DIY: Do It Yourself
by Julia Conny

As Michael Azzerad said in his book, Our Band Could be Your Life, Scenes From the American Indie Underground 1981-1991, "If punk [is] rebellious and DIY [is] rebellious, then doing it yourself [is] punk."

From the founding fathers to the installments of today, one ideal has motivated the punk messenger. This one ideal has pushed through the corporate shrink-wrap, and into the basements of young punk romantics. This one ideal has been used, reused, and abused to the fullest, by both the big-business recording industry and followers alike. This one ideal is doing it yourself, or at least trying to do it yourself. So what if most who try fail miserably. It's the effort that counts.

Every big city provides a rich culture of underground life. From artists, poets, to musicians, the streets spit out a vast array of like-minded individuals; where the production and distribution of their art is all that stimulates everyday life. Perhaps each hopes for some kind of success that reaches far beyond city limits, but instead trickles into the mainstream. Perhaps secretly, perhaps publicly, wanting to succeed on a greater level is not something to take lightly when it comes to the underground world. Success is both a bitter pill and a sweet morsel. For all wish to achieve, but not all can appreciate the achievement.