"Ancient" Punk Rockers: From Deborah Harry to Iggy Pop

Thirty years after the heyday of the Punk-Rock era ('76-'77), some of those original punk rockers are 30 years older. Shock! Gasp! I know; I'm good with numbers.

I decided to investigate a little, to see who are the oldest of the old amongst the Punk-set. Thanks to wikipedia.org I managed to find the birthdates for (5) of my favorite Punkers and it's quite surprising to see just how old some of these rebels with a cause were at the time they began their respective punk careers. The most notably aged rocker I noticed was Mr. Jet Black, drummer for the Stranglers from 1974 to the present day who was born 08/26/38, making him the elder statesman of punk rock drumming at 69. The Stranglers were one of my favorite bands as a teenager back in the late '70s. Managing to skirt being afflicted with the full on punk moniker (something that killed most bands past 79) but still retaining the threatening stance and attitude of punk but with more of a sleazy pub-hooligan bravado which surprisingly stood the test of time. Nasty lyrics backed with great instrumentation. Jean-Jacques Burnel (the youngster, at 55) on bass and especially from Dave Greenfield, 58, on keyboards accompanying the blistering snarl of Hugh Cornwell, who himself is no spring chicken at 58.

Next we have the biggest musical pin-up of the late '70s, Deborah Harry (aka: Blondie). Born 07/01/45 making her 62. With her unique pouty lips and boundless sexual appeal she made Blondie one of the biggest acts of the late '70s and it's nice to see that she has had something of a resurgence in recent years getting back together with the Original Blondie Line-up to record and tour. Her occasional foray into films wasn't hugely successful but one always gets the feeling that she's having a good time.

Next we have good old Charlie Harper, lead singer with one of Britain's best true Punk bands, U.K. Subs. Born 04/25/44 it was apparent even back then that he was well into his early 30s when punk took off '76 to '77 and now at 62 he's still going strong, touring with the U.K. Subs. Never really given the full recognition they deserved the U.K. Subs were rougher round the edges with short, sharp sing-along punk ditties following the same short and energetic credos of the Ramones.

Next we have Bruce Gilbert of Wire, perhaps the only experimental-punk-rock band around in the late '70s. Born 05/18/46' this 61 year old guitar player is a true innovator of experimental sound and is still actively making music today. His solo work has often been used in modern dance numbers and his visionary contribution to the wondrous collaboration known as 'Wire' was invaluable during their most productive musical years 77'-79' with their first 3 classic albums 'Pink Flag', 'Chairs Missing' & '154'. Eclectic and surreal, fierce and frightening with poetry for lyrics they remained unique but sadly again underappreciated as one of the most innovative bands to ever come out of Britain. For me they were the U.K. equivalent to the U.S.'s 'Talking Heads' in having their own unique vision.

Lastly in the '60s division we have 'Iggy Pop' (real name: James Newell Osterberg, Jr.) - thank you wikipedia.org. For some the grandfather of Punk Rock with the Classic 'Stooges'. Born 04/21/07' he has managed, probably against all odds to have survived to a healthy looking 61' albeit it overly-tanned and weather-beaten. He's certainly lived the rock & roll life style and was one performer who was probably more outrageous onstage that off. Famed for his bloodied body twisting performances he seems to have mellowed nowadays. I expect he's making plenty of royalties from all the advertisements using his songs nowadays. 'Lust for Life', 'Real Wild Child' & 'The Passenger' getting regular play on the TV. Nowadays selling everything from Cruise Lines to Fashion.

It's good to see that time hasn't gotten the better of these 5 pensionable punkers. All appear to be living life to the full and are still actively making music. So even though Punk crashed and burnt itself out in the space of 2 years it's good to see that it didn't destroy everyone involved.