Typophile - suggestions on classic punk rock typefaces - Comments

Don’t get me wrong Patty -

Paul Cutler — Fri, 25 May 2007 18:59:01 -0700

Don’t get me wrong Patty - I loved it and am very glad I was a part of it. But I also saw a bunch of folks drop and that wasn’t cool. My belief in that grows stronger as time goes by…

Punks were idealistic, the province of youth. It may have been idealism flipped on its head, but idealism it was.

I think there are young idealists out there, but if they create something real it is co-opted so fast by the media that the life is sucked out instantly. Part of the reason punk worked is that it got to stay separate from “reality” for awhile - there was absolutely no chance to make it (unless you were a poseur like Patty Smith, Talking Heads, Blondie or The GoGos - probably get slaughtered for this statement).

It was crazy noise made by crazy people. Love it. But there is one thing that absolutely drives me crazy and that is reflecting on that time period like it was better than now. That’s just not punk.

peace

Paul, I recognize that much

pattyfab — Fri, 25 May 2007 01:29:34 -0700

Paul,

I recognize that much of the punk aesthetic was not sustainable, but as a friend of mine who was there for the duration (actually even further back, he was part of the factory scene) said, where’s the underground today? Two republican mayoral administrations have driven it so far down you can’t really find it anymore.

I guess that’s what I miss - and I was around for the NY part of the punk scene - the ability to experiment and live an alternative lifestyle. Very difficult in today’s economy. Not to mention the collaboration, cross-pollination btw the different arts.

You really didn’t include in your roundup the NY side of things, or the anarchist school. I designed a great book called The Downtown Book that has a lot of graphics from ’74 to ’84.

> Paul - it was a lot of

Paul Cutler — Thu, 24 May 2007 15:59:37 -0700

> Paul - it was a lot of fun. I’m not so glad it’s over. I don’t miss cut and paste but I miss the attitude.

Who says the attitude is over? I was talkiing about the lifestyle, which was over for a lot of people very quickly.

I perceive it as a lot of outsiders (for many different reasons) that gathered together for that reason - we didn’t fit in anywhere else. That lead to a lot of self-destructive behavior and a lot of dead people - at least in LA, NY, and SF - locations I am most familiar with.

Being an outsider is really hard Patty, it’s a strength and a tremendous burden. You have to be a supreme egotist for it not to hurt. I’m still an outsider but have learned how to deal, unlike a lot of my friends who aren’t here anymore…

Artistically speaking there were 2 schools - the glam school (Bowie, The New York Dolls, Andy Warhol, Iggy, etc…) and the avant garde school (Sun Ra, Mauricio Kagel, Stockhausen (even if he was a puppet of the state like John Cage pronounced) The Art Ensemble of Chicago, Mr. Cage himself, etc…). I belonged to the latter and had stopped listening to rock and roll when Spiders From Mars came out. From there it was into jazz and avant garde classical music. There was great music that was generated from both camps and that was part of the fun. The glamsters thought we were really weird and we thought they were really lame and we were both partially right… :)

peace

Great Book: Photocopied:

Jan — Thu, 24 May 2007 12:58:11 -0700

Great Book:
Photocopied: Instant Art Of The Punk Rock Movement

Futura and Century.
It’s more about how you do it than what type you use.

Cat woman recommends Jamie

Jem — Thu, 24 May 2007 12:45:21 -0700

Cat woman recommends Jamie Reid
http://www.jamiereid.uk.net/

crass records “and

poms — Thu, 24 May 2007 12:32:48 -0700

crass records “and stencil” – http://www.southern.com/southern/label/CRC/09401.html
http://www.southern.com/southern/label/CRC/1978.html
http://www.southern.com/southern/label/CRC/07006.html

More http://www.punkrockposte

jupiterboy — Thu, 24 May 2007 08:13:08 -0700

http://www.punkrockposters.net/

http://www.operationphoenixre

edward maddison — Thu, 24 May 2007 02:22:54 -0700

http://www.operationphoenixrecords.com/archivespage.html

Hmm. Interesting. I didn’t

Miss Tiffany — Wed, 23 May 2007 15:33:11 -0700

Hmm. Interesting. I didn’t know that.

Interview preceded punk, but

Nick Shinn — Wed, 23 May 2007 15:21:09 -0700

Interview preceded punk, but used the same graphic language, avoiding display typography. Founded 1969. A real magazine with ads, but high concept: interviews with celebrities.

Nice samples, Nick. But I

Miss Tiffany — Wed, 23 May 2007 14:13:28 -0700

Nice samples, Nick. But I have a question in regards to the Interview cover ... Is it still “punk” if it has become “art”?

Fanzines from

Nick Shinn — Wed, 23 May 2007 08:26:00 -0700

Fanzines from 1977
.
.

I-D fashion magazine, 1980
Stencil, punch tape and typewriter later appear in Just & Erik FF Dirty Fonts (?) package, 1992: grunge=punk2.
.
.

Classic “scrawl + typewriter” collage

original 60s the above is

lore — Wed, 23 May 2007 07:21:58 -0700

original 60s

the above is recent, it’s a poster for an exhibition but I think it captures the atmosphere.

I googled it because I

lore — Wed, 23 May 2007 07:13:00 -0700

I googled it because I wanted to post an example but didn’t find anything representative. I’ll see if I find something with friends or books but, yeah, basically it’s what has been said above, ramsone note sort of stuff etc.

The sex pistols cover was

Eben Sorkin — Tue, 22 May 2007 09:34:41 -0700

The sex pistols cover was just one approach to punk graphics and by no means the only one. Actually it was pretty diverse body of graphic work. Whatever it’s roots might have been I think it evolved a recognizable feeling just because of the techniques/means employed. At least for quite a while. By 83-85 I think the urge to inject some polish back in became overwhelming.

Interesting Note Nick! Are there more examples? Lorenza, - you got any?

Chuck ;-)

suggestions on classic punk rock typefaces

sullivan — Mon, 21 May 2007 06:49:04 -0700

I’m looking for some help finding classic punk typefaces.
Maybe the kind of type you’d see on a Clash or Blondie poster.

Any help would be awsome.
cheers Sullivan.