Faking It
The Quest for Authenticity in Popular Music
Published on 17. February 2007
400 pages
978-0-393-08917-2 (ISBN)
Description
Musicians strive to "keep it real”; listeners condemn "fakes”; ... but does great music really need to be authentic?
Did Elvis sing from the heart, or was he just acting? Were the Sex Pistols more real than disco? Why do so many musicians base their approach on being authentic, and why do music buffs fall for it every time? By investigating this obsession in the last century through the stories of John Lennon, Kurt Cobain, Jimmie Rodgers, Donna Summer, Leadbelly, Neil Young, Moby, and others, Faking It rethinks what makes popular music work. Along the way, the authors discuss the segregation of music in the South, investigate the predominance of self-absorption in modern pop, reassess the rebellious ridiculousness of rockabilly and disco, and delineate how the quest for authenticity has not only made some music great and some music terrible but also shaped in a fundamental way the development of popular music in our time.More details
Language
English
Place of publication
United States
Product notice
Windows
ISBN-13
978-0-393-08917-2 (9780393089172)
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
Book
01/2007
WW Norton & Co
€24.50
Shipment within 15-20 days
Person
Hugh Barker, formerly a musician and songwriter, works in publishing in London.
Content
- Intro
- Title Page
- Contents
- Introduction
- Chapter One
- Chapter Two
- Chapter Three
- Chapter Four
- Chapter Five
- Chapter Six
- Chapter Seven
- Chapter Eight
- Chapter Nine
- Chapter Ten
- Sources
- Index
- Copyright
