That was lovely Malcolm. Write a book, give us your voice and your way of looking at Australia.
After these dark years it would be most therapeutic, a much needed balm for our bruised souls.
All the best
Bruce Haigh

A good read Malcolm. And yes, am thrown back in time. I love/loved Rotten/Lydon.

A couple of my own observations re that time- we punks were as rule- bound as anyone else, and I still cannot compromise my truths; but as you hint at, we followed some really stupid fashions.

Alot of it was about the energy level, youthful exuberance dressed as lamb(to butcher the language). We did just as our grandpappy did when he told us how they would dance till the sun came up.

There are more old punks now than people who ever attended The Civic, or The Stagedoor, or the Funhouse etc. Nostalgia makes liars of us all.

Finally, The Clash were, are and always will be crap.

`

Refreshing not to have another politics article.

It's rare that I laugh out loud while being insulted! It was like being verbally stroked and then you suddenly feel the crack of a cattle whip across your back. You're talking about me and many of my mates - and you're obviously a Queenslander - and maybe an iconclast.

The article took me back 30 years. For all of its merits, the article is flawed as punk did have a strong political component. The author hinted at authenticity and independence but didn't elaborate. They were core components of the punk creedo and I suggest they still resonate strongly today.

The move away from the big players at the time such as EMI, Virgin, etc, was part of the push not only for independent music but independent music production. Surely there's merit in that pursuit, no matter how old you are.