Ross Gardiner

Punk - Dumb Enough to Actually Try It

It's been more than half a century since its inception, and yet the question remains - what is punk? Why did this iconic subculture occur?

Join us for a talk that answers a few such questions, as we hear from Ross Gardiner; long time punk rocker, music tour and gig organiser, zine publisher and radio producer turned ecological restoration specialist, having spent the last 20 years as a lead volunteer working on Manawa Karioi Ecological Restoration Project in Island Bay, which led him to declare that 'planting trees is punk'. Ross also points out that 'more than most other music-based scenes, punk is created by the fans becoming the scene themselves – actively creating what they want rather than being mere spectators'.

This isn't going to be an encyclopedic talk about the history of punk with clear definitions of the myriad of sub-genres it sprouted, but instead a look into where Ross' life went after his older brother brought home a cassette of a band he'd never heard of, as well as of the basic core values of punk rock here and elsewhere, as seen from travelling to far-flung places using the 'Punk Passport' - what the hell is that anyway?

You'll learn that DIY doesn't just apply to home renovations...it's an essential part of punk rock.