Freak Scenes
American Indie Cinema and Indie Music Cultures
Published on 31. August 2024
Book
Paperback/Softback
208 pages
978-1-3995-1460-6 (ISBN)
Description
Freak Scenes explores the increased licensing of indie music and representation of indie music cultures within American independent cinema since the 1980s. Indie music has, since the 2000s, become highlighted in some indie films as an attraction, but this book probes how the appeal of indie music stretches back to the late 1970s, when punk music made its impact on filmmaking.
Sexton looks at a range of issues where indie music and indie film intersect, including commercial concerns, the growth of niche marketing, the increased employment of popular music in cinema and questions of authenticity, as well as the fraught tensions between commercial and artistic concerns. Case studies include: sonic authorship and indie music, representations of punk and indie scenes on screen, and an exploration of how racial and gender issues inform the representation and reception of indie cultures on film.
Sexton looks at a range of issues where indie music and indie film intersect, including commercial concerns, the growth of niche marketing, the increased employment of popular music in cinema and questions of authenticity, as well as the fraught tensions between commercial and artistic concerns. Case studies include: sonic authorship and indie music, representations of punk and indie scenes on screen, and an exploration of how racial and gender issues inform the representation and reception of indie cultures on film.
Reviews / Votes
With an extensive review and a careful analysis of the indie culture as both a social and anartistic phenomenon, Freak Scenes can certainly function as a comprehensive source for both indie fans and scholars in the field. Sexton skillfully combines the use of theories in cultural studies with effective and lucid arguments, creating a detailed yet accessible survey of indie film and music. Offering a careful selection of case studies, the author draws interesting parallels and analyzes intersections between film and music, shedding light on the surprisingly fundamental and multidimensional role of music in film, not only within the genre in question. -- Alicja Relidzynska * Journal of Popular Culture * An excellent, original, nuanced and much-needed book-length analysis of the close links and parallels between aspects of indie film and indie music. Highly recommended for anyone interested in American indie film, indie music, or combinations of the two. -- Geoff King, Brunel University Jamie Sexton's wonderful new book brings together American indie cinema and indie music, demonstrating in great detail and in a compelling manner the highly complex and creative ways the two have intersected. Also providing some fascinating case studies, Freak Scenes will no doubt prove to be a major work in the field of American independent cinema studies! -- Yannis Tzioumakis, University of LiverpoolMore details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Edinburgh
United Kingdom
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Unsewn / adhesive bound
Illustrations
24 black and white illustrations
Dimensions
Height: 234 mm
Width: 156 mm
Thickness: 11 mm
Weight
299 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-3995-1460-6 (9781399514606)
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
Jamie Sexton is Senior Lecturer in Film and Television Studies at Northumbria University. He is the author and editor of a number of books, including British Musical Hauntology (forthcoming, 2023), The Routledge Companion to Cult Cinema (co-edited with Ernest Mathijs, 2019), Stranger Than Paradise (2017) and Cult Cinema: An Introduction (co-authored with Ernest Mathijs, 2011).
Content
Introduction
A Brief History of Indie Music in American Indie Film
Sonic Authorship 1: Gregg Araki
Sonic Authorship 2: Sofia Coppola
Documenting Scenes and Performers 1: Punk, Smithereens and Suburbia
Documenting Scenes and Performers 2: Grunge and Riot Grrrl
Indie Music, Film, and Race 1: Medicine for Melancholy and Pariah
Indie Music, Film, and Race 2: Sorry to Bother You
Conclusion
NotesBibliography
A Brief History of Indie Music in American Indie Film
Sonic Authorship 1: Gregg Araki
Sonic Authorship 2: Sofia Coppola
Documenting Scenes and Performers 1: Punk, Smithereens and Suburbia
Documenting Scenes and Performers 2: Grunge and Riot Grrrl
Indie Music, Film, and Race 1: Medicine for Melancholy and Pariah
Indie Music, Film, and Race 2: Sorry to Bother You
Conclusion
NotesBibliography