Punk politics

Kids these days. They're either rocking against Bush or raging against the machine. Either way, musicians across the spectrum and the nation -- especially in Seattle -- are vying for the political attention of their young, angry fans.

"Political music is scary to write," said Vanessa Veselka, vocalist of the local acoustic-punk duo The Pinkos. "Nothing is less cool than being honest."

From Web sites such as PunkVoter.com and ConservativePunk.com -- which encourage young punk fans to become politically savvy voters --- to compilation albums like Rock Against Bush and right-wing radio geared toward Generation X, political pop culture is everywhere, even in our own back yard.

Local acts like The Pinkos are known for raging about damaged democracy, police abuses and women's issues.

"There's a fine line between being preachy and clever," said Veselka, The Pinkos' front woman and lyric writer. "I'm tired of being shy about [politics]. I want to write about it."

Lyrics like: "Cops aren't here to watch your back/cops are here to keep down blacks" are now a trademark of the band. Those lyrics, from "Pinkos Theme Song," were meant to protest the 2000 Democratic presidential campaign.

While Veselka incorporates her political beliefs into her lyrics, her personal affiliations are hard to define. Neither an anarchist nor a communist, she said she plans to vote for the Edwards/Kerry ticket in the 2004 presidential election.

"In the 1990s, it was bad taste to have political convictions," said Veselka, who was lead singer of the '90s band Bell. "To be political was to be a buffoon, vulgar."

Now, she says, there are too many hot issues to remain silent.

"I'm frustrated with the Constitution getting trampled and the continual rise of the Christian right," she said.

According to musician Michael Graves, punk music isn't just for liberals. Graves, the former lead singer of legendary punk band The Misfits and current voice of Gotham Road, is an outspoken right-wing supporter and a regular contributor to ConservativePunk.com.

"Rebellion against the center of society and its politics is nothing new to punk rock," Graves wrote in an article for the Web site. "The stakes, however, have become much higher than any other time than in the past."

While it may be difficult to find a hardcore conservative punk movement in Seattle, some of the country's founding fathers of punk are urging young voters to support the Bush administration.

"God bless President Bush, and God bless America!" shouted Johnny Ramone at The Ramones' induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002.

According to Nick Rizzuto, founder of ConservativePunk.com, punk music was never intended to be solely liberal or conservative.

"Punk rock has always been about thinking for yourself," Rizzuto said. "What's the point [of] thinking for yourself if we're all expected to come to the same decision?"

According to Blake Wright, owner of The Pinkos' label Empty Records, while political substance helps sell records, it's not the only factor of a successful controversial band.

"You don't sell a band on its politics," Wright said. "You sell a band on its music and then hopefully the politics will get fans to think about the world around them."