PUNK Magazine 50th anniversary
50th anniversary of PUNK Magazine!
It was back in November 1975, John Holmstrom and friends got the office space in downtown New York
to create a "new movement", start working on a magazine. In January 1976, PUNK was born.
It has been 50 years... so John san is at the full speed now, busy working on a lot of events and projects to cerebrate it!
Battle of the Band Rematch: 6 punk bands gathered and played against each other in the live event at Tompkins Square Park in September last year!! Sounds good... except it rained, heavily, and everyone came to the show was soaking wet.
John san says these are good bands that deserve to play again in the better condition, so he is planning for this rematch. Date and place will be announced shortly!
Another on going plan is the PUNK Magazine 50th art exhibition; John san has booked a "great venue for this" already, for November 2025 to January 2026, proper dates for 50th anniversary!!
Can not wait to hear more details about it!
And the New York Underground Museum is the one that John san has been focusing on recently and has announced several times in his newsletter.
Downtown New York City has been the birthplace or flourishing place of underground culture that has influenced the world. As far back as the 1850s, bohemian culture attracted writers and journalists.
From the 1950s, it was the beatnik culture with people like Ginsberg, Kerouac, Burroughs, Bob Dylan. And there were hippies/yippies in the 1960s who advocated free speech and anti-war.
And in the 70s, punk was born and left a huge impact on the music, art and fashion that followed.
All of these movements took place within a few blocks of downtown New York, and so John san wants to make them widely known and passed down to future generations!
The building chosen for the museum was the former home of the Yippies, led by Abbie Hoffman, one of America's most radical opinion leaders. It is just a stone's throw from the legendary CBGB live music venue, and it was also the site of a boxing gym where he collaborated last year on punk apparel!
A large-scale plan is underway to purchase the building, preserve it as a “historical landmark,” and turn it into a museum, and John san and his team have begun recruiting investors.
The US crowdfunding site “GofundMe” is accepting small donations, however, depending on the amount of the donation, you can have your name plate displayed in the museum. or get the naming rights of the floors in the museum!!
"I wonder if anyone in Japan would be interested in donating?" John san said.
Please check out the website if you are interested!
New York Underground Museum page on GoFundMe
John san is also busy participating in a group art exhibition at the gallery that will be held in April.
We are looking forward to many other things!