TEN EARLY PIVOTAL MOMENTS IN PUNK ROCK HISTORY (IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER)

Submitted by Scott Duhamel on Tuesday, September 29, 2009 - 7:50 pm

1. Youngstown, Ohio, 1961.Twelve year old Steven Bators (Stiv Bators), in attempt to goose up his visiting cousins, tosses a jump rope over a backyard tree branch, and ties a noose around his neck, delivering a self-hanging showtime for a few huge snot-producing moments.

2. Los Angeles, California, 1967. Eight year old John Paul Breahm (Darby Crash) turns to the kid in the in the large banana costume next to him on stage during third grade assembly and pisses on his leg.

3. Finsbury Park, London, 1960. Four year old John Lydon (Johnny Rotten) sticks his index finger directly into an electric socket after climbing out of a bathtub, and then repeats the act, simultaneously watching his eyes pop and hair stand on end in the bathroom mirror.

4. Lexington, Kentucky, 1964. Fifteen year old Richard Meyers (Richard Hell) unintentionally rips off one of his t-shirts sleeves while sliding through some broken boards in a busted out neighborhood fence, while never mussing his near perfect approximation of a Beatles' do.

5. Bronx, New York, 1959. Five year old Richard Blum (Handsome Dick Manitoba) attends a Cub Scout Halloween party dressed as Haystacks Calhoun and bites every apple during the bobbing-for-apples routine.

6. London, 1958. Six year old John Graham Mellor’s (Joe Strummer) parents, in keeping with age old British traditions, elect not to send him for much needed dental help.

7. El Monte, California, 1974. Sixteen year old Jeffrey Lee Pierce, after ingesting a combo of horse tranquilizers, cheap vodka, and airplane glue, falls into a semi-comatose state in the back seat of a 1969 Plymouth Duster with an eight track player continually playing Bo Diddley is a Gunslinger.

8. Woodbury, New Jersey, 1958. Twelve year old Patti Smith spends two flu-ridden days in her bedroom alternately scratching at her newly formed pubic hair, sniffing her own armpits, and transcribing both the lyrics and the vocal tics of each of her Little Richard Specialty 45’s.

9. Forest Hills, New York, 1954. Six year old John Cummings (Johnny Ramone) spies his eye-opening first glance of Moe Howards’ haircut during an extended rainy Saturday morning TV session as his grandparent’s house.

10. Ypsilanti, Michigan. 1957. Ten year old James Osterberg (Iggy Pop), after splitting his lip open during a kick ball game at recess, manages to surreptitiously keep the blood trickling down his chin for the selective amusement and horror of his fascinated classmates through the remainder of the school day.