[oldmanthrowit]

> Punk's original ethos was "I don't like my parents' music and culture and I don't know how to play an instrument but I still wanna express myself".

This isn't even close to the reality. You might enjoy reading a book entitled, "Please Kill Me: The Unauthorized Oral History of Punk Rock", by Legs McNeill (he coined the term Punk).

The Ramones were kids who had an intense love of post-war Americana. Inspired by late '60s/ early '70s glam-rock & proto-punk scenes, they wanted to bring back to the garage which had been lost to 10 minute soloing prog-rock bands and soulless disco music. I feel like "We Want The Airwaves" is the "Why?" section of /ramones/README.md.

The Clash? Mick Jones and Topper Hedon were very well-versed musicians. Joe Strummer was a passable rhythm guitarist, but was an amazing lyricist.

Sex Pistols? They were the boy band of the MacLaren empire.

[peterwwillis]

None of that seems to have anything to do with their ethos. Yes, The Ramones, the shittiest punk band that ever existed, was basically making bad 50s music. The Clash and the Sex Pistols were absolutely fed up with their parents' generation. Who gives a shit if they were taking advantage of pop idols and trying to make themselves "bad boys"? Clothing and the ability to shred isn't an ethos.