The Secret Public
A Queer History of Pop
Published on 5. June 2025
Book
Paperback/Softback
784 pages
978-0-571-35839-7 (ISBN)
Description
A GUARDIAN AND EVENING STANDARD BOOK OF THE YEAR
'Fascinating.' NEIL TENNANT
'The missing story of the heart of pop.' JOHNNY MARR
'Superb.' Alexis Petridis
'Dazzling.' GUARDIAN
'So much spine, spunk and guts.' NEW STATESMAN
'Utterly engrossing.' THE WIRE
'Erudite.' OBSERVER
A monumental history of the LGBTQ influence on popular culture, from the award-winning, Sunday Times-bestselling author.
An electrifying look at key moments in music and entertainment history between 1955 and 1979, which helped move gay culture from the margins to the mainstream and changed the face of pop forever - from the ambiguous sexuality of stars such as Little Richard in the 1950s through to David Bowie, glam rock and Sylvester's 'You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)'.
The Secret Public is a searching examination of the fortitude and resilience of the gay community through the lens of popular music and culture; it reflects on the freedom found in divergence from the norm and reminds us of the need to be vigilant against those seeking to roll back the rights of marginalised groups.
'Fascinating.' NEIL TENNANT
'The missing story of the heart of pop.' JOHNNY MARR
'Superb.' Alexis Petridis
'Dazzling.' GUARDIAN
'So much spine, spunk and guts.' NEW STATESMAN
'Utterly engrossing.' THE WIRE
'Erudite.' OBSERVER
A monumental history of the LGBTQ influence on popular culture, from the award-winning, Sunday Times-bestselling author.
An electrifying look at key moments in music and entertainment history between 1955 and 1979, which helped move gay culture from the margins to the mainstream and changed the face of pop forever - from the ambiguous sexuality of stars such as Little Richard in the 1950s through to David Bowie, glam rock and Sylvester's 'You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)'.
The Secret Public is a searching examination of the fortitude and resilience of the gay community through the lens of popular music and culture; it reflects on the freedom found in divergence from the norm and reminds us of the need to be vigilant against those seeking to roll back the rights of marginalised groups.
More details
Edition
Main
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Dimensions
Height: 199 mm
Width: 129 mm
Thickness: 52 mm
Weight
624 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-571-35839-7 (9780571358397)
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
Person
Jon Savage is the author of England's Dreaming: Sex Pistols and Punk Rock and Teenage: The Creation of Youth, 1875-1945. He is the writer of the award-winning film documentaries The Brian Epstein Story (1988) and Joy Division (2007), as well as the feature film Teenage (2013). His compilations include Meridian 1970 (Heavenly/EMI 2005) and Queer Noises: From the Closet to the Charts, 1961-1976 (Trikont 2006).