More on My Becoming a Punk

I remember when I was in Edinburgh and London in 1979 I had not been exposed to punk music. In England and Scotland I saw punks for the first time. It had not reached North Carolina very much at that point. I was intrigued a bit by the clothing, but I was completely ignorant of the music. I was just coming to terms with my sexual orientation at that time. I mostly dressed in rather conservative clothing, but I was starting to loosen up. When I returned to school I was slowly starting to hear punk music, but I heard more new wave music. I bought the Sex Pistols' album, "Never Mind the Bollocks We're the Sex Pistols." I enjoyed the rough edge of the music. When I heard the Dead Kennedys I liked their views on religion and racism. I had always alternated between not giving a fuck what people thought about me and feeling insecure. I was drawn to the punk attitude of not conforming. I was sort of like the person the Dead Kennedys sang about in their song, "Halloween." For years I only dressed as a punk at Halloween. This gradually changed. I still have some of my punk attire that I wear occasionally. I still enjoy wearing my boots with spikes on the toe. I want to find a new spiked leather collar. Being a punk does not define who I am, but it is part of who I am. That is why I think of myself as queer - a queer punk asshole bitch.