1) when did you first become involved in the "punk scene"? what city did you live in at the time?
ian: i heard my first punk rock stuff while in high school here in washington dc (i've lived in this area my whole life). i went to my first punk show (the cramps, the urban verbs, and the chumps) in january 1979.
2) who was involved? was it mostly white males? was there much sexism, racism, or homophobia in the early punk scene?
ian: the early punk scene in washington was a broad mix of people, predominantly white but evenly spilt between sexes. i think the attraction i felt for the punk scene at the time was the fact that it celebrated diversity and was totally accepting of different lifestyles, politics, sexuality, philosophies, music, style, etc.
3) what issues were important to the people of the punk movement back then? do you think they're still important now?
ian: i think the aim of the early punk scene was to create an underground community that would be supportive of people who didn't want to fit in, or couldn't. to give stage to music that wasn't colored by profit motives, and art that had no rules. these are still the aspects that makes me feel connected.
4) how has the movement changed since its beginnings?
ian: first and foremost, the 'movement' has grown far too large to make blanket comments about it. there are scenes that exist that i think are amazing, still super creative and challenging, and other scenes that i feel are unhealthy and alien.
5) are you still involved in the punk movement? why or why not?
ian: i reckon the punk is in me for good. i don't know why.
6) was the punk movement really all that revolutionary? what, if anything, do you think it accomplished?
ian: in my life, punk was revolutionary. while i believe it has had a tremendous impact on the world we live in today, i don't particularly want to get into trying to prove the point. the good is there for people who choose to recognize it, but it's not something that has to be agreed upon. i have plenty of things i'd rather do than argue punk's relative worth.
7) do you have any major problems with or criticisms of the punk scene/movement?
ian: see answer number 4.
8) what do you think of riot grrrl? do you think it gave the punk movement a much-needed kick in the ass? or is it an insignificant pseudo-"movement"?
ian: i saw the 'riot grrl' thing as a logical and necessary response to the lack of women in bands. things certainly got a bit boy-heavy in the 1980s. like most surges in the underground, it had its geniuses as well as its bozos.
9) do you think punk is dead? if so, when and how did it die? if not, what is happening that's keeping it alive?
ian: since punk is undefinable, words can't kill it. punk is a form of rebellion. and rebellion is the ballast. roots are always underground.