⁽ ²͟⁰͟²͟⁶͟ ⁾ ROLLING STONE SPECIAL EDITION, ROCKSTARS THAT INSPIRE : FROM CBGB'S TO THE 100 CLUB ... PROTO - PUNK LEGENDS THAT INSPIRED MODERN MUSIC.
The biggest artists in contemporary rock discuss the proto-punk and early bands that influenced their sound and ethos the most, in this special edition of Rolling Stone Magazine. JULY 2026.
DAYWALKER ( 510 )
From DMX to Dogma and everything in between, Deon Watts (known professionally as Daywalker) of the industrial punk-rap duo, 510, takes us on a journey through the punk and metal that influenced both him and his brother in the creation of their stellar sound. Between the horror film influences of White Zombie, to the oft-forgotten Black proto-punk band, Death, inspiration flows from every corner.
Bad Brains
Minor Threat
Dead Kennedys
Death
White Zombie
ALICE LAVEY ( DEATH RATTLE )
Alice LaVey from the nu-metal outfit, Death Rattle, talks heavily of the UK gutter punks of her youth, pop princesses, women in rock, and the ever-glamorous Debbie Harry as a sonic and fashion icon when discussing just a small fraction of the sounds, sights, and aesthetics that shaped her signature style today.
Sex Pistols
Blondie
Dead Boys
The Runaways
The Raincoats
CILLIAN ROSEINGRAVE ( DOGMA )
The primary member of the abrasive experimental industrial rock band, Dogma, is now often cited as an influence by younger artists worldwide ── but what about Cillian Roseingrave himself? Discovering Gary Numan at the age of twelve kickstarted a lifelong love of synthesizers and crafting unique sounds, with the “gender-fuck” antics and erratic stage presence of Bowie, Iggy, and transgender icon, Jayne County, shaping much of his onstage persona.
The Stooges
The Damned
Gary Numan
Richard Hell
David Bowie
Wayne County & The Electric Chairs
DENVER KAPLAN ( LODGE DOG, CONVICTION )
Denver Kaplan is a tour-de-force member of four separate bands that are still going strong, each with their own distinct sound. He cites the two predominant music scenes of California's Bay Area, punk and rap, as his primary source of inspiration. 924 Gilman Street natives, Operation Ivy, make an appearance alongside the Detroit legends, MC5, and new wave art rock staple, Talking Heads.
MC5
The Stooges
Talking Heads
Sonic Youth
Dead Kennedys
Operation Ivy
MAGDALENA RIQUELME-ZAHER ( MAGDALA )
Though the acclaimed dream-pop duo, Magdala, may seem like the odd one out on this list, both members have deep roots in the rock scene. Guitarist Cade Fox’s folk punk origins aside, Magdalena Riquelme - Zaher draws heavy inspiration from the avant-garde art rock of The Velvet Underground and Exene Cervenka ── the vocalist of the Los Angeles punk band, X.
The Velvet Underground
The Doors
X
The Jesus and Mary Chain
RYAN CROSS ( SANITY FAIR )
The Australian post-grunge band, Sanity Fair, has quite clearly taken several pages out of the Seattle scene’s playbook ── but the influences don’t end there. Ryan Cross, tells us about some of Australia’s earliest punk bands, such as the Adelaide based synthetic shock rock group, Black Chrome. Alice Bag Band and Jayne County make an appearance alongside the melodic harmonies of Bad Religion.
The Birthday Party
Jayne County
Alice Bag Band
Bad Religion
The Saints
Black Chrome
MIA SLAUGHTER ( SPITKISS )
Heavy metal MySpace queens, Spitkiss, have never shied away from their adoration for their fellow nu-metal powerhouses, such as Korn, Deftones, and Sepultura, or how much they pull from the likes of Alice in Chains and Cannibal Corpse. But it doesn’t end there! Mia Slaughter discusses her love of Poly Styrene from London’s, X-Ray Spex, and the in-your-face approach of the Dead Kennedys.
X-Ray Spex
Blondie
The Slits
Dead Kennedys
Van Halen
JOHNNY BALLARD ( TACKSPIT, CONVICTION )
Growing up in the infamous Ballard family cult left very little room for musical exploration in his early years, but Johnny Ballard played one hell of a game of catch up in his teenage years following the departure from Los Huesos. The vocalist attributes much of these discoveries to his wife, the pop singer, Hawk Jong.
Johnny Ballard says The Clash’s vocalist, Joe Strummer was part of the inspiration behind Conviction’s politically charged lyrics ── and Bad Religion is to be held responsible for the infusion of melodic harmonies into the hardcore sound of Tackspit.
The Clash
Black Flag
Circle Jerks
Bad Religion
Germs
Dead Kennedys








