EPIX premiered their new docu-series PUNK on Monday, March 4th at SIR in Los Angeles, California. The red carpet was filled with PUNK alumni stepping out to show their support for the beloved and eccentric art form.
A Q&A panel followed the screening, featuring Executive Producer John Varvatos, Executive Producer Derik Murray, Henry Rollins (Black Flag), Duff McKagan (Guns N’ Roses), John Lydon aka Johnny Rotten (Sex Pistols), Marky Ramone (The Ramones), Donita Sparks (L7), and Q&A moderator Kory Grow.
Among the revolutionary veterans of punk to walk the carpet in the sign of solidarity were Palmolive (The Slits), Matt Sorum (Guns N’ Roses/Cult/Velvet Revolver), Ronnie & Foxie Simmons (The Hots), Ginger Coyote (Punk Globe), Brett Gurewitz (Bad Religion), Exene Cervenka (X), Clem Burke (Blondie), Jello Biafra (Dead Kennedys), Jesse Malin, Wayne Kramer (MC5), Keith Morris (Circle Jerks/Black Flag), Harley Flanagan (Cro-Mags/The Stimulators), Don Bolles (Germs), Jim Lindberg (Pennywise), Fat Mike (NOFX), Noodles aka Kevin Wasserman (The Offspring), Kevin Lyman (Founder of Warped Tour), Winston Smith (Visual Artist behind Dead Kennedys), Mike Ness (Social Distortion), and Michael Grecco (Celebrity/Music Photographer). Other notable guests included Justin Hartley (This Is Us), Linda Ramone, Moby, Machine Guy Kelly, Mena Suvari, Drea de Matteo, Jonny Wickersham (Social Distortion), Todd Morse (The Offspring), Dave Kusher (Velvet Revolver), Shepard Fairey (Artist), Eric Balfour, Tara Subkoff, Rodney Bingenheimer, Weston Cage Coppola, Michele Chong, Josie Cotton, Genevieve Morton, Donovan Philips Leitch, Kate Crash, Lee Ving, Ryan Cassata, Alexis Joy, and Kevin Manno.
From the creative minds of executive producer John Varvatos and punk music legend Iggy Pop, this four-part docu-series highlights the trailblazers of punk music, along with some of punk’s most notorious bands. With an exclusive inside look at never-before-seen photos, film, and raw interviews, the series is seamlessly blended with provocative visuals accompanied by a roaring soundtrack of punk’s greatest hits and some of its misses. PUNK gives viewers an intimate look into the creation of the music, fashion, and art behind this subculture of tenacious rebels and self-proclaimed misfits and outcasts.
Henry Rollins of Black Flag said, “It was always about self-reliance and standing up for yourself, not waiting for anyone’s permission,” when asked what punk means to him.
When asked what she found most inspirational about the punk movement, The Slits’ Palmolive said, “The do-it-yourself attitude, and the craziness, the noise; that we had no limits. That we questioned things, and that we weren’t intimidated by not having the proper education or anything.”
Whether you are a veteran fan of the punk genre or an intrigued newbie, this beautifully compiled collection of the history and meaning behind the birth of punk will keep you fascinated.
PUNK premieres on EPIX March 11, 2019 at 10 p.m. ET/PT, 9 C.
