Punk at the Skirball
Jenny Lens, Screamers at a Bus Bench, Los Angeles, April 1997 The Skirball Cultural Center might seem an unlikely venue for a show on Punk music and culture. In fact, many of the key figures of Punk were Jewish. That's one animating thread of the Skirball's "Outsiders, Outcasts, Rebels + Weirdos: Punk Culture 1976–86." Music, much less a zeitgeist, can be difficult to capture in a museum show. But Punk was also a visual medium that emphasized do-it-yourself logos, flyers, and (analog) memes. "Outsiders" is thus a big, highly retinal show with more than 500 posters, zines, photographs, buttons, and items of clothing. Installation view with costumes by Vivian Westwood and Malcolm McLaren Two of the four Ramones (Joey and Tommy) were Jewish As the Skirball tells the story, New York was the wellspring of Punk, prioritizing Situationist-style performance over musical chops. Punk crossed the Atlantic to London, where it resonated with a youth culture disillusione...
