Anarchy in the archive again: an account of a South African punk rock music collection.
Punk Music in South Africa: Short IntroductionThe British punk movement, initiated by Malcolm McLaren in 1975, originated with the working classes. (2) The importers of punk music in South Africa, starting from 1977, inherited this musical form from the British. Ironically, the South African proponents of this phenomenon hailed from the middle class. These were university students from the white, urban, middle-class of the ruling minority, not disenfranchised or marginalised youths. (3) With reference to their identification with British punk music, Michael Fleck (aka Mick Sick/Johnny Teen) of the band Wild Youth points out in an interview that the band could identify with the music, but not the lyrics:
Obviously we can't identify with the dole queue. We'd be hypocrites if we did identify with them, because we aren't poor. But we can identify with boredom and the sort of things that get on your nerves that the punks sing about--police getting you down and this sort of thing ... (4)
British punk music played a substantial role in the development of South African punk music. Michael Fleck, who was particularly impressed by the punk movement in England, formed the band Wild Youth in 1978 shortly after he had returned from a trip to that country. Initially they imitated the British form, but gradually changed to adapt to the South
African context: rebelling against oppression and commenting on South African issues. (5) South African punk musicians articulated their differences, as exemplified in Wild Youth's song, 'Wot 'Bout Me?' (1978) where the singer contrasts himself with international musicians (Johnny Rotten, Sid Vicious, Elvis Presley and others), but establishes himself as punk musician and prides himself in his local identity. (6)
The city of Durban is regarded as the centre for the development of punk music in South Africa. (7) Research has pointed towards the liberal tradition of the University of Natal in Durban as the reason for the development of punk music there, but as South Africa's largest port, Durban was also culturally more cosmopolitan than most South African cities. (8) This hypothesis is not unrelated to, for instance, the reasons why the port city of Liverpool was one of the major centres of the booming rock culture in 1960s Britain. (9)
Punk in South Africa arrived at a time of political turmoil: the Soweto uprisings and police violence of 1976 continued into the 1980s. (10) Looking at punk as a form of resistance of working class youth against parent culture, politics and monarchy, (11) the South African equivalent of this movement in the late 1970s and 1980s displayed characteristics of resistance against the dominant culture and ideology of apartheid. (12) Since the punk movement coincided with the apartheid years, it can be seen as countering the apartheid ideology. (13) Song topics included the inferior nature of the Bantu education system and unjust apartheid laws, for example the songs 'Freedom' and 'Disgrace'. (14) Besides taking a political stance and expressing their frustration with authority, South African punk bands also criticised the record industry, (15) such as Wild Youth's 'Record Companies' (1979). (16) Adhering to the 'do-it-yourself' ethic, most South African bands played their own compositions, with occasional cover versions of British punk bands' music. Technology also allowed ordinary people to write and perform their own music on their own home recording equipment. (17) These bands organised performances and made posters. A number of bands also produced their own demos and singles, which were distributed through close-knit networks, at concerts, and also worldwide. (18) In these ways they circumvented and undermined the mainstream music industry, (19) including the recording and distribution of this music. The endeavours of Ernesto Marques (aka Ernie Pap), who is the subject at the centre of the archive on which this article focuses, are a clear example of this phenomenon.
