Progressing from Hannon's precise historical representation of punk subculture in both Great Britain and the United States, O'Connor's article promises a more specific exploration of the genre, through the analysis of four contrasting punk 'scenes'. Defining ‘scene’ as “the active creation of infrastructure to support punk bands and other forms of creative activity”, the author centres his discussion on Washington, D.C; Austin, Texas; Toronto, Canada; and Mexico City, as they are individually defined and assessed as ethnographic participants in the punk phenomenon of the Americas (225). These examples effectively underpin the article’s primary argument for the continued relevance of regional musical scenes as opposed to the assumption of cultural hybridity when conducting academic analysis of popular music. Via these four case studies, O’Connor illustrates the channels through which punk is transmitted to diverse geographical locations and the subsequent verifications associated with a subculture, somewhat lost or at least, altered in translation.
As well as exploring the social and political ramifications of punk’s arrival to each city, the article also distinguishes each scene via individual musical characteristics, comparing the complexity and sophistication of ‘emo’ in Washington D.C, to the problematic nature of bilingual punk lyrics in Mexico City, to the irony of dissatisfied Canadian artists, claiming ‘no future’ amongst the backdrop of economic and constitutional prosperity. These social circumstances are also reflected in the performance venues of each city. For example, affluence in Canada encouraged the emergence of a straight edge scene, while established local venues including the Centre for Experimental Art and Communication provided a hub for live performance, spawning the historical punk club, ‘Crash 'n' Burn’ (See below).
McGinnis, Rick. 'Crash N Burn' Today. 2010. Photograph. Toronto, Canada. Blogto. Creative Commons Attribution, 27 Jan. 2010. Web. 04 May 2011.
Given the nature of O’Connor’s investigation, the specificity of such case studies is both beneficial and limiting when attempting to define uniform characteristics of punk subculture, internationally. However, this is in fact where the author’s key argument lies. Despite the universality of music as an art form and language, O’Connor provides localized observations of punk practices in a way previous academic works have not, dispelling misconceptions of a blanket definition for an indefinable movement.
Given the nature of O’Connor’s investigation, the specificity of such case studies is both beneficial and limiting when attempting to define uniform characteristics of punk subculture, internationally. However, this is in fact where the author’s key argument lies. Despite the universality of music as an art form and language, O’Connor provides localized observations of punk practices in a way previous academic works have not, dispelling misconceptions of a blanket definition for an indefinable movement.
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