SO, WHAT’S NEXT?
Was “50 Years of PUNK” at the Ki Smith gallery just the beginning? Or the end?
The “50 Years of PUNK” gallery show was an unqualified success: Thousands of people attended events at the Ki Smith gallery, most artists and photographers sold stuff, and the event got some nice publicity. Here’s some of the media coverage that the show generated:
Artnet.com: How PUNK Magazine Helped Shape a Global Movement
https://news.artnet.com/art-world/punk-magazine-ki-smith-gallery-new-york-2724150
In-Depth Interview with Yours Truly:
Richard Boch (author of the Mudd Club history) covered the show for the Roxy Hotel:
https://www.roxyhotelnyc.com/stories/punk-magazines-50th-anniversary/
EV Grieve: “A look at ‘50 Years of PUNK,’ opening tonight at the Ki Smith Gallery”
https://evgrieve.com/2025/11/a-look-at-50-years-of-punk-opening.html
And: “50 Years of PUNK This January”
https://evgrieve.com/2026/01/50-years-of-punk-this-january.html
Gary Lichtenstein Editions: “50 Years of PUNK”
https://www.gleditions.com/50-years-of-punk
Morrison & Co, Tokyo: “PUNK Magazine’s 50th Anniversary!”
https://morrison.co.jp/en_topics/283.html
Say Art: Ki Smith Gallery Opens ‘50 Years of PUNK’ Exhibition Celebrating Iconic Magazine’s Legacy
https://sayart.net/news/view/1065593405497922
So, what’s next? I’m sorting out a lot of offers and possibilities. Can we open more “50 Years of PUNK” events in other art venues in other cities? Sure, we’re even looking at a possible tour later this year, maybe even do something overseas. But I have to be careful, it’s too easy to lose money on tours nowadays. So stay tuned on whatever we might do over the summer.
As an aside, in a way it’s hilarious to me that this “50 Years of PUNK” thing happened at all. For one thing, back in the day most people at CBGB thought it was a stupid idea and hated the name. Not many people would have voted back then to call the CBGB scene “punk.” For another? All the so-called “critics and experts” later claimed that punk rock died in 1979. So what is punk rock doing, hanging around alive and well 50 years later? Ha ha ha! Sorry, but I took SO MUCH SHIT from people back in the day for calling it all “punk”… I needed to vent for a minute. Sorry.
——————————————————————————————————————
So, what’s next? More 50th Anniversaries, of course.
For one thing, the Ramones 50th Anniversary of their first LP, released on April 23, 1976. I’ve heard about a few different places planning the anniversary. Stay tuned for details! This should be good.
The Sex Pistols are also, oddly enough, planning a world tour to celebrate “50 Years of Punk” even though they hated the term and avoided calling their band punk rock for most of the last 50 years. No hard feelings, guys! Welcome to the Punk Mag Club! And I bet you’ll see many more events like this:
https://events.bl.uk/events/punk-50-years-of-rebellion-creativity-and-raw-e
The Damned are also doing their Damnedest to promote the 50 Year anniversary:
https://parade.com/news/the-damned-summer-in-the-city-cover-50-years-punk
Even though punk rock didn’t really take off until 1977 for most bands, and throughout most of 1976 the Ramones were the lone punk rock band? It will be interesting to watch a lot of bands claim to have been punk rock back in 1976, since most of them didn’t release a recording until 1977. The exceptions are (as reported by Wikipedia):
1. The Saints
With their debut single “I’m Stranded,” released in September 1976, they became the first punk band outside the US to release a record, ahead of the first UK punk releases from the Damned, the Sex Pistols and the Clash.
2. The Damned
“New Rose” was the first single by the English punk rock band the Damned. It was released on 22 October 1976 by Stiff Records.
3. The Sex Pistols
The band’s first single, “Anarchy in the UK”, was released on 26 November 1976.
——————————————————————————————————————
Something always bothered me about “The 50th Anniversary of Hip-Hop”: It celebrated the “conception” of rap music instead of its actual “birth.” To me, a birth signifies the creation of something: a baby, or a product (like a record, book or magazine). Hip-Hop jumped the gun by claiming that the movement began when DJ Cool Herc debuted his technique of playing funk breaks to a roomful of teenagers in the South Bronx. But if this standard was applied to punk rock, then the birth of punk rock would have started with The Stooges first LP in 1969, or the Ramones first performance at CBGB in 1974, or maybe even earlier.
That’s why I feel that the “Punk Movement” began when PUNK Magazine was published in 1976. The Dictators 1st LP had come out in March 1975, and the Stooges LPs came out years earlier, but they weren’t seen by anyone as launching the punk rock movement. The “birth of punk rock” came a few months later, when the first LP was released in April, 1976.
Anyhow, this is what I believe: Punk rock began with the Ramones and PUNK Magazine in early 1976. We produced the first punk zine, they made the first true punk rock record. This was the true birth of punk rock.