“Grupitos de raros […] vacilando al compás de una botella de pisco”: Spaces of Resistance, Independent Production and Media Coverage of the Chilean Punk in the 80s

Abstract

This paper addresses the Chilean punk originated during Augusto Pinochet’s dictatorship. We delve into one precursor band of this movement: Los Pinochet Boys (1984-1987), which, like The Ramones, The Clash and Sex Pistols, expressed a skeptical discourse of the “establishment”, disapproving the power elites, the institutionalized control, the labour exploitation, the consumerism, the formal education, and the supremacy of the Catholic Church. That group, completely self-managed, performed in dissidents and repressed spaces, such as Garaje Internacional Matucana 19, Galería Bucci and El Trolley. Subsequent bands, like Los KK, Anarkía and Caos, also released independent productions, of which the covers used to represent apathy against the military regime.

Because of the Chilean press cataloged the punk movement negatively, we analyse three articles about Los Pinochet Boys. These account for certain prejudices about the followers of that music genre: it seems they are disturbed, violent, alcoholics, drug addicts, and they usually go to wild parties.