Gypsy Punk - Philosophy

Philosophy

The Romani are so spread out that they “lack a homeland”. Gypsy punk is not just full of Romani culture, but also the lack thereof. For the Romani, music has been identified as a “primary form of cultural expression” The Romani, through their ties with the western punk influence, have created music that allows those who play to express themselves and forge an identity.

Gypsy punk is not only utilized and performed by people of the Romani, or “gypsy”, culture. Punk encapsulates “rebellion, anarchy, and resistance”. These thoughts are transferred then to the hybrid genre of “Gypsy Punk”. This insinuates that gypsy performances and the music itself promotes a freedom for those who participate in the genre. It’s a romanticized version of the lives of an actual “gypsy”. Instead of being “Russian”, “Jewish”, “Eastern European”, etc. they can “articulate their identities, while joining in the performance of being a wild and wandering gypsy”. By making the actual gypsy culture seem like something it is not, “it does not consider the authenticity of Roma representation but rather replicates an idealized and dreamed-up version of what being a gypsy means.