On living in a punk house in Ashvegas

Jason Sandford

Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.

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Asheville’s included in this book, Punk house:

The Telegram has a story. Here’s part of it:

Abby Banks has to stop and think about whether she has ever lived in a punk house.

“I guess I was living with punks in Asheville in a shack we helped to rebuild,” she said, referring to the city in North Carolina. “I’ve stayed with people different amounts of time. There are some permanent residents, but I’m one of the people flowing in and out. I’ve got hot feet.”

One thing is certain, Banks is likely to have set foot in more punk houses than many devoted members of the subculture. Eager to make a permanent record of the punk way of life, Banks and a friend, Timothy Findlen, took a three-and-a-half-month road trip across the country in the fall of 2004. Armed with a digital camera, Banks shot 6,000 pictures in 65 punk houses. Later, she visited Collective A Go-Go in Worcester.

Banks said that she admires the anti-authoritarian, do-it-yourself lifestyle. Her goal was to publish a book and introduce the scene to a wider audience.

Punk house dwellers reject the mainstream for a freer communal existence centered on making music and art. They pay little rent, eat vegan food and dress in logo emblazoned T-shirts, hoodies, bondage pants and studded leather. Housekeeping is minimal or non-existent. Décor frequently features brightly colored walls with nihilistic messages and lots of knickknacks. Dwellers, who get around on skateboards and bikes, are often men in their 20s. But there are distaff houses and ones in which both genders are present, as well.