29 Aug The Punks Are At It Again

From the mind of Jeff Price, Solarpunk builder, writer, and artist ~ What is the deal with Solarpunks?

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The origins of punk aren’t easy to pin down. Was it the Sex Pistols? The Ramones? Hell, maybe it was Rosa Parks! There’s no way to know where or when punk started. We can only remember it and love it, because it stands for freedom of expression and the radical expansion of self against adversity. 

What is ‘Punk?’

Yes, punk is a genre of music. And yes punk is a fashion style. And yes punk is a way of life. But all these are evolving. I like to think punk is leaving behind its roots of nihilism and self-destruction and heading towards a new horizon of healing and transcendence. (Please keep in mind: this is not to disparage the roots of punk, as the community has always had love and respect at its core. So hear me now: I proclaim the righteousness of punk and vow never to cast too much shade on the holiness of the mohawk lineage. Ya hear that? Now don’t come after me you damn dirty punkers!)

Is it crazy to say punk could save the world? If so, put me in a straightjacket! However, it won’t save a thing unless we add the word ‘Solar.’ (Seems trivial but it’s not, mmkay.) We’re gotta move beyond punk’s origins of nihilism and destruction and enter a new world of mutual benefit and cosmic connection. The ‘Solar’ prefix will help us remember where we are going! 

‘Solarpunk’—it’s got a nice ring to it!

What’s the world of the Solarpunk?

Done are the days where we wasted away, drunk on depression and destructive coping mechanisms. Alas, those were times of great disaffection, and, while they were necessary, we must now advance past that adolescent stage. Punk is growing up. And to signify it’s new status of grown-ass adult, we’re going to place the word Solar in front of it so we can all know we’re done with wanting to die. Hear that? Ok, say it with me: We want to live! We want to thrive! We don’t wanna die! We don’t wanna die!

Yes! We wanna dance and sing and revel in the majesty of this new world we’re collectively creating! It’s happening, woman—wow, it really is. All these divides are dead. No more nonsense ‘issues’ which serve no purpose other than to manipulate the masses. We just say “Ah well! Whattya gonna do?” and let them be plagued by their damn divisions. It’s none of our business, really. (And besides: it’s easier to climb all the mountains of the world than to change a fool’s mind.) These lower frequencies have no place in this solarpunk wave of light penetrating the minds of the youth, refracting through the oldies, and infusing occupiers of the astral realms. 

What are the Solarpunks to do?

I’ll leave ya with this. Despite his quacky hang-ups, Tim Leary was a pioneer and, I believe, a hero of our culture. His catchphrase was “Turn On, Tune In, Drop Out.” I believe this mantra is more necessary now than ever. Because they’re using fear campaigns and wedge issues to charge the masses with negativity. That’s what they’re doing! We gotta “Drop Out” of all that nonsense. Just forget about it.  And while we Drop Out of that line, we Tune In to ourselves and our core truth, which is that we’re here to explore ourselves and our inner worlds with freedom, curiosity, excitement and love. So let’s Turn On to that, Tune In to ourselves and Drop Out of the maze-like gauntlet they want to make of this world. 

Big brother is out there, man, and unless you tune him out and tune yourself in, well, you’re gonna go down the rabbit hole pretty fuckin fast. Stay Solar, ya punk you. 

—Jeff Price