Clearly, the punk movement in Britain cannot be read in a similar socio-political context as the one in South Africa. Lyrics of British punk songs from bands such as The Clash ('Bankrobber') and the Sex Pistols ('Anarchy in the UK') reflect anarchist ideas and can be read as a plea for the destruction of traditional values, state and civilisation. (20) Anarchist tendencies in the lyrics of South African bands surface in the demand for the dissolution of the existing government in exchange for a more 'equitable social order'. (21) There seems to have been a desire to establish an improved social order in place of the existing order, in contrast to the general perception of a violent and vulgar punk culture. This is the anti-racist, anti-homophobic and socially conscious character of punk culture. (22) Ernesto Marques confirms this in a 1995 article in the fanzine Anarchy Again:
My personal philosophy of punk is that it is not just a form of music but a way of life. To live your life without harming the planet, animals or fellow humans. A life where everyone is free to make their own decissions [sic] for their own lives. To help those who need help (the sick, poor, aged and victims of circumstance) and to destroy the bad elements of society (racism, sexism, warfare, crime, animal experiments). If there were more punks around, the world would be a better place. So spread the word. Go out and have fun but don't harm anyone. United we stand, divided we crawl [...]. (23)
As mentioned earlier, the first punk bands in South Africa started performing in 1977. With South African punk's roots in Durban, (24) Michael Fleck, a student from the University of Natal and from the elite neighbourhood of La Lucia in Durban, formed the first South African punk rock group, The Fourth Reich, in 1977. Other notable punk bands included the Contaminators, Impact, Guilty, Gay Marines, and Power Age, among others, as represented in a punk family tree drawn up by Rubin Rose of the group Power Age (see Illustration 1). (25) The bands represented in this family tree date from 1977 (with Fourth Reich's establishment) to 1988 (with Power Age's disbandment). (26) South Africa's first all female punk band, Leopard, was formed in June 1979. They played regularly in Durban before separating in 1980. (27)
Six of the Best (1979), produced by Benjamin Mudie (producer for WEA Records), was the first South African recording that featured punk music, with bands such as Wild Youth, Corporal Punishment, and Leopard. (28) The songs from this record were not broadcast due to the contentious topics they addressed. Eventually this record was deleted from record company catalogues. (29) Since the punk movement in South Africa did not have a large following, the sound evidence of this movement has largely been deleted from record company catalogues. (30) However, it appears that a wider network of fans of South African punk outside South Africa existed, due to the endeavours of Rubin Rose, of the group Power Age. (31)
Power Age, founded in 1981, did not make a secret of their anti-apartheid stance, which they articulated more openly than was done in general punk songs. With images of violence and angry pessimistic lyrics, they protested against the apartheid government. (32) Rubin Rose joined the band in 1982. They released their first single in 1983 (World War Three' and 'Vengeance of Youth') on a tight budget. Further singles included 'Who are You' (1985), 'Stop Apartheid' (1985), 'The Last Dove' (1985) and 'World Today' (1987). (33) The track 'Adapt or Die,' from 1983, is marked by angry, repetitive lyrics, quick rhythms, distorted guitars and a harsh vocal style:
Crying out for love The system don't hear Turn around They'll stab you in the back Somebody's crying But nobody cares Contemplate love But it's blood they want Survival in the system Adapt or die People don't care For that human cry Adapt or die Adapt or die Adapt or die DON'T ADAPT YOU'LL DIE (34)
'Adapt or die' was a slogan used by former apartheid minister P.W. Botha in his speech to parliament in October 1979, and was directed at white conservatives who were against reform. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Botha's National Party attempted to diffuse national tensions and international opposition to apartheid by implementing political reforms not aimed at dismantling apartheid (35) A substantial portion of the one hundred copies of Power Age's album was distributed in Britain, Europe, and the United States of America. (36) With the apartheid government's security forces' intervention in the lives of these band members, Rubin Rose became despondent and left the band in the mid-1980s, concerned about losing his job. (37)
The Ernesto Marques Punk Music Collection
The rare 1988 recording, Power Age: Live in Durban, formed part of the personal archive of Ernesto Marques, loaned to the Documentation Centre for Music (DOMUS) in February 2011 for digitisation. (38) Ernesto Marques's interest in punk music stems from the late 1970s, initiated by the output of American and English groups such as the Ramones, Sex Pistols, and The Clash. (39) Although these groups formed the foundation of his collection and interest, Marques later drew his inspiration from South African punk music groups for his home production of fanzines and his recordings of their music.
Today Marques operates a music stall at Milnerton Flea Market near Cape Town and is an ardent long-distance athlete. (40) With a work background of employment at The Argus newspaper as a compositor and photo lithographer, he has had a relatively limited background as a practicing musician. His extensive knowledge of rock and punk music comes from his intense interest in this music. (41) Marques owns an extensive collection of rock, metal, and punk rock music that spans some 15 metres of shelf space. His personal collection consists of LPs, sound cassettes, CDs, DVDs, monographs, fanzines, and artefacts. On one occasion, Marques received a poetry recording from the American musician, Iggy Pop. Years later, when Marques contacted Pop about this recording, it became evident that it was a one-off and rare recording of poetry that he (Iggy Pop) recited on the spot. The South African part of the collection that features in the present article consists of 29 sound cassettes, twelve CDs, two LPs, and eleven fanzines.
Fanzines
Marques's involvement in the production of punk and rock music and fanzines came from the awareness that the mainstream popular magazines did not represent this music. Backed by his interest in punk rock and spurned on by a growing awareness of such endeavours internationally and in South Africa, he joined Robert Poulter, who founded the fanzine Crisis SA. Six of these fanzines appeared from 1989 to 1990 and the first two issues were produced by Poulter. The second issue has been lost. (42) In due course Marques became responsible for the writing, with Poulter's periodic assistance. (43)
As Marques perceived the title of this fanzine to be negative, he changed the name after issue 6 (1990) to the more positive sounding title Sound Action, with the motto, 'Take Action--Take Sound Action'. (44) In principle, the content remained similar to that of Crisis SA. Four issues appeared during the course of 1991 and 1992. (45) After a silence of a number of years, the duo produced the fanzine Anarchy Again in 1995. (46) This fanzine accompanied a sound cassette with a similar title. Their last fanzine, World Wild Wanderers (1996), was written to oppose cruelty against animals. (47)
The Poulter and Marques fanzines contain ample evidence, through reviews of recordings and performances, of rock and punk music in South Africa. Marques established networks with people in South Africa and internationally to compile the fanzines. During his time of employment at The Argus newspaper, he devoted his tea and lunchtimes to compiling the fanzines. On one occasion, he recalls having received 45 letters, to each of which he responded personally. Unfortunately, the letters he received no longer exist. Photographs were sourced from different locations, including newspapers. In the latter case he occasionally altered the pictures slightly and, in his words, 'got away with them'. (48)
Marques indicated that the readership of the fanzines ranged between the ages of 20 and 50, with a slightly larger interest from males. Readers were mostly people who attended the gigs. Besides the subscription base of approximately 100 individuals, the fanzines also reached non-subscription readers. (49) In the third issue of Sound Action, the editors note that the Legal Deposit Library in Pietermaritzburg had requested copies of the fanzine. The alternative was a fine of R250. Marques gleefully noted this in Sound Action:
This can actually work to our advantage. The 'zines will be transferred onto microfilm thus becoming part of S.A. Culture! Perhaps they could distribute our 'zines as well? (50)
Generally, the fanzines contain reviews of performances attended by Marques and Poulter. The geographic coverage includes Cape Town, Durban (the 'punk capital of South Africa'), and Johannesburg--the three primary locations as demonstrated by the 'scene reports'. Occasional coverage of performances in Pretoria, Port Elizabeth, Grahams town, and East London also appeared. Band news, interviews with musicians, and record and demo reviews were also regular features in Marques's fanzines. Marques regularly reviewed other fanzines during that time and from his reviews it is evident that his awareness of the publication of South African fanzines increased. In due course, 26 South African fanzines were listed by Marques and Poulter, 30 when the four titles by Marques are added. (51)
The first issue of Crisis SA featured a 'News From Abroad' section listing non-South African bands. This column later disappeared, a silent testimony to the increasing importance of and interest in local punk bands. The first issue of Sound Action, in contrast, promises a 'regular feature on South African musicians abroad and musicians with a South African connection'. (52) In addition to the evidence of a South African punk and rock music culture, as represented by the reviews in these fanzines, the two main titles, Crisis SA and Sound Action, contain succinct histories of South African punk and rock music, respectively.
Recordings
Marques released some 43 recordings of South African punk, rock, and heavy metal music under the label Sound Action. (53) Some of these were collaborations with other producers. Armed with a double tape deck and no supporting budget, Marques produced various recordings for dissemination. He approached musicians and offered to produce their music. Often musicians supplied Marques with recordings, which he reproduced on his double tape deck. For the band Raven Wolf, Marques bought studio time to record them. A number of the Sound Action recordings also include music by bands from outside South Africa.
Further Remarks
Although the South African punk movement started in the 1970s, Marques only became involved in the production of fanzines and recordings in the 1980s. During the 'first wave', Marques was in Pretoria where, in his words, 'not much was happening', suggesting that Durban was the main location. (54) Marques's primary motive for his punk music activism stems from his interest in the kinds of music represented in his collection. Although he stated in an interview that politics was not the trigger for this interest, he did take an occasional stand on matters (political and non-political). (55) For example, he criticized the band Voice of Destruction (VOD) for their support of Satanism. (56) In the bulk of the fanzines, some 8% cover the theme of politics, including anti-fascism. Other themes and content prevalent in these fanzines include social issues, song texts, support for South African bands, and promoting a punk attitude.
Judging from the limited literature on South African punk music, it appears in most of these sources that punk music in South Africa was essentially a political matter. The documentary, Punk in Africa, by Deon Maas and Keith Jones, confirms this angle on South African punk music. (57) Although Marques purports that his main focus was musical rather than political, the bands and music addressed politics directly and indirectly. (58) It is also worth mentioning that Marques's house was searched by the police in the early morning hours in the 1990s. (59) This resonates with an understanding that South African punk bands were active in the politics of resistance against the dominant culture and ideology of apartheid. Power Age is a typical case in point, with song titles such as 'Adapt or Die,' 'Smash the AWB,' and 'Apartheid Laager'. (60)
Conclusion
Political history has dominated narratives about South Africa's recent past. Small and idiosyncratic collections such as the punk and rock music collection of Ernesto Marques, offer views into this history that allow historians to start unravelling the complicated texture of this history. The significance of small archives such as these is that they modulate and sometimes challenge dominant historical narratives. In this way it is perhaps appropriate that the institutionalisation of Marques' archive at DOMUS continues the resistance, in this case, against hegemonic historical narratives, so characteristic of the punk music genre.
Santie de Jongh (1)
(1.) Santie de Jongh is the archivist at the Documentation Centre for Music (DOMUS), Stellenbosch University, South Africa. She serves on the RILM South Africa committee and on the Executive Committee for the South African Society for Research in Music (SASRIM). This paper was read at the IAML Conference, Montreal, Canada, 22-27 July 2012. The present author wishes to thank Stephanus Muller and Graham Pringle for reading and commenting on this paper.
(2.) Allan F. Moore, 'Punk rock', in Grove Music Online, [2013]. <http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/subscriber/article/grove/music/46257>. Extensive accounts of the punk movement can be read in: Jon Savage, England's Dreaming: Anarchy, Sex Pistols, Punk Rock, and Beyond, New York: St. Martin's, 2001; Roger Sabin, Punk Rock, So What: The Cultural Legacy of Punk, London: Routledge, 1999; and Greil Marcus, Lipstick Traces: A Secret History of the Twentieth Century, London: Faber and Faber, 2001.
(3.) Nasan Mogambery Pather, 'South African Punk Rock, New Wave and Alternative Music, 1977-1989' (Master's thesis, University of Durban-Westville, 2000), pp. 2, 3, 24, 79; Lindy van der Meulen, 'From Rock 'n Roll to Hard Core Punk: An Introduction to Rock Music in Durban, 1963-1985' (Master's thesis, University of Natal, 1995), pp. 55, 57. Based on P. Lee of the Rand Daily Mail, 25 July, 1979, as quoted in van der Meulen, pp. 57-58, it appears that audiences were from the same class background.
(4.) Johnny Teen quoted in van der Meulen, p. 56. This is a quote from a local newspaper [publication unknown] in 1978, found in a scrapbook that was lent to van der Meulen by veteran punk rocker, Rubin Rose.
(5.) Keith Jones and Deon Maas, Punk in Africa, [South Arica]: Meerkat Media, [2011], [DVD]. An interview with Power Age vocalist Lance Rattray on 23 June 1994 confirms this. See van der Meulen, pp. 71, 115.
(6.) van der Meulen, p. 169. A recording of 'Wot 'Bout Me?' is accessible at <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iAhWymYag9E>.
(7.) Jones and Maas, [DVD].
(8.) van der Meulen, pp. 23-25, 55.
(9.) Ibid., p. 25. See also Sara Cohen, Rock Culture in Liverpool: Popular Music in the Making, Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1991.
(10.) van der Meulen, pp. 55, 116-117.
(11.) See, for example the seminal books by Jon Savage, Roger Sabin, and Greil Marcus, cited above.
(12.) Pather, pp. 1, 2. See also van der Meulen, p. 55.
(13.) Jones and Maas [DVD]; Pather, pp. 2, 3, 24; van der Meulen, p. 58.
(14.) van der Meulen, p. 116. See also the liner notes of Power Age: Live in Durban, [South Arica: Power Noize], 1988.
(15.) Ibid. See also the liner notes to Power Age: Live in Durban, [South Arica: Power Noize], 1988; Dying to be Heard, Vol. 2, [Cape Town: Sound Action], 1992 and Wichard's Wadical Wadio, [Cape Town: Sound Action], 1991.
(16.) van der Meulen, p. 61. Van der Meulen here specifically refers to: Tonight Reporter, The Daily News, 26 July 1978. A recording of 'Record Companies' can be heard at <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qf_xUu9-LGs>.
(17.) van der Meulen, pp. 58, 168.
(18.) Ibid., p. 58-59. In this respect, van der Meulen, p. 58, also refers to an article in Music Maker, 19 January 1979, p. 35, entitled 'Sick Mick and the Varsity Crowd'.
(19.) Ibid., p. 168.
(20.) Pather, p. 41.
(21.) Ibid.
(22.) Ibid., p. 45.
(23.) Ernesto Marques and Robert Poulter, Anarchy Again, [Cape Town: Sound Action], 1995, p. 1.
(24.) Pather, p. 80.
(25.) See van der Meulen, p. 54. See also Pather, p. 80-81.
(26.) van der Meulen, p. 73, states that Power Age disbanded in 1987. See also Power Age: Live in Durban, [South Africa: Power Noize], 1988
(27.) Garth Chilvers and Tom Jasiukowicz. History of Contemporary Music of South Africa. Randburg: Toga Publishing, 1995, p. 71. See also van der Meulen, pp. 68-69 and Pather, p. 83. Pather, p. 83, states that they formed in 1977. Leopard members listed in Crisis SA include Linda McGregor (aka Linda Leopard), Debbie Bell (aka Debbie Dangerous), Marion Kunst (aka Marion Moron), Sharlene Whitely (aka Sharlene Sick), and Suzie Rosser (aka Suzie Sucker). This illustrates the punk preference for names reflecting an anti-social character. See Marques and Poulter, Crisis SA, No. 3, [Cape Town, South Africa], 1990, p. 9.
(28.) Six of the Best. WEA Records, WIL 7000, 1979.
(29.) Pather, pp. 56-57, 80, 82. Pather does not specify the labels and catalogues.
(30.) Ibid., pp. 3, 156. Pather, p. 156, notes that when foreign albums were deleted by South African companies, imports of the specific albums could still be obtained from international companies. Once local (South African) albums were deleted they could not be obtained.
(31.) van der Meulen, pp. 59-60.
(32.) Ibid., pp. 71-73.
(33.) Power Age: Live in Durban, [South Africa: Power Noize], 1988; van der Meulen, p. 72.
(34.) Ibid; van der Meulen, p. 120.
(35.) P.W Botha biography, in: Encyclopedia of World Biography, [2013], <http://www.notablebiographies.com/Be-Br/Botha-P-W.html>.
(36.) van der Meulen, pp. 72-73.
(37.) Ibid., p. 73; Power Age: Live in Durban, [South Africa: Power Noize], 1988.
(38.) The digitization of this collection was done by Leonore Bredekamp of the Stellenbosch University Music Department.
(39.) Ernie Pap, Death of Pop, 2009. <http://deathofpop.com/about/erniep.html>.
(40.) Interview with Ernesto Marques, 29 May 2012.
(41.) Interview with Ernesto Marques, 29 May 2012; Ernie Pap, Death of Pop. <http://deathofpop.com/about/erniep.html>.
(42.) If anyone has a copy of this, DOMUS would be interested in adding it to this archive.
(43.) Marques and Poulter, Crisis SA, [Cape Town: Ernesto & Robert], 1989-1990.
(44.) Interview with Ernesto Marques, 29 May 2012; Marques and Poulter, Sound Action, [Cape Town: Sound Action], 1 (1991), p. 2.
(45.) Marques and Poulter, Sound Action, [Cape Town: Sound Action], 1991-1992.
(46.) Marques and Poulter, Anarchy Again: The Battle Rages On, [Cape Town: Sound Action], 1995.
(47.) Marques and Poulter, World Wild Wanderers, [Cape Town: Ernesto & Robert], 1996.
(48.) Interview with Ernesto Marques, 29 May 2012.
(49.) Ibid.
(50.) Marques and Poulter, Sound Action, [Cape Town: Sound Action], 3 (1991), p. 2. A search for Sound Action on the National Library of South Africa catalogue, <http://www.nlsa.ac.za/>, confirms that the fanzines were received.
(51.) These fanzines still need to be located. None except Sound Action, Kagenna, and Slug News are available in the Legal Deposit Library in Pietermaritzburg. If anyone has copies, DOMUS would be interested in them for this archive.
(52.) Marques and Poulter, Crisis SA, [Cape Town: Ernesto & Robert], 1 (1989); Marques and Poulter, Sound Action, [Cape Town: Sound Action], 1991.
(53.) Sound Action is a demo label as well as the title of a fanzine.
(54.) Interview with Ernesto Marques, 29 May 2012.
(55.) Ibid.
(56.) Marques and Poulter, Crisis SA, [Cape Town: Ernesto & Robert], 6 (1990), p. 5; Interview with Ernesto Marques, 29 May 2012.
(57.) Jones and Maas, [DVD].
(58.) See, for example, headings such as 'Anti Fascist [sic] Prayer' and 'The Call of White South Africa' in Marques and Poulter, Anarchy Again, [Cape Town: Sound Action], 1995 and 'Wembley Concert for Mandela' and in Marques and Poulter, Crisis SA, [Cape Town: Ernesto & Robert], 3 (1990).
(59.) Interview with Ernesto Marques, 29 May 2012; E-mail correspondence with Ernesto Marques, 2 July 2012.
(60.) The AWB (Afrikaner Resistance Movement) is a conservative South African political organisation dedicated to Afrikaner nationalism. A 'laager' is a circle of ox-wagons for protection against animals and attacks.
TABLE 1 Punk and rock fanzines in South Africa
produced by Robert Poulter and Ernesto Marques.
Title Dates
Crisis SA 1989-1990 (6 issues)
Sound Action 1991-1992 (4 issues)
Anarchy Again 1995 (1 issue)
World Wild Wanderers 1996 (1 issue)
TABLE 2 South African punk and rock fanzines,
alphabetical list.
Title Dates Notes
(where known)
Altered Principles
Anarchy Again 1995 Edited by Robert Poulter
(1 issue) and Ernesto Marques
Brave New World Sux
Communicate
Counter Insurgency
Crisis SA 1989-1990 Edited by Robert Poulter
(6 issues) and Ernesto Marques
Cry Freedom
Enough
First Holy Communion
Hard Gore
Hardcore Whimzies
Kagenna: Your Global 1989-1992 Description 6 v.: ill.;
Neighbourhood Picture (6 issues) 30 cm. [Cape Town]
Book (Kagenna, PO Box 4713,
Cape Town 8000): Green
Start, 1989-1992)
Monster Mosh
Mozzer-Zine
No Goan
No Pain No Gain
Noizenews
Oh Dear What Can The
Matter Be
Protest and Survive
Quotations of Brainy
Smurf
Shitty 'zine for the
Shitty Scene
Slug News [non-music] 1989-1994 Plumstead [Cape Town]:
(30 issues) Snailpress, [1989]-1994.
Numbering/Dates: Vol. 1
(1989)-no. 30 (Feb. 1994)
Social Blunder
Sound Action 1991-1992 Edited by Robert Poulter
(4 issues) and Ernesto Marques
System Attack
Take Action Now (TAN)
Take That You Cad
The Puritan
World Sound Power
World Wild Wanderers 1996 Edited by Robert Poulter
(1 issue) and Ernesto Marques
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| Author: | de Jongh, Santie |
|---|---|
| Publication: | Fontes Artis Musicae |
| Article Type: | Report |
| Geographic Code: | 6SOUT |
| Date: | Apr 1, 2013 |
| Words: | 4281 |
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