The Punk Fashion Show of 1977

DebbieKneeling

On September 23, 1977 at the Hollywood Palladium, there was a "Punk Rock Fashion Show" that featured musical performances by Blondie and The Avengers. Strangely, The Avengers played after Blondie, in the so-called headliner spot.

p in white


Avengers drummer, Danny Furious gave the low-down on that in an interview he gave in 2004, which you can read HERE at this link.

avengers at KROQgrayWEB
Danny Furious being interviewed at KROQ in 1978

Back in 1977, mainstream promoters were trying their best (and most of them failed) to bring punk rock into their offerings. A lot of them didn't get it, or they didn't get how to do it the right way... that punk rock fashion show was pretty stupid as I recall. Local girls wore their own clothes and an announcer described what their fashion statement was supposed to mean.

belinda graffiti web
Belinda Carlisle and friends... punk rock "it girls" and their fashion statements hanging backstage


I think the promoters just didn't realize that the crowd was supporting their friends and bands they liked, and didn't need to have their own culture explained to them. Of course, if it was 1997, or 2007... that punk rock fashion show would have been just another reality TV program.

Back then, it was something to do and definitely something to laugh about.

outside passout records

The photo above was taken in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY in 2006. Punk "fashion" has been incredibly consistent through the decades, don't you think?

Comments

Gina Ray Works said…
love this...

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