When the punk thing came along and I heard my friends saying, "I hate these people with the pins in their ears." I said, "Thank God, something got their attention."
--Neil Young

Can you believe that it's been over forty years since the likes of the Ramones, the Sex Pistols and Iggy Pop blew young music lovers' minds with a sound they had never, ever heard before? Fast-paced songs with hard-edged melodies and singing styles, plus stripped down instrumentation and often political, anti-establishment lyrics took rock music to a whoooole other place. Yeah, kids still loved Zeppelin, and, hell, worshipped the Stones, but what was this???

The visuals of punk were just as jarring at the time--like the music, loud, fast and distorted. Enter the Museum of Arts and Design. The institution aims to explore the visual language of punk in its exhibition Too Fast to Live, Too Young to Die: Punk Graphics, 1976-1986. The curators have gathered more than 400 flyers, posters, album covers, promotions and zines that personify the glory days of punk.

Alongside this memorabilia, visitors can watch interviews with Iggy, Joey and Dee Dee Ramone and punk goddess to us all, Debbie Harry. Village Voice staff photographer Fred W. McDarrah and others who chronicled that moment in time have contributed never-before-seen photos of punk characters of the day.

In conjunction with the exhibition, the museum is showcasing films centered on punk's global influence. Check out the schedule to catch films like Young Soul Rebels and Jubilee, among others.

So here's what you need to know:

The exhibition runs through August 18th, so you have plenty of time to get to it. The museum is located at Columbus Circle (a quick ride uptown from the hotel on the A,B, C or D). Admission is $16, with seniors paying $14, students, $12 and 18 and under free.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Image via Jamie/Flickr