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I used to have super-short bleached blonde hair, does that make me an ex-punk?
I never subscribed to the 'movement' though. I like the music, but subverting society just for the sake of looking like the 'progressive rebel' is a load of bullshit. In doing that, you're adhering to a group mentality in the same way as the people you denounce.
Which is why I can't quite understand why everyone kisses Johnny Rotten's ass. I liked the music, but his whole Hall of Fame episode just irritated me. I don't care what kind of bad-ass persona you adopt - if you cut a record, you do so because you think you have something to offer, and that people want to hear it. If you didn't, you wouldn't bother publicizing your art - you'd keep it to yourself. Putting yourself in the public arena in turn garners you fans (hopefully), and, consequently, a following. You will, by default, be categorized in some way. So, to shun the approval of your fans because you're afraid it lumps you in with the 'mainstream,' and you don't want your apathetic punk reputation to be tarnished, is hypocritical, contrived, and just plain fucking dumb. Those fans are what got you where you are in the first place, and if you didn't inhabit the higher social strata they elevated you to, nobody would listen to your pseudo-political bullshit anyway.
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