Developing Realistic Greasepunk

I'm trying to develop a novella based around a greasepunk world but with virtually no examples to work off I'm having troubke visualizing the genre properly. Any ideas and suggestions, recommended reading would be appreciated!

 

What's "greasepunk"? I've never heard the term before.

 

It's also known as Dieselpunk, sort of the fossil fuel driven, 50's styled sister to Steampunk.

 

I'm confused too, because we still use fossil fuels. I've heard of people refer to the look of men in the 50's as Greasers because they grease their hair back, but not anything that has to do with the type of fuel used.

 

it's supposedly styled on the high point in fossil fuel consumption, when everything and it's dog drank petrol and diesel and used carbon/internal combustion based technology. Whilst we might still use fossil fuels today, we're technically in an Electronic based society with a focus towards alternative and green energy, more cyber than diesel but that grey area in between.

 

Who came up with the theme and where did you hear about it? Just out of curiosity.

 

I stumbled on a reference whilst researching a steampunk novella. There are a couple of short stories, pseudo noir stuff, and technically Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow has Greasepunk influences but not fully because it's mixed with cyber elements. It has it's own Wiki page so there must be at least a little interest in it as a genre.

 

Seems like the movie Waterworld would kind of flow with that genre. Or Madmax?

Edit: Would those be Apocalyptic Greasepunk?

 

Waterworld not so much, it was nore focused ob alternative resources, but Mad Max is definitely apocalyptic dieselpunk.

 

Waterworld I would say is pure post-apocalyptic fantasy in an 80's setting, there's not any noir elements I can see in that. Mad Max has definitely got Dieselpunk elements, though it's more a NWO/post-apocalyptic-wasteland survival story.

 

But in Waterworld, everyone is fighting over fuel, which the bad guys led by Dennis Hopper have a tanker full of it. Then pure clean water is considered a delicacy and like money.

 

I suppose I can see that, in a loose way, but the only criteria of the brief it meets is a dependance on fossil fuels. It has none of the ideas or glamor of the 50's and none of the style of noir film. Even Mad Max truly only meets the same single criterion. It's much more a late 70's/eary 80's Savage Punk extravaganza.

 

...but by your criteria, say a movie like The Warriors meets the 1950's style. does that make it Greasepunk?

 

See if you can guess who is in the black car in this clip.

 

I don't know really, I can't find a stable definition and I haven't found much more on it which is why I opened this thread. Another website I just found says Dieselpunk is more aesthetically the period between world war II and the early 50's and Greasepunk is late 40's to early 60's, with a heavy blues influence.

 

So are you trying to plan out stories involved with those times and genres? If so I would focus on the fact that guys coming back from the War still felt a need for a rush and for companionship. That's a big reason so many biker gangs were started. It wasn't about the things today where it's about selling drugs and stealing things. Back then it was just about riding fast bikes, building your own bikes, and riding with your buddies.

Another cool thing they would do, is take the fuel tanks off of airplanes, and turn them into little speed cars.

 

Here's an idea: Somebody put together a dictionary of all these different punks! My head is spinning trying to keep them all straight.

 

I just found yet another website, which defines dieselpunk similarly to the last, I think I'm going to stick with this one for my own work, but anything that falls into either definition would be useful. http://dieselpunksencyclopedia.wordpress.com/origins-of-dieselpunk/

 

@Lewdog - Yeah, within the genre but featuring a female protagonist

 

Wouldn't that be horsepunk?

 

You're punny.

 

You're thinking content over substance.

I'm thinking rockabillyXthe good part of creature features.

You're problem is that these are very visual aesthetics, and trying to describe everything is going to get very clunky.

 

I think you're trying a little too hard to write by-the-genre. Just write what you want to read. Someone else can sort out which shelf to put it on.

Personally, I think the "___punk" thing has gotten out of hand. It seems like there's a new subcategory coming out every month and all of them are just spinoffs of cyperpunk and steampunk.

 

And what's so punky about all these punks, anyway? Does the -punk suffix have any specific significance? Or does it just turn a word into a genre? Will we all eventually start calling fantasy "fantapunk," historical fiction "histopunk," romance "rompunk," etc.?

 

Atompunk, Solarpunk, Airpunk, and best of all, Naturalgaspunk.