A few years ago I was reading books on the history of punk and put some thought along these same lines. I might try and stick some quotes in here, but the three books I found the most relevant to D&D were Fu*** Up + Photocopied: instant art of the punk rock movement by Bryan Turcotte, Retromania by Simon Reynolds and Please Kill Me by Legs McNeill.
The general idea was that music had become this large and complex orchestrated event with bands like Led Zeppelin, Bowie and Yes. But boil it down (or distill) to its core and what you really want is young people, noise, and energy. The window dressing, fireworks, and seats aren't necessary, just mainline me the emotion, straight into my gut, you can punch it into me, but don't sugarcoat it into me with fake Disney happiness. A punch is f**ing real.
Another thing is available technology-for example punk music was killed by the drum machine, because the drum machine allowed people to capture noise and energy with even less effort than a 3-piece punk band's guitar and drum set.
All this is pretty much why I give the side-eye to punk's fetishization of "authenticity" (and not just, as one might rightly infer from my handle, because I'm rather inclined to be aesthetically on the side of Bowie and Yes).
There's the assumption that to be truly of value, a thing
ought to be distilled to its core and stripped of "window dressing." That aggression and energy are more real and valuable than happiness (which is just "sugar-coating"). And there's the distrust of innovation and technology - even when those things actually provide
more access and opportunity for people to create and produce DIY art.
(To be clear: I'm not accusing you, [MENTION=54007]mflayermonk[/MENTION], of these points of view, or assuming you're doing anything more than describing them; they read to me as accurate attitudes of many self-identified followers of punk, and sum up neatly why my relationship with that movement is, uh, complicated.)
I think punk and OSR would both do well to be wary of the ways in which they're reactionary, and in some ways essentially conservative, subcultures (or sub-subcultures). They've both provided some much-needed new energy and direction in the art forms they serve, and useful new sets of tools for addressing various issues; and in both cases, one of the best things they do is encourage DIY approaches that don't need the approval of gatekeepers. I love how punk and OSR both say, "You can do this too! You don't have to be an expert to contribute! I just learned this myself yesterday!" That's
awesome. But they're both also unsettlingly good at enforcing their tribal boundaries, and that's not so awesome. So while I applaud (and participate in; my homemade terrain and game aids, let me show you them) what punk brings to D&D, I find myself at pains to suggest we should see it as something that expands the palette instead of limiting it.