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Punk aficionados (see also Transients) can't help but see a little bit of themselves in each character, as they struggle to exist within an increasingly redemptive social construct. Decentralisation of government plus reductions of social programs have combined with incorporation of wider cultural differences, with the result of increased integration of many groups previously rejected by general society.

Because of this, the twin pillars of punk culture, derangement and isolation, have become mainstream. With the middle class gazing favourably upon those who, by definition, personify rotten-ness, the self-conscious identity crisis of today's punks makes it increasingly difficult for them to "keep it real," a common phrase which means remaining faithful to the roots of the culture by refusing to incorporate with the mainstream.

Attempts to do this, and preserve punk culture forfeit the nature of "pure" punk, which is the spontaneous outgrowth of counter-social (often antisocial) culture, usually invented and adopted by its adherents ( do-it-yourself), in order to prevent the obliteration of their human identity.

Punk culture is typically brutal, but not primitivist. The complex forces which give it form, nurture it, and ultimately compel its destruction are typically found in conditions of extreme need, but within post-industrial societies. Yet, punk culture reflects a deliberate step away from the development of civilisation, toward a more instinctive expression of feeling. The conditions which spawn pure punk culture are extremely negative, and thus the cultural reflection of these less-refined expressions is usually vulgar, rude, straightforward, and violent.

Extremes in dress and music are hallmarks of punk culture, and body modification is common. At the peak of punk culture, body piercing represented a radical, socially unacceptable form of behaviour, which was sought after for its inherent ability to shock and repel the mainstream middle class. Today, since tattoos and piercings are no longer considered shocking, those seeking to project a punk image often resort to body branding and, more recently, skin-removal and sub-dermal metal implants. As to whether one who submits to such increasingly drastic measures is a "true" punk, has, with the death of the genre, become moot.

It is this "death of punk," which MacDonald demonstrates through the course of events portrayed in the film. Just as transplanting wildflowers guarantees their destruction, the desperation with which lead singer Joe Dick tries to recapture the glory days of Hard Core Logo literally kills punk. The circumstances are void of the dynamics which spawn the culture, and to keep a semblance of the spirit alive, Joe resorts to incanting the name of his role model, punk demigod, Bucky Haight. He claims that Haight has died violently, and gives the impetus for going on this last tour a romantic, even noble appearance.

Bucky Haight represents original punk. He did not pursue a lifestyle which showcased benchmark characteristics of the culture, but was rather an individual who lived through the formative circumstances, and was able to translate the experience into music. His alleged death is Joe Dick's way of acknowledging that the original punk culture has ceased to exist.

In fact, Bucky Haight has retired to a life of comfortable solitude. He has matured past punk, and lives on a farm. He expresses anger toward Dick for claiming he has been killed. To illustrate his lack of sentiment toward the past, he gives Hard Core Logo guitarist, Billy Tallent, his famous Stratocaster, in an offhand way. It is as if, rather than passing a torch, Haight is ridding himself of rubbish, as he communicates clear disdain for Tallent when he tells him to keep the guitar. It is not a mentorship; punk is dead.

Genuine variations of punk undoubtedly exist, as differing circumstances of extreme need within different cultures will predictably give birth to unique voices of anger. Perhaps acoustic-punk/rock movements are natural results of the decay of punk, but again, trying to artificially restore something historic, which depended on organic spontaneity is not punk, but more in line with folk music. Future attempts to recreate punk music will gradually become more legitimate as folk music, as the passage of time tends to transform the bizarre present into the rich tapestry of history.

Surely the essence of punk survives, and will exist as long as social discord and unequal living conditions remain institutional hallmarks of "free" societies. Also, of course, there are die hards who cannot let go of their affinity for their chaotic days within the culture. For them, the film may well be a harbinger of things to come. Their inability to adapt to the times very well may end tragically, either in suicide, or commercial franchise. It is this certainty which is picked up by MacDonald, and has made Hard Core Logo a touchstone of Generation X's obsession with itself.

MacDonald leaves the ending void of morality, which is congruent with punk culture, and allows viewers not familiar with its internal tensions to experience some of the gut emotions which foster it.

See also SLC Punk