Destroy! The influence of punk.

Legs McNeil didn’t just witness punk’s birth, he helped name it. From the chaos of late ’70s New York, McNeil carved out a space for misfits, outsiders, and anyone who didn’t fit the mold. As the co-founder of Punk magazine, he gave voice to the subculture, capturing its raw defiance and shaping its legacy in ways no one could have predicted.In this episode, we trace McNeil’s journey from Connecticut to New York City, where he collided with the anarchic energy of CBGBs and the raw force of bands like The Ramones. His magazine wasn’t just about music, it was a declaration of war against the establishment. “I never thought what I did was shocking, I just thought it was normal.” (Legs McNeil)But McNeil’s story isn’t just about punk. His curiosity took him into worlds few would dare enter, the criminal underworld and the adult film industry. In this episode, we discuss how he went from punk provocateur to chronicler of outsiders, writing The Other Hollywood, a raw, uncensored oral history of the porn industry, and uncovering the dark truths behind Frank Lucas and the infamous American Gangster story.“I’ve always wanted to understand the things most people don’t want to see.” (Legs McNeil)Through his unflinching gaze, he found humanity in the shadows. McNeil’s journey is about more than rebellion; it’s about understanding the unseen, listening where others turn away, and finding truth in the chaos.-Follow us on Instagram @destroypunkpodcast for the latest updates. Or visit us online: https://destroypunkpodcast.com for transcripts, show notes, and more.

Jon Savage’s journey into the heart of youth culture began at Cambridge University, where he turned his back on a career in law to pursue his passion for music and cultural criticism. From his early days writing fanzines in the 1970s to his influential roles at Sounds and Melody Maker, Savage became a defining voice in the world of punk and beyond. His landmark book England’s Dreaming captured the essence of punk, which, for Savage, was never just a genre, it was a cultural movement that challenged the status quo and created a space for personal expression and rebellion.In his latest book, The Secret Public, Savage explores the transformative power of LGBTQ+ resistance in popular culture and delves into how groundbreaking artists like Little Richard and David Bowie used their music and public personas not just to break taboos but to redefine the very concept of identity, carving out new spaces for self-expression, leaving a lasting impact on music and culture.Savage’s place in the history of music journalism is firmly established, and his passion for music and its power to affect change has never waned. To this day he sees punk’s DIY ethos as still offering a framework for artists to create and express themselves on their terms, despite the overwhelming influence of corporate interests in the modern music industry.“Punk was about doing things for yourself—if you want to say something, play an instrument, or write, then just do it. That’s the most important lesson it left us.” (Jon Savage)Savage continues to write and contribute to publications like The Guardian and Mojo, offering fresh insights into the intersections of music, culture, and politics. His work remains vital in understanding the cultural forces shaping our world, whether through his writing, public lectures, or interviews.In this episode, Savage reflects on the lasting influence of punk, the changing media landscape, and the ongoing impact of artists like Bowie and Little Richard in reshaping societal norms.-Follow us on Instagram @destroypunkpodcast for the latest updates. Or visit us online: https://destroypunkpodcast.com for transcripts, show notes, and more.

Growing up in a small seaside town just north of Liverpool, artist Brendan Dawes was always determined to make something of himself. Leaving school at 16 with no formal qualifications, he found himself propelled forward by the rise of revolutionary computer technology and a passion for Acid House."The computer was like this amazing box where I could make creative things. I always wanted to make stuff in some form, back then it was music. But with computers, I thought, this is incredible. You could just type into it, and it would do things. It just spoke to me." (Brendan Dawes)A self-taught coder, Dawes developed a unique approach to his work, leading him to opportunities worldwide. In 2004, he created Cinema Redux, a pioneering work that transformed an entire film into a single visual and earned a place in the Museum of Modern Art’s (MoMA) permanent collection in New York.Never one to stand still, Dawes became a key figure in the rise of NFTs, with Black Mamba’s Revenge, an abstract work based on the final fight scene in Kill Bill Vol.1, that sold at auction within the first hour of its release in 2020. This milestone marked a new evolution in his work leading him to collaborate with director Gary Hustwit, in 2024, on the groundbreaking documentary Eno, based on the extraordinary life of musician Brian Eno. The film, the first generative documentary ever shortlisted for an Academy Award, was hailed as a “revolutionary cinematic experience.”In February 2025, always at the center of creative disruption, Dawes took part in Christie’s inaugural AI art auction in New York, a controversial event that divided the art world. While some saw it as an inevitable evolution of artistic practice, others condemned it as a fraudulent attempt to profit from AI-generated works trained on artists’ intellectual property without consent.Always a true radical, Dawes continues to push the boundaries of contemporary art, seamlessly blending technology, data, and visual storytelling. Whether digital or physical, his work remains at the forefront of cultural upheaval, redefining what art can be in an era of constant transformation.-Follow us on Instagram @destroypunkpodcast for the latest updates. Or visit us online: https://destroypunkpodcast.com for transcripts, show notes, and more.

In 1984, industrial music legends Cabaret Voltaire released Sensoria on the Some Bizarre record label, the first single from their sixth album, Micro-Phonies. The song mixed driving beats and multicultural rhythms over a winding soundtrack and a hypnotic vocal.The Cabs, as they were known, never sought fame in the traditional sense; instead, they just thought it was important for you to listen. For them how things were presented was just as important - believing it was about your takeaway from the experience, as a whole, that mattered most.Peter Care, a pioneering filmmaker from southwest England, had been making films for the band since the 70s, yet the music video he made for Sensoria was one of the most requested videos on the MTV video charts for seven months and was subsequently procured by the Museum of Modern Art in New York. It was also voted the Best Video of the Year in 1985 by the LA Times and is considered the greatest “underground” music video of all time.In this special episode of Destroy!" called Scene x Scene, we talk to film director, Peter Care, the "up and over" camera rig designer, Tony Hill, and Cabaret Voltaire cofounder Stephen Mallinder, about how the video was made.-#sexpistols #anarchy #1976 #destroy #destroypunkpodcast #punk #cabaretvoltaire-Follow us on⁠ Instagram⁠ @destroypunkpodcast for the latest updates. Or visit us ⁠online⁠: ⁠https://destroypunkpodcast.com⁠ for transcripts, show notes, and more.

The day Malcolm Garrett walked into Virgin Records in 1977 and bought Anarchy in the UK was a revelation. The Sex Pistols, and punk, were a modern manifestation of his Dadaist dream, and seeing them playing on TV that day changed his life. From that moment on he knew he was destined to bring his artistic vision to the masses and went on to create some of the most daring and original work for multiple punk, post-punk, new wave, and new romantic bands in history: Magazine, Duran Duran, Simple Minds, and Culture Club, amongst many others. His cover for the Buzzcocks notorious single “Orgasm Addict”, is considered one of the most important record covers of that time. Unafraid to mix high art with pop culture, his work also helped define the aesthetic of an era, creating unique visual identities that elevated the public image of each band he worked with. And, as the 80s saw the birth of MTV, his unique vision also helped them conquer the second “British invasion” of America, enabling them to cement a place in the hearts and minds of anyone who had just turned 16. “In 1977, the rebellious ‘Dada’ movement that I was looking for suddenly walked through the door, and it was a band called the Sex Pistols. It was like a light switch. Click. That’s it. Today. I’m a punk from here on in.” (Malcolm Garrett)Born and raised in Cheshire, on the outskirts of Manchester, England, his contrarian point of view and passion for design earned him an MBE in 2020. He is currently the creative director of Images & Co and continues to work with long-term business partner and Design Manchester co-director, Kasper de Graaf.Follow us on Instagram @destroypunkpodcast for the latest updates. Or visit us online: https://destroypunkpodcast.com for transcripts, show notes, and more.

At 17, inspired by the defiant spirit he saw in the various music magazines of the day, Anton Corbijn picked up his father’s camera and never looked back. By 1979, he was in London, capturing a photo of his beloved Joy Division at Lancaster Gate tube station. A year later, Ian Curtis’s death would transform the image into an icon, and cement Corbijn’s place in photography’s rock-n-roll hall of fame.“ I like people finding my work somewhere, that’s what I always liked about magazines, you accidentally meet your work if you publish in magazines, and I’ve always liked that.”Throughout his career, with a camera always as his cover, Corbijn has built countless profound relationships with artists and musicians of every kind and creative persuasion, capturing their essence through his raw, unfiltered reportage style. None are more profound than his 40-year collaboration with Depeche Mode, a deeply prolific relationship that began in 1986, which has propelled both Corbijn and the band into cult-like heroes. Today, continuously pushing himself forward, his relentless vision and unwavering ambition have made him a pioneer in image-making and visual storytelling. From album covers to set design, and music videos to filmmaking, he is constantly pushing the boundaries of his craft, always inserting his unmistakable personality into every project and idea; leading him to fertile collaborations with legends like George Clooney, REM, Philip Seymour Hoffman, and U2, and establishing him as one of the most influential creators of the 20th century.-Follow us on⁠ Instagram⁠ @destroypunkpodcast for the latest updates. Or visit us ⁠online⁠: ⁠https://destroypunkpodcast.com⁠ for transcripts, show notes, and more.

Stephen Mallinder has been pushing the boundaries of music since he cofounded Cabaret Voltaire in 1973, long before punk even opened the door. The band’s influence has reached far and wide since those early revolutionary days inspiring many of the music industry’s most creative artists, including, Nine Inch Nails, and Depeche Mode, and helping set up musical “signposts” for house music, techno, and hip-hop to follow. “We were influenced as much by film and television as anything else. We saw ourselves as modernists, as people looking to the future. As part of the machinery of the modern world.”-Follow us on⁠ Instagram⁠ @destroypunkpodcast for the latest updates. Or visit us ⁠online⁠: ⁠https://destroypunkpodcast.com⁠ for transcripts, show notes, and more.

On December 1st, 1976, the Sex Pistols appeared on English national television cursing and swearing obscenities. The “Bill Grundy incident,” riled a nation, incensed one man to destroy his TV, and inspired multiple generations of aspiring cultural revolutionaries to change the world.-Follow us on⁠ Instagram⁠ @destroypunkpodcast for the latest updates. Or visit us ⁠online⁠: ⁠https://destroypunkpodcast.com⁠ for transcripts, show notes, and more.