In what has to be some of the most pretty vacant news to come down the pike in some time, auction house Christie's, the uppity New York firm known for high end sales to high end people, will be holding an auction of collectibles and memorabilia from punk's greatest bands and events.

The list of crap is impressive: handwritten Ramones lyrics, Richard Hell tour posters, and a Sex Pistols press kit signed by Pistols manager/creator Malcolm McLaren are among the more than 100 items that rich punks will have the opportunity to grab.

Of course, the real news here is that 'punk' as an aesthetic has been accepted and appropriated by the, well, upper class. We're talking about a movement (punk, that is) that thumbed its nose, and other body parts, at the establishment. It was about taking control of your destiny. The Sex Pistols, in an event that proved that punks knew how to market themselves, signed their contract with EMI at the front gates of Buckingham Palace. God Save the Queen, that fascist regime.

Now, punk has made it uptown, and is for sale. How did we get here? Several factors are at play.


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