JG Thirlwell appears at talk about German Alternative scene with Gudrun Gut, Vivien Goldman

In the late 1970s and early 1980s, a generation of young Germans became infected by the punk virus. Not for them schlager-schmaltz, smiling chart pop, droning kosmische: they craved voltage, attitude, rewiring. Their enemies were multiple: capitalism, boredom, housewifery, piety, the spectre of nuclear war. In punk—its sounds and attitudes—they found an alternative community. Bands were formed, fanzines scribbled, DIY labels started, clubs and underground venues developed. Wild, inventive music emerged—Malaria!, DAF, Äbwarts, Einstürzende Neubaten, Die Tödliche Doris. Angles and edge, raw rhythms, the dance floor deconstructed.

A panel discussion at the Goethe-Institut in NYC brings together three of the most revered and restless figures of the punk and post-punk era. Gudrun Gut, JG Thirlwell, and Vivien Goldman will discuss the musical and social revolutions they experienced in Germany, the ways in which punk questioned the freedoms offered by the state, its post-unification legacies. What does—could—German punk mean in 2026?

Goethe-Institut 30 Irving Place New York, NY 10003. November 5 2026 6.30pm – 8.30pm. Free admission.