
Velvet Goldmine
Katherine Reed(Author)
BFI Publishing
Will be published approx. on 11. June 2026
Book
Paperback/Softback
112 pages
978-1-83902-747-5 (ISBN)
Description
It's 1984, and investigative reporter Arthur Stuart is trying to locate Brian Slade, the glam-rock superstar who staged his own death and vanished from the spotlight ten years earlier. Todd Haynes's Velvet Goldmine (1998) transforms that mystery into a vivid collage of memory, fantasy and desire, creating an alternative history of rock and a landmark of queer cinema.
Velvet Goldmine divided opinion on its release, but Katherine Reed traces how the film's fans have kept it alive through rewatches, relistens and fan fiction. Reed weaves in the history of the film with close readings of its cinematic references, songs and style. She re-evaluates Velvet Goldmine in light of Haynes's other films, addresses its fraught production history and its allusions to David Bowie, Lou Reed and Iggy Pop, and the ways in which Haynes reshapes those figures into a new mythology.
Reed also analyses Velvet Goldmine's soundtrack, and examines legendary costume designer Sandy Powell's role in creating blends of fantasy and reality in each character's wardrobe. Like the film itself, this is not a linear history, but an exploration of how Velvet Goldmine teaches us to create anew.
Velvet Goldmine divided opinion on its release, but Katherine Reed traces how the film's fans have kept it alive through rewatches, relistens and fan fiction. Reed weaves in the history of the film with close readings of its cinematic references, songs and style. She re-evaluates Velvet Goldmine in light of Haynes's other films, addresses its fraught production history and its allusions to David Bowie, Lou Reed and Iggy Pop, and the ways in which Haynes reshapes those figures into a new mythology.
Reed also analyses Velvet Goldmine's soundtrack, and examines legendary costume designer Sandy Powell's role in creating blends of fantasy and reality in each character's wardrobe. Like the film itself, this is not a linear history, but an exploration of how Velvet Goldmine teaches us to create anew.
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Target group
College/higher education
Illustrations
60 colour illus
Dimensions
Height: 188 mm
Width: 132 mm
Thickness: 10 mm
Weight
180 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-83902-747-5 (9781839027475)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

Katherine Reed
Velvet Goldmine
E-Book
approx. 06/2026
1st Edition
BFI Publishing
€13.99
Available for download

Katherine Reed
Velvet Goldmine
E-Book
approx. 06/2026
1st Edition
BFI Publishing
€13.99
Available for download
Person
Katherine M. Reed is Associate Professor of Musicology at California State University, Fullerton, USA. Her research explores popular music, musical semiotics and film music, particularly in the work of David Bowie and David Lynch. She is co-editor of the collection Music in Twin Peaks: Listen to the Sounds (2021) and author of David Bowie and the Moving Image: A Standing Cinema (2023).
Author
Associate Professor of MusicologyCalifornia State University, Fullerton, USA
Content
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Track 1: 'Ballad of Maxwell Demon'
Track 2: 'Velvet Spacetime'
Track 3: 'Satellite of Love'
Track 4: '2HB'
Track 5: 'Make Me Smile'
Notes
Credits
Bibliography
Introduction
Track 1: 'Ballad of Maxwell Demon'
Track 2: 'Velvet Spacetime'
Track 3: 'Satellite of Love'
Track 4: '2HB'
Track 5: 'Make Me Smile'
Notes
Credits
Bibliography