Punk Rock Hunt Talkers

INMT said:
I grew up in a small town with an outsized influence from an Air Force base. One thing was punk rock and skateboarding. Any one else listen to 80's - 90's punk?

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Not if I can help it. Johnny Rotten was.
 
texwest44 said:
The Chinese didn't seem totally fond of it, but during that time I don't think they were allowed to live out loud, so who could really know.
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Anecdotally, there was a period where music wasn’t as suppressed as other mediums and the Chinese had the beginnings of a lively punk scene. I was in Beijing around 2005-06 and went to a couple venues popping up around the 4th ring road when it was one of the outermost. Got to hang a bit with a band called Reflector, who were kind of a big thing in the scene.

I do recall a bit of a faux pas that I made: I’d brought these guys a bunch of 45’s from local bands back home. They were gracious, but said they’d have trouble playing them as all the record players were destroyed in the Cultural Revolution. It was one of the many experiences in my overseas travels that made me realize how good we’ve got it at home.
 
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Beignet said:
Anecdotally, there was a period where music wasn’t as suppressed as other mediums and the Chinese had the beginnings of a lively punk scene. I was in Beijing around 2005-06 and went to a couple venues popping up around the 4th ring road when it was one of the outermost. Got to hang a bit with a band called Reflector, who were kind of a big thing in the scene.

I do recall a bit of a faux pas that I made: I’d brought these guys a bunch of 45’s from local bands back home. They were gracious, but said they’d have trouble playing them as all the record players were destroyed in the Cultural Revolution. It was one of the many experiences in my overseas travels that made me realize how good we’ve got it at home.
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I might just not have been there long enough or at the right time to discover such things. I was there during the construction of the new US Embassy and the Beijing olympics, and things were very tight - the people were actually pretty great, but seemed very oppressed. I lived in the Chao Yang district of Beijing and spent most of my time there or down in Shun Yi. In a city like Beijing, districts probably made a huge difference in the kinds of experiences you might have. The food and fireworks were definitely top notch, that's for sure.
 
texwest44 said:
I might just not have been there long enough or at the right time to discover such things. I was there during the construction of the new US Embassy and the Beijing olympics, and things were very tight - the people were actually pretty great, but seemed very oppressed. I lived in the Chao Yang district of Beijing and spent most of my time there or down in Shun Yi. In a city like Beijing, districts probably made a huge difference in the kinds of experiences you might have. The food and fireworks were definitely top notch, that's for sure.
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It certainly took some effort to seek those guys out, but glad that I did. I’m glad I got to visit a little before the Olympics and see some of the old hutong neighborhoods that were slated for demolition. Although I’ll bet that the Olympics were a wild time to be there, sort of China’s “big debut.”

Were you posted at the embassies in these places?

Not personally in any rush to visit China again, but have been very curious to see what a cyberpunk city come to life looks like in Chongqing. I also didn’t seek a lot of natural sights while there, which is regrettable.
 
Beignet said:
It certainly took some effort to seek those guys out, but glad that I did. I’m glad I got to visit a little before the Olympics and see some of the old hutong neighborhoods that were slated for demolition. Although I’ll bet that the Olympics were a wild time to be there, sort of China’s “big debut.”

Were you posted at the embassies in these places?

Not personally in any rush to visit China again, but have been very curious to see what a cyberpunk city come to life looks like in Chongqing. I also didn’t seek a lot of natural sights while there, which is regrettable.
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Yup, I was at the embassies. And it was indeed a wild time to be there - one of the few countries that, while definitely having some positive moments, I can safely say goes on the "do not visit again" list. I didn't see any natural sights either - not exactly an easy thing to do in a place like that. Roaming around the city was fine but traveling the country to the odds and ends kinds of places was a massive hassle. Russia had similar issues but not nearly to the extent of China.

I've got complaints about America like anyone else does, but our freedom to do whatever we want, whenever we want, wherever we want without almost anything to restrict us is a truly beautiful thing.
 
Shared this one earlier. My childhood best friend took his life five years ago this morning.
Absolutely wild to think how two kids who got into every sense of trouble, found two separate tracks at some late teen point in life. Our friendship moved apart.
He was a stud. The James Dean persona tough guy with a Casanova heart women melted over. His g/f was a hit model, he was riding high life - not sure what nefarious activities, though i know drugs were one of them. They brought in the $ and they both lived large.
He reached out a couple times, my job, my personal ethic/moral code ran different so I remained distant. Offered him contacts to well respected rehab specialists and centers and kept my distance. Wouldn't tell him where I lived.
His sister blames me. Thinks he was reaching out for help and I turned my back. I'm okay with the setting, mostly.
Long story short, his model g/f and him spiraled downhill, deep down drug alley.
She took her life. A month later, he took his.

This song is the one kick ass punk rock song I look at as a celebration of past friends lives no longer here.

To you, John Fagan. If there is some form of life after, hope you're jamming to some bad ass tunes. You're not one to sit on a cloud with a harp! Haha!

 
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