I wasn't around for the punk invasion of the late 70s, that brief but bloody snarling fingers-up to authority.
The trouble with Rooms - A Rock Romance is it doesn't appear writer Paul Scott Goodman was either.
A few flicked 'v's and some mild swearing are all it takes to propel the fiercely ambitious Monica and reluctant loner Ian from playing bat mitzvahs in Glasgow to being the toast of NYC's emerging punk scene.
It would be unfair to criticise this sweet, peppy romance for not being something it never sets out to be.
After all, it's clear this couple are merely punk tourists prepared to do 'whatever it takes', as Monica puts it, to reach the top.
Unfortunately Goodman's pastel-coloured version of punk seeps into other parts of the musical, like Monica and Ian's respective battles with bulimia and alcoholism.
This works perfectly as a nostalgic concoction but, from a man who's lived and breathed the industry, you might have expected something more rough and ready.
There's nothing wrong with the music, with several tunes worming their way into your head, but the clunky rhymes and cliched dialogue are as corny as the central message about finding that place you feel comfortable.
What it lacks in subtlety it makes up for in energy and verve, and there's the odd spark of sexual chemistry - albeit more sixth-form science lab than Nobel Prize.
The bat mitzvah scene, meanwhile, featuring an entirely inappropriate ode to sexual awakening, is very funny and nearly justifies the ticket price alone.
Overall, this falls well short of pop perfection but a little fine-tuning could easily elevate it from bargain bucket to platinum-selling.
