Instructor Spotlight: Micah Huang

What is your favorite punk rock artist/song?

My favorites change a lot depending on how I feel each day. Right now, though, I'm very into the X-Ray Spex' 1978 debut album, Germfree Adolescents. Love me a good satire of consumer culture.

What are the elements of a quintessential punk rock song?

One of the great things about Punk Rock is its resistance to standardization. There's no single standard for a punk aesthetic, punk sound or even punk ethos. That said, a lot of punk songs are short, loud, fast and driven by vocals/lyrics.

What do you think makes punk rock resonate with people in the sea of musical genres that exist today?

Punk rock has always been rooted in rebellion against the music and culture industries. Before the internet, that meant rejecting record deals and MTV. Nowadays, it means questioning the streaming industry, and the idea that “more streams = better” when it comes to music... and everything else. Punk is about choosing for yourself, and making art that speaks your truth. It’s a very different experience from music that’s designed to “get in the algo.”