Punk's not dead, pal!

Music Icons: The Ramones
They formed in New York, and took a name and shtick from Paul McCartney using the alias Paul Ramon. They made a virtue of short songs and wearing leather jackets. They were signed to Sire Records in 1975, and put out their first album the following year. They did UK gigs in '76 too. They had a few line-up changes and started in a Roger Corman film, Rock N Roll High School. They continued through the 1980s, even though punk had long passed its best. They entered the R&R HoF in 2002. All of them died young. They got a Lifetime Achievement Grammy in 2011, and band members have streets named after them.

Big Gold Dream
How Scotland reacted to punk, and quickly moved on to post-punk & beyond. In many respects it was the story of Bob Last, who started Fast Records, and Alan Horne, who may have started Postcard. They found and supported acts like The Fire Engines, Scars, Orange Juice, The Dirty Reds, and many more. They even gave an early nod to the Human League. The story was often of conflicting creative directions, major label money, and thwarted dreams. Neither label lasted too long, but their impact was felt for a long time hence.

Reckless, by Chrissie Hynde
Though the Pretenders weren't punks, Hynde's time in London meant she met assorted other musicians and was around for the formations of the Sex Pistols, the Clash, the Damned and the Slits, not to mention befriending Iggy Pop and Ray Davies. The book runs up to the point after their first 2 albums where two of the band died. Whether there will be a Volume 2 is another matter.

Had an interesting dream two days ago. It involved The Stray Cats. Really don't know what it was even based on , but I was at a rave party that they performed at. Woke up singing 'Rock This Town' and all else is locked in the dream. Couldn't think of a better place to add this. Hopefully, I'll look back on this post 10 years from now.

Sounds fine to me 

PUNK
A lengthy 4-part effort from this year (and some of those present look better for their age than others). The story starts (!) in America, before bouncing over to the UK, then bouncing back to the US in the 80s, and final commercial glory in the 90s. A huge number of people were interviewed, from John Lydon and Henry Rollins, through Jello Biafra and Viv Albertine, to Billie Joe Armstrong and Duff McKagan. Iggy Pop co-produced the series, so the Stooges and the Ramones were pretty much credited as the originators of the scene. But many, many other bands were given their due, so that was good.

Music Icons: Patti Smith
An activist poet from Chicago, she shone in New York and befriended Robert Mapplethorpe. Her debut album Horses was produced by John Cale and remains her high-water-mark. She recorded more, but also took time out to raise a family. She toured with Bob Dylan, and recently met the Pope. She experienced tragedies but battled on.

Westwood - punk / icon / activist
The drearily over-rated fashion designer who was impressed by Malcolm MacLaren's vision and ideas, but wasn't too impressed by punk rock, and deeply resented Malcolm's controlling influence after their marriage soured (hard to blame her). She has latterly tried to take on board the threat of climate change, whilst her shops expand to other countries around the world. The establishment resented her, but still used her.

Chris Packham - Forever Punk
Southampton's premier naturalist talks about his youth, where punk gave him a guide, and which he kept in spirit as he went on to work in TV and eventually get a gong from the Queen. He talked to other punks about whether they maintain that same spirit. So he met Jordan, former shop assistant, Jamie Reed, designer, and musicians like Terry Chimes, Richard Coles and Tom Robinson. He did turn over some new stones, so we got to hear about Alien Kulture, and Penetration. He even met his old punk band-mates from The Titanic Survivors, who survived his departure.

Get Out of Your Own Way
A reflective piece with 73 year old Penny Rimbaud, who in his youth had helped form punk legends Crass. He admittedly didn't discuss the band here much, more a current project making a record of the poetry of Wilfred Owen. He had a disruptive education and spent time at art school. His project involved the One Little Indian Records company. He's a peace campaigner.

Punk/New Wave Years, with Annie Nightingale
An hour compilation, linked by narration. Prioritising quantity over quality, Annie rattled through 36 (!) numbers, the more intriguing being as ever the less over-shown, such as Wreckless Eric, and the Au Pairs, and Linton Kwesi Johnson.

More Punk & New Wave, compiled by Annie Nightingale
Unlike the first one, this featured entire tracks, and no voice-overs bossing the way. Again, the interest came with the like of The Raincoats, Spizzenergi, Marine Girls and a rare chance to hear "The Boiler".

White Riot
The story of the Rock Against Racism movement of the late 1970s in the UK, where bands like the Clash and the Tom Robinson Band became involved with a major concert to show solidarity against a repellent bunch of racists. It was cheering to see how people did band together and march against the likes of the National Front.