditionally accepted and in doing so, challenges societal norms on all fronts, musical and moral. Punk rock is not simply a genre, it is a way of life, a bold expression of one’s beliefs without fear of judgment. It is a free space, allowing anyone and everyone to carve out what they want, without being confined by societal standards and limitations. It is truly a liberating philosophy that may be difficult to imagine, but embracing it could unlock a sense of freedom that allows us to soar, just as Stemme’s vision has driven him throughout his own artistic journey.

Rich Stemme, a member of the group Brutally Familiar introduced us to his experience in punk rock. He began his journey by creating zines in school, which were small magazines that spread his messages of punk rock and soon created his first demo tape. Stemme explained that to him, punk rock was more about spreading a message than wealth, which was proven by his 7 inch record. He claimed that although each sold for 3 to 4 dollars, they took approximately 5 dollars to create. When I held this record, it seemed very well done. I liked the artwork and packaging of the record, revealing that it must’ve taken a lot of effort to create.
Throughout his journey, Stemme met popular artists and played with popular bands, which I thought was interesting and amazing. Another fascinating fact that he told us was the difference between punk rock bands in Britain and America. In Britain, punk rock is like a culture, the artists dress up a certain way and are expected to act a certain way. In America, artists dress and act normally, they just create songs in the punk rock genre. Overall, though his experience was interesting and entertaining, I thought his music of hardcore punk genre had too much distortion, making it hard to enjoy.

Although punk rock isn’t my favorite genre of music, Rich Stremme really made me appreciate its history and how it contributes to music today. I especially found it interesting when he brought up the contrast between British punk rock and US punk rock. He mentioned that British punk originated as a platform for working-class expression and a strike against the government, while American punk leaned towards edgy themes. He mentioned the two punk worlds often clashed and did not appreciate each other’s music. It was typical for British punk bands to have outrageous lyrics and most of them were considered working-class misfits. Another thing I found cool was the 7-inch records. The ones we got to see had very interesting covers and I think they were so shocking because it was unusual to see something like that nowadays. The zines were also fascinating which were magazines that would spread messages of punk rock. They weren’t a way to seek profit but rather a way of self-expression and identity. This reminded me of the modern zines we have now which just consists of social media. It was intriguing to hear about his experience in El Paso because it really showed me how widespread punk rock was. The fact that punk rock was able to connect people all over the world was so impressive. I also really appreciated the cute pins we got at the end as well as the stickers!!

Having a guest speaker talk about his experiences with punk rock was very unique and interesting, as it is not a field I normally hear about. Listening to Rich Stremme take us along his punk rock journey was very captivating. For him, his story started when his family moved to Connecticut and he was 11 years old. His aunt and uncle took him to a show and he found a group that sparked his interest, realizing that he wanted to be a part of their world. At the age of 12, he started making zines in order to start communication with people he did not know. Zines allowed him to network with people and create scenes with those in his area. His first show was to see the Anrthax and they later moved from the eastern part of Connecticut to the western part of the state for more space. He noticed that predominantly males attended these events, revealing the culture surrounding punk rock at the time. When he went to this show, he spread his zines around and met people that he ultimately wanted to begin a band with. Once he began making his own records, he sold them for a third less than what it cost him to produce, therefore he proved that the value for him was not in climbing an economic scale, but only socially become known. One of his most vibrant memories is the show he held in a poor neighborhood in Texas, nevertheless with people attending from both sides of the border. The events he experienced during this show felt surreal to him, as helicopters circulated with lights trying to catch border-hoppers. He channeled his experience in El Paso into the writing of his vinyl, Ashamed To Be White. After he graduated college, he moved to Brooklyn and met a graffiti artist, Revs. They initiated a collective band named God Squad and always had a mission; they would make crosses out wood and place them all over the city. Overall, punk rock is a free space, thus it does not need to be audio or physical, but whatever one can carve out and express, as Rich Stremme quotes from Ian MacKaye, concluding the essence of this topic.

Punk rock in the present-day is incredibly diverse due to its regionality and tendency to change with the political landscape, so I was curious what exactly we would be learning about the genre/culture during this seminar. I was somewhat involved in the punk community in my high school, but had just barely scratched the surface of what being punk meant.

Because of the subversive nature of punk, the word itself seems to come with a negative connotation in the mainstream. Many seem to associate punk with delinquency, but I view it as an exercise of free thought and expression, which is inherently anti-authority. Every person experiences punk in a different way depending on the demographics they fall under. For instance, the Mexican kids that Rich met in El Paso saw the punk community in West Texas as a place where they could be accepted. 

Furthermore, I find that punk is more than just rock, it can be any form of expression, as long as that expression is anti-system. Graffiti and verbal protest are some very outstanding examples of this, but the ideals of punk apply to smaller actions such as the repurposing and repair of items, since not purchasing items new goes against the consumerism that is constantly being pushed onto us. This also goes to show how punk has evolved over time to address modern issues.

One thing that Rich mentioned that I found very interesting was that many of the few girls that got involved in the hardcore/punk scene during the 80s and 90s started off as photographers for shows, because that is exactly how I found myself going to shows in which my friends were performing. I also believe that the gender ratio at these shows has since shifted due to an increasing number of female artists in the scene.