Punk rock has survived over the past three decades, but at the expense of devolving into fixed form and fashion — the very rock 'n' roll cliche the original movement so loudly denounced. But for those of us who were there at the time, it was clear that punk was a mind-set, an unspoken philosophy of living. It tore down all aspects of conformity and received identity, in favor of the will for self-creation and the strength to mock authority. By becoming a punk, you became a walking, breathing riposte to society's conventions.
You could do this in one of two ways; you could follow The Sex Pistols, icons of negativity (remember Sid's swastika?) and purely antisocial behavior, or you could fall in love with the inspired idealism of their polar opposites, The Clash. The Pistols burned out all too quickly, in a maelstrom of drugs, murder and lawsuits, which somehow wasn't surprising. "No Future" was a self-fulfilling prophesy, and that left The Clash pushing for a better future.
They could play better, too, and their rage and intensity were harnessed to explosive and tight musical hand-grenades such as "White Riot" and "Career Opportunities" ("the ones that never knock"). Lead by frontman Joe Strummer, The Clash were vocal in their leftist politics and opinions, antiracist and antielitist, and showed a refreshing inclination to widen punk's musical palette, notably through their love of Jamaican music.