Alastair Gordon

“Philosophers theorize about changing the world. The point is to change it. And we have changed the world… hopefully [we] inspire people to not feel so isolated in these looming institutions like the academy, rather than feeling I'm not worthy, you know, putting a PSN shirt on and going, yeah, we got this. We did this.” - Alastair ‘Gords’ Gordon-One year ago, we began the PSP as an extension of the Punk Scholars Network, which has branches worldwide, to amplify punk scholarship across various disciplines. The PSN has provided a supportive community, necessary when punk scholarship remains underappreciated and misunderstood. In this spirit, we welcome PSN co-founder, Alastair ‘Gords’ Gordon, to speak on the beginnings of the PSN, his work on authenticity (among other projects), the significance of anarcho-punk, playing in bands, and crucially, his advice to punk scholars. Don't miss this impactful conclusion to an inspired inaugural season!  Guest Bio. Alastair ‘Gords’ Gordon is Senior Lecturer in Media and Communications at Leicester De Montfort University, UK. He is a cultural sociologist with key interests in critical theory, hauntology, the paranormal and occulture and all manifestations of subcultures and insurgent cultures. He has supervised and examined doctoral theses in the areas of local festival culture, international punk culture; folklore and digital culture. In 2012, Gords co-founded the internationally famous Punk Scholars Network with Mike Dines.  He used to record and tour internationally in such bands as Hard to Swallow, John Holmes, Geriatric Unit and Endless Grinning Skulls.  He is author of numerous academic articles and book chapters.  Most recently he authored Crass Reflections (2016) now in its fifth edition, and co-edited The Punk Reader Vol.1 (2019) and The Punk Reader Vol.2 (2021). His forthcoming research chapter is:  Gordon, A. Dines, M, Stewart, F forthcoming (2025) ‘Psychic TV: Hauntological Cultic Rejection And Autoethnographic Legacies’ in Partridge, C. Wagner, T (eds) New Religions, Spiritualties, and Popular Music, London, Bloomsbury.'LinksEmail: [email protected] Gords — Punk Scholars NetworkAlastair Gordon - De Montfort University, Leicester, UK)Discogs website (music/discography)Musical Excerpts: Geriatric Unit, “Hell Is Just Too Good For You.” Distance and Damage. 2008. -We’d love to hear from you and are soliciting episode ideas and guests. Contact us at: [email protected] PSP theme music is excerpted from “Crows” by Watch You Drown. All rights reserved. Season 1, Episode 12, was recorded on May 12, 2025, on Zoom with participants in the UK and the US. Mike Dines and Jessica Schwartz co-hosted and co-produced this episode and edited the transcript, which is available here. Jessica Schwartz also edited the audio. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.