Did Punk Start as a Situationist Stunt?
In Britain, punk is often seen as a reaction to national decline, coming up from the streets, while its roots in Situationist political pranking have been discredited. Maybe it’s time to look again at Malcolm McLaren and his ten-point plan.
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In what passes for public discourse in Britain, the 1970s were the nightmare decade of the postwar era. The story goes something like this: the militant trade unions, aided and abetted by a left-wing Labour Party and a timid Conservative Party, nearly dragged the country off a cliff. “Calamity,” frowned Sex Pistols singer John Lydon, […]
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