If the Sex Pistols are the fathers of Punk ,then who are the Grandfathers of Punk?

Question

I keep reading its Alice Cooper but his music doesn't even resemble Punk to me.

Answer 1

Hopefully you are asking the question so that you can go back and listen to the music, otherwise what's the point. But anyways ...

The most immediate precursor for British punk was the Ramones: to hear them tell it, they toured England in 1975 and were approached by the founders of bands like the Clash and Sex Pistols who told them they were putting bands together to emulate the Ramones' energy.

The Ramones themselves came out of seedy a New York scene that included bands like the Heartbreakers and Television. The Ramones had invented themselves in both image (Chuck Taylors, leathers, and the names) and musical style (Johnny Ramone created the '3 chords only' rule, Dee Dee the "1,2,3,4!") - I once saw Ramones memorabilia on the Antiques Road Show (!!) which included notebooks Dee Dee wrote in high school with drawings of how he wanted to stack his amps and where on the stage the band members would stand! Even so, this creative and stylistically diverse NYC scene had it's own precursors.

The Heartbreakers had grown from the ashes of the New York Dolls - loud, raunchy hard rock. The Dolls were brash cross dressers with wacky stage names (Johnny Thunders) - an attitude that clearly carried into punk. Also, Iggy and the Stooges are obvious inspirations for the NYC set with their music, their chaotic stage shows, and their sloppy to-hell-with-it approach.

Of course, these bands had precursors too: Check out the MC5 and Blue Cheer - loud, hard, and profane in a way little else was in the 60's. Plus there were hundreds of garage bands in the US in the late 60's who were forging a DIY attitude with few musical skills. A lot were in the vein of the Seeds - guitar driven psychedelia. Check out the Nuggets and Pebbles compilations to hear some really cool stuff (The Litter "Action Woman", the Magic Mushrooms "It's a Happening'). The Who's first album may well have been an inspiration to these 'garage punks' (but remember, Pete Townsend is also the one who came up with the extended rock song - prior to him, as he said, a "rock song was 2'50" " - something totally antithetical to the punk energy and ethic). It may also be worth noting that Iggy founded the Stooges after seeing the leather clad Jim Morrison and his audience-baiting at a Doors show.

Hmmm, earlier than the 60s? I guess I might go with Link Wray: black leather and loud guitar. He invented the power chord. Plus, if I recall correctly, he couldn't get enough distortion out of his instrument to suit his tastes, so he punched holes in the speaker cones on his amp to make it sound nastier ... sounds punk to me! Check out his 'Rumble' from 1958 and see where it might have all begun.

The Pistols were a McLaren idea, but they would have gone nowhere without Johnny Rotten's charisma and viscious disdain for just about everything. The band members credit him, not McLaren, with creating the band's image. Before them, bands like the Clash and Damned were pub rock outfits. It was only after seeing the power and chaos of the Ramones and the Pistols that they started playing punk. And make no mistake: it was Rotten who gave punk its snarling anger and threat ... without him, punk would never have amounted to anything. He really changed the world.

As for bands like T. Rex and Alice Cooper? How could anyone think that glam and arena horror show hard rock inspired punk? The pretension and hunger for stardom were exactly what punk opposed. I like the music just fine, but punk it aint. Although Eater did cover "Eighteen" as "Fifteen".

And it is really hard to figure the writers of "Love Me Do" as punks in any sense of the word.

The question sent me right down memory lane. Now playing: The Stooges "Death Trip" ... nihilist to the core!
Hope you check out some of the music I mentioned! There's tons of great old stuff out there.

Answer 2

Critics and all kinds of writers throw around the terms fathers, mothers and grandfathers.............there are several names that I have heard either as the fathers or grandfathers including; the Ramones, Sex Pistols, the Clash, and Iggy Pop. I struggle with the Pistols being considered the fathers as they were little more than a commercial creation of Malcolm McClaren (sp?). I love thier music and they are groovy but can not take ownership of the whole scene.

Answer 3

Punk is a lot about attitude. Alice Cooper could very well be the ones, considering the music they made, and the time period that they made it. They could be considered what Janes Addiction was to grunge. (pre-grunge/pre-punk) When Alice got started, most bands were singing about flower power and the like

Answer 4

I say The Stooges. They're the ones that influenced most of the punks to do what they did. I can't think of a better band to call "the grandfathers of punk"...maybe Captain Beefheart but that's doesn't fit too much.

Answer 5

Alice is da bomb...but how about the Clash? Did they come before the Sex Pistols? Not sure...

Answer 6

I'd probably say Alice Cooper is a good choice. T-Rex would also be a possibility.

Answer 7

The Who, even groups like the Beatles when they rebelled against soem of the earlier styles and notions of popular music.

Answer 8

Without a doubt, The Who. Townshend is still showing them all how it's done.

Answer 9

the ramones have been around quite a while.. iggy pop is considered the "godfather of punk"..

Answer 10

MC5 - take a listen to their live album "Kick Out The Jams".