At this point there are only three things in the world that haven't been called "the new punk rock" (zoos, Carnival cruises, and Talbot's), but I have to say I was honestly suprised to read that yet another unlikely thing was being heralded as "punk-inspired": ugly, expensive furniture.
From the New York Times:
Kara Mann, a Chicago-based interior designer, is bringing some of her favorite furniture designers to her hometown with a new showroom opening next week. The 4,000-square-foot showroom will be the first in the United States to carry the work of Jimmie Martin, a London company that makes punk-inspired pieces like the silver-leaf crucifix-encrusted bureau ($6,500). Ms. Mann will also carry the company's English library chair ($4,500), and its Word dining table ($6,000) and dining chair ($2,000)…
How "punk-inspired" are these pieces of furniture? Well, looking at the pre-graffitti-ed "English library chair" or the $6000 dining table with the word "seduction" scribbled on it, feels an awful lot like putting a saftey pin through your eyelid. That's pretty punk, right?
Actually, maybe I'm wrong. Maybe Jimmie Martin is making the ultimate "punk" statement here. After all, is there anything more "punk" than writing "Pimp Your Vision" in White Out on an Urban-Outfitters-castoff armchair and then selling it for $4500?