Punkast is a weekly podcast exploring punk in the historical present through critical conversations, inquiry, and collaboration.
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In this episode:
“... Show the kind of global nature of punk… retranslated or rearticulated.”
Jessica Schwartz is joined by historian Jeff Hayton in a conversation exploring punk in East and West Germany across the Cold War divide. Together, they examine how punk circulated through underground networks, crossed political and cultural borders, and took shape differently on both sides of the Iron Curtain. Hayton reflects on the geopolitical and social conditions that shaped German punk, the infrastructures through which music and ideas moved, and the ways punk became a means of reimagining everyday life, identity, and possibility within divided Germany.
Jeff Hayton is an Associate Professor of Modern European History at Wichita State University whose work explores punk, popular culture, and modern German history. His book, Culture from the Slums: Punk Rock in East and West Germany (Oxford University Press, 2022), examines punk scenes across the Cold War divide and the ways punk circulated, transformed, and challenged political and cultural systems. He is currently writing new books on mountaineering and modern Germany.
This conversation includes questions and contributions from students in a UCLA musicology course facilitated by Jessica Schwartz and was recorded in March 2024.
Links + References:
Dr. Jeff Hayton (faculty profile)
Email: jeffrey.hayton@wichita.edu
Culture from the Slums: Punk Rock in East and West Germany | email Jeff Hayton for copy!
Credits:
Punkast is hosted and produced by Jessica Schwartz.
Editorial support: Melissa Hernandez – audio editing, episode notes, and audio-synced transcript.
Transcript:
Theme Music:
Lady Bits, \"Bitch-a-thon,\" Lady Bits.
Related:
Jessica Schwartz co-hosts the Punk Scholars Podcast on the Punk Scholars Network.
Connect with Punkast:
Instagram: punkastucla
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