Distinctions of Authenticity and the everyday punk self

This article examines the construction authenticity of a particular UK DiY punk scene. Using ethnographic data gathered in 2001, it examines members’ reference to broader ethical ideological themes through an analysis of their interviews. I offer the model ‘Distinctions of Authenticity’, which identifies four key component strategies at work in the pursuit of self-authentication that have purchase for future work on punk authenticity studies. This model challenges reductionist models of a singular punk authenticity. In doing so it presents an approach to overcome what are identified as key gaps in subcultural research left by both traditional (BCCCS) subcultural research and later post-structuralist accounts that do not fully take into account the workings of micro-discourse in maintaining and constructing subcultural punk authenticity.