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The people: Jonh Ingham

Watch Jonh Ingham discuss the key figures involved with punk in its early days.

Jonh Ingham, writing for Sounds and Caroline Coon, writing for Melody Maker were the first journalists to document the emergence of punk.

In this dicussion, Jonh mentions the infamous Bill Grundy interview with the Sex Pistols on the Today Show in December 1976. (Please note that this clip contains some offensive content.)

He also mentions the famous female punk band leaders: Siouxsie Sioux of Siouxsie and the Banshees, Poly Styrene of X-Ray Spex, and the band, The Slits.

It’s difficult to imagine what it was like to encounter punk for the first time, as Jonh did. He describes the people as those ‘who don’t fit into regular channels figuring out ways to seize opportunities to do things and see where it led’. What made punks different? Can you think of any examples of other movements that have sprung up and are doing something completely new and different?

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Anarchy in the UK: A History of Punk from 1976-78

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