Originally appeared in Mutant Renegade Zine #13, Winter 2000)

I was sitting around with a friend the other day and we were discussing the state of punk these days (as us oldsters will do!) and we got around to the point that is nice and easy and safe to be a punk these days. No one even looks twice at punks these days, not where I am from anyways, which is a considerable difference from the late 70's/early 80's where being punk meant running from jocks, run ins with the cops and general social disapproval. Today it is just another packaged form of teenage rebellion, acceptable and yes, safe.

We have been co opted by the corporations and reduced to just another demographic that can be marketed to. I refer here to bands like Limp Bizkit (why would you want to have limp in your name? it seems to say it all!) and Korn. These guys look punk and may even occasionally do things that seem punk (Limp Bizkit on MTV music awards) but I have the feeling it is all calculated by some big business svengali manager type to make these bands seem "dangerous"

When was the last time you thought a band seemed dangerous? Me, I cant remember the last time. Tattoos and body piercing just don't make it for me, at this point everybody has those!

I really don't feel that this bad metal/whiteboy rap stuff is punk, they seem to have taken the worst of both genres and diluted it for safe fda approved consumption. When I hear these guys rapping I am reminded of Pat Boone doing Little Richard songs in the fifties for Richie and The Fonz!

Some of you out there may disagree with my opinions but you know what opinions are like! I welcome any discussion on this matter at howard_x@hotmail.com.