Streetalk May 20 2004

Francis: It’s dead if people keep listening to Avril Lavigne and think that’s punk rock. Some people believe punk rock is some kind of fashion statement, so you’ll see them all dressed up the same, smell the same, because they think if you don’t shower that’s cool. It’s just a stereotype. Punk rock is an attitude, fighting for different rights. I don’t see anybody in Atlanta with that attitude — power and feeling and love for something. People just want to act out a stereotype of what punk rock is.

Mark: Punk will never die off because the media will keep reincarnating it. It’s like a bad song that keeps playing on the radio. None of the Atlanta clubs want to call themselves punk rock because they think it makes people think there’s going to be an aggressive crowd. Neutron Bomb is the only club in Atlanta that I can relate to as punk. If I was a real punk, I probably wouldn’t be doing this interview. You’re media, get out of my face. But as I’ve gotten older I’m more open-minded.

Brook: It took too many Quaaludes, but it’s not dead. You have local bands like Derek Lyn Plastic and Image Boys who are amazing. They put on shows that are as punk rock as punk rock gets. I’m talking falling off the stage, busting guitars — it’s crazy. In Atlanta everybody wants to do the watered-down, castrated rock ‘n’ roll. It’s got no balls to it. The ones that claim to be punk aren’t. It’s not dying, but it needs a good kick in the ass.-- Jeff Slate