“We Got The...”: Jackson, Mississippi and the Punk Rock Scene, 1976-1986
Zoom Link
https://muw.zoom.us/j/94595746992
Department
History, Political Science, & Geography
Format of Presentation
Oral Presentation
Research Category
Humanities
Description
Punk was a southern phenomenon. Scholars do not write about it—punk scholars overlook the South; southern scholars do not research punk. Jackson, Mississippi housed a vibrant punk scene between 1976-1986. Jackson’s scene followed trends of British and American punk movements, and was inspired by it. While earlier punk bands garnered major label attention, the southern scene developed later and circumvented the major label model by releasing their own works. Evaluating four bands on the Jackson scene—Ed Nasty and the Dopeds, The Germans, The Windbreakers and Men with No I.Q.s—provide insight into how punk manifested in small towns and mid-sized cities of the South. Analyzing this artistic scene as well as their creative output provides information on how southern artists reacted to larger artistic movements such as punk culture as well as political and social trends of America during the 1980s. Looking at more conservative areas like Mississippi we can see how this translated on the local level. Infrastructure, such as record stores, venues, even small labels, and community proved integral to making punk music happen in Mississippi. Jackson punk artists shared a connection to punk’s artistic expression, energy, ethics, as well as it’s love of destruction.
Recommended Citation
Hartleroad, Max and Hartleroad, Max, "“We Got The...”: Jackson, Mississippi and the Punk Rock Scene, 1976-1986" (2022). Undergraduate Research Conference. 3.
https://athenacommons.muw.edu/urc/2022/humanities-ii/3
“We Got The...”: Jackson, Mississippi and the Punk Rock Scene, 1976-1986
Punk was a southern phenomenon. Scholars do not write about it—punk scholars overlook the South; southern scholars do not research punk. Jackson, Mississippi housed a vibrant punk scene between 1976-1986. Jackson’s scene followed trends of British and American punk movements, and was inspired by it. While earlier punk bands garnered major label attention, the southern scene developed later and circumvented the major label model by releasing their own works. Evaluating four bands on the Jackson scene—Ed Nasty and the Dopeds, The Germans, The Windbreakers and Men with No I.Q.s—provide insight into how punk manifested in small towns and mid-sized cities of the South. Analyzing this artistic scene as well as their creative output provides information on how southern artists reacted to larger artistic movements such as punk culture as well as political and social trends of America during the 1980s. Looking at more conservative areas like Mississippi we can see how this translated on the local level. Infrastructure, such as record stores, venues, even small labels, and community proved integral to making punk music happen in Mississippi. Jackson punk artists shared a connection to punk’s artistic expression, energy, ethics, as well as it’s love of destruction.
https://athenacommons.muw.edu/urc/2022/humanities-ii/3