This is the first study of "hard" country music as well as the first comprehensive application of contemporary cultural theory to country music. Barbara Ching begins by defining the features that make certain country songs and artists "hard." She compares hard country music to "high" American culture, arguing that hard country deliberately focuses on its low position in the American cultural hierarchy, comically singing of failures to live up to American standards of affluence, while mainstream country music focuses on nostalgia, romance, and patriotism of regular folk. With chapters on...
This is the first study of "hard" country music as well as the first comprehensive application of contemporary cultural theory to country music. Barba...
This volume argues that the cultural dominance of the city has been reinforced by postmodern social theory's near fixation on the urban and the sophisticated. The essays explore rural identity in a number of cultures and situations, and look at issues of contemporary interest. Topics covered include the uses of popular and high culture, the explosion of high technology, the social and economic impact of ecological policy, the role of labour in the global marketplace, museum curatorship, and post-colonial politics.
This volume argues that the cultural dominance of the city has been reinforced by postmodern social theory's near fixation on the urban and the sophis...
Knowing Your Place directs groundbreaking attention to the role of rural and urban places in identity construction. Written to redress the longstanding neglect and denigration of the rural, this book argues that the cultural dominance of the city has been reinforced by postmodern theory's near fixation on the urban and the sophisticated. The essays explore rural identity in a number of cultures and situations, and look at issues of contemporary interest. Topics covered include the uses of popular and high culture, the explosion of high...
Knowing Your Place directs groundbreaking attention to the role of rural and urban places in identity const...
American popular music reflects a rich cultural diversity. From Aaron Copland to Miles Davis to Elvis Presley to Muddy Waters, the United States has produced some of the most influential and beloved musicians and performers of the 20th century. The blues, jazz, and rock and roll - musical genres loved around the world - were born here, and American composers, producers, singers, and songwriters have crafted a unique heritage in other genres such as classical and folk. "American Popular Music", a new eight-volume set, celebrates American music by presenting a wealth of information on seven...
American popular music reflects a rich cultural diversity. From Aaron Copland to Miles Davis to Elvis Presley to Muddy Waters, the United States has p...
American country music is a blend of musical traditions, from the balladry and dance tunes of the British Isles to African-American blues and gospel, to the ballads of the coal miners and cowboys. The 1930s and 1940s saw new artists develop new styles, including western swing and honky tonk. In 350 entries, American Popular Music: Country documents the evolution of this genre as it carved a place for itself in the music industry, one song at a time.
American country music is a blend of musical traditions, from the balladry and dance tunes of the British Isles to African-American blues and gospel, ...
Old Roots, New Routes takes an in-depth look at the many influences, meanings, and identities of this contemporary music form. Because the definition of the term alt.country changes continually, even the genre's own mouthpiece, the Web site nodepression.com, declared its terrain to be "alternative country (whatever that is)."
Despite alt.country's murky parameters, its origins, indeed, its patron saints, are generally acknowledged to range from the Carter Family and Hank Williams---as interpreters of traditional American country---to the country-rock fusions of Gram Parsons...
Old Roots, New Routes takes an in-depth look at the many influences, meanings, and identities of this contemporary music form. Because the d...
Old Roots, New Routes takes an in-depth look at the many influences, meanings, and identities of this contemporary music form. Because the definition of the term alt.country changes continually, even the genre's own mouthpiece, the Web site nodepression.com, declared its terrain to be "alternative country (whatever that is)."
Despite alt.country's murky parameters, its origins, indeed, its patron saints, are generally acknowledged to range from the Carter Family and Hank Williams---as interpreters of traditional American country---to the country-rock fusions of Gram Parsons...
Old Roots, New Routes takes an in-depth look at the many influences, meanings, and identities of this contemporary music form. Because the d...
Susan Sontag (1933-2004) spoke of the promiscuity of art and literature--the willingness of great artists and writers to scandalize their spectators through critical frankness, complexity, and beauty. Sontag's life and thought were no less promiscuous. She wrote deeply and engagingly about a range of subjects--theater, sex, politics, novels, torture, and illness--and courted celebrity and controversy both publicly and privately. Throughout her career, she not only earned adulation but also provoked scorn. Her living was the embodiment of scandal. In this collection, Terry Castle, Nancy K