Punks versus phunks
And the soul of the NFT revolution
One of the most exciting things happening now in the NFT space
Is the flip of crypto punks
Those digital beings facing right
Which have become status symbols of the modern age
Visa bought one
They sell at Christie’s (or for astronomical money)
And are the property of the elite
In a culture that claims ultimate freedom
And decentralization as it’s benchmarks
The NFT space
Seems to embrace copy cat projects
Derivatives fall or die by their own merits here
And if they succeed
Then they become blue chips
Along with whatever project spawned them.
This is no different than music really or painting or anything else
Good artists borrow. Great artists steal.
We’ve been quoting that since Led Zeppelin and before.
That brings us to crypto phunks
In a land where obvious derivatives are not only accepted but often embraced
This project has created a controversy and been banished in ways only real threats ever are.
I suppose the claim would be that simply by flipping an existing image
By making it face left instead of right
That that is not enough to call it original.
But who makes these rules?
Who decides what is correct in the Wild West of NFT’s?
Especially when their message is focused and drawn up like a revolutionary line in the sand.
One that states
You don’t get to own this space
You don’t don’t get to keep freedom out of our reach. Or is that phreedom?
It is the essence of punk
Effortless
Stupid
Smart
Revolutionary
Accidental and on purpose all at the same time
It’s Duchamp toilet on a museum wall
It’s Warhol’s soup can
As I write that I think
Ahhh but wasn’t that the original crypto punk?
And maybe it was
But that spirit of revolution moves and changes
It jumps from ship to ship
And it abhors power and influence
It always finds its way in the lap of the underdog
Far from the big wig who launched it and got used to riding in first class
Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely
The phunks may soon become the corruptive force they’ve railed against
With the success they are having
But this is an interesting moment in NFT history
As short as that is
A year ago today you could have gotten an original punk for around what you could get a phunk for now.
Soon the most viral project out there may be locked out of open sea
With a marketplace all its own
The powers that be have created a potential monster and not only shot themselves in the foot but maybe in the face.
Because now we see that it can be done
True independence
Without dues or fees
Or kissing anyone’s ass.
And as far as originality is concerned.
Facing the other way
Makes all the difference in the world.