Days of Punk | BOOK GALLERY
PUNK ROCK PRESS

“When I came of age, in the late 70s and early 80s, we were in the midst of an artistic rebellion that forever changed the face of politics and culture.

This was the era of Punk: boldness, self-expression and freedom. An era of music, attitude and fashion that metaphorically “spit” on established norms.

I grew up in a conventional Italian family, in the suburbs of New York. Tradition and rule marked my childhood.

They told me how to be and how not to be.

I felt suffocated.

When I first walked into a punk club in Boston at eighteen, I discovered I was walking into a club that everyone could belong to. I could finally be myself, or at least discover who I really was.

Wear whatever you want! Say what you want! Make music however you want! In this culture of acceptance, I and countless others dove headfirst into a journey of social and artistic freedom.

This was my life from 1978 to 1986, spending nights in sticky, black-walled punk clubs in the bowels of Boston, with punk bands that would eventually become legendary as they began touring America. I grabbed my 35mm camera and captured punk stars on stage, backstage and on the infamous streets of Boston.

The spirit of Punk was extraordinary, the music endures. He marked me forever. This collection of works has never been seen before in Portugal. I hope that whoever looks at these images will also feel touched by the contagious freedom that emanates from them.” Michael Grecco

VIEW ARTICLE