UCLA Library Punk Archive

P

unk crashed into the Los Angeles music scene in the late 1970s. At legendary nightclubs like the Masque, Whisky a Go Go and Club 88, iconic bands with names like Black Flag, X and the Go-Gos performed for fans in torn T-shirts, spikes, safety pins and towering mohawks.

Los Angeles punk, with its chaotic sound, rebellious attitude and anti-capitalist message, fueled an aesthetic that embraced individuality and rejected societal norms — and, in turn, was often rejected by mainstream society. Soon, it inspired the creation of eclectic groups with influences from surf rock, Mexican folk music, garage bands and more.

The UCLA Library Punk Collective is a “DIY group of punks who are interested in collecting and preserving the music and culture of the Los Angeles County punk scenes.” Members of UCLA Library Special Collections (LSC) collaborate with their library colleagues, archivists, professors, students and community members to build a living document of punk music in Los Angeles, with special attention to preserving musicians and bands who fall outside the traditional narrative.

Kelly Besser ʼ94, M.S. ʼ11, library special collections archivist and punk collective member, says, “It’s life-affirming to bring the punk spirit into the library because it’s always been a place for outsiders. One thing about special collections is that it’s been seen and felt deeply as an elitist space where not everyone feels welcome. This is opening the doors to the punks, the people that have felt left out. We’re saying, ‘Your lives are important. So is your music, culture and community.’”

As a UCLA student, Besser found a place in punk. She says, “I was coming out as a feminist, diving into punk, coming out as queer, so it felt like a safe space to me. And I think that’s part of punk’s legacy in Los Angeles, that it’s been open to different genders and sexualities and there’s space for everybody.”

In the pre-digital 1970s and 80s, punk culture thrived through the tangible materials that captured its essence. The UCLA Library Punk Archive collects these artifacts — flyers, zines, photographs, sound recordings and buttons adorned with band logos. They even have the Al’s Bar Rolodex and old desk calendars with band names scribbled in the margins.

One added benefit of the collective is that many of the members are personally involved in the L.A. music scene, attending shows and meeting people. To find materials for the archive, the collective is taking time to build relationships with local musicians, promoters, artists, writers and fans.

Punk collective member, Josh Fiala ʼ05, calls himself “a long-time punk head,” who’s been “involved in the scene since grade school.” A bibliographic control coordinator for UCLA Library Special Collections, library work can be solitary but, he says, “Being in a group with like-minded people is a breath of fresh air.”

The Library’s punk archive was inspired by the Cornell University Library Hip Hop Collection. Megan Hahn Fraser, former co-head of collection management, knew that UCLA would be an ideal place to preserve this integral part of Los Angeles’ history and experience.

The archive centers around marginalized communities and places in an unconventional art form within the confines of a historically traditional framework. Part of a larger UCLA Library initiative called Collecting Los Angeles, they are preserving materials from underdocumented communities whose histories are important to Los Angeles. Besser says, “It’s important to see yourself in the archive, to have that reflection through the historical record.”

But, in punk, diverse perspectives are embraced. When Besser attended the Los Angeles Archives Bazaar, presented by L.A. as Subject and the USC Libraries, one guest objected, saying, “Punk doesn’t belong in the library, it’s for the streets. I’d rather burn my stuff than give it to you.” In an irreverent nod to punk's rebellious spirit, the collective had matchbooks printed with a riff on the title of the band The Exploited’s debut album, “Punk’s not dead. It’s archived.”

UCLA has always embraced emerging talent, and the punk music scene was no exception. Punk legends the Minutemen, the Circle Jerks, the Weirdos, Black Flag, Big Drill Car and the Ramones all rocked out on the UCLA stage. All-female band L7 took over Bruin Plaza for a noon show.

But UCLA students haven’t just been in the mosh pit. Alice Bag, whose band, the Bag, was one of the first L.A. punk bands, graduated from UCLA. John Talley-Jones ʼ79, Kjehl Johansen ʼ80, Steve Willard, Delia Frankel ʼ82 and Kevin Barrett formed the band the Urinals to perform a punk rock parody for their dorm talent show. Savage Republic’s percussive sound was created by Bruce Licher ʼ80 and Mark Erskine ʼ84. Bad Religion’s lead singer and songwriter Greg Graffin ʼ87, M.S. ʼ90, is a double Bruin with a master’s in geology. Vitus Matare ʼ79 and his bandmates fused garage, surf, folk and psychedelic rock in their power-punk band The Last.

Raymond Pettibon ʼ77 was studying economics when his brother, Greg Ginn ʼ05, started the band Black Flag. Pettibon began creating flyers, zines and album covers for his brother’s band. His hand-drawn flyers captured the energy and excitement of upcoming performances. Bob Biggs started Slash Records where he signed bands including the Germs, X and Fear. Theater arts student Penelope Spheeris ʼ69, M.A. ʼ73, produced the punk documentary “The Decline of Western Civilization.”

The first item added to the library’s punk archive was the Darby Romeo zine collection. Zines, short for "fanzines," are self-published magazines, often photocopied and cut-and-paste. Romeo and contributors interviewed punk and alternative musicians for the zine, Ben Is Dead. 

In a major acquisition of community materials, the archive received the American Hotel and Al’s Bar project records. Al’s Bar was a creative complex in downtown L.A. — punk space, gallery, theater and hotel — that recirculated financial and creative support back to the community.

As a public research university, the UCLA Library materials are available for teaching and learning. The collective based their archival theory on the idea of self-description and community use. Fiala says, “We were built around the idea of collaborating with the community. First and foremost we’re here for the UCLA community, but we also want to include members outside of the community.” To fulfill this mission, they work with researchers, attend public events and foster dialogue with the community.

They collaborate frequently with the Los Angeles Public Library on interactive zine workshops. Fiala says, “We celebrate differences in the community, address political and social issues and expand out into other multicultural areas across Los Angeles.”

The LSC Punk Collective participates in conferences, sessions and events to highlight the academic importance of preserving punk culture and collaborates with professors and students in the Herb Alpert School of Music. They frequently work with Professor Jessica Schwartz, and participated in the 2018 conference, “Curating Resistance: Punk as Archival Method.” UCLA Library Special Collections and the LSC Punk Collective organized “Outcasts, Outreach, and Organizing in the Academy” in 2020 to highlight teaching opportunities from the punk community.

Punk’s unapologetic sound lives on, on the UCLA campus and across Los Angeles. The UCLA Punk Archive is a time machine, illuminating our history through the ephemeral artifacts that tell our stories for generations to come. Collecting and documenting punk rock, with its unique and eclectic mix of cultural influences and innovation, provides a window to a better understanding of the spirit and cultural richness of Los Angeles.

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If you want to learn more about the Punk Archive or check out their collection, the materials are available to students, researchers and community members by appointment. If you’re a collector of punk materials and would like to learn more about donating it to the library visit their website.

PUNK BANDS PERFORMING AT UCLA

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