Shot by Both Sides: Punk Attitude and Existentialism

Stuart Hanscomb

Shot by Both Sides: Punk Attitude and Existentialism

Authors

Stuart Hanscomb Author

Keywords:

Punk, post-punk, authenticity, nihilism, creation, challenging, authentic belonging

Abstract

The ‘punk attitude’ that is basic to punk music and culture is hard to define. I argue that it can be more fully appreciated through a comparison with features of, and motivations behind, existentialist philosophy and literature: anti-institutionalism, nihilism, creative outputs and processes that are constantly challenging, and authentic belonging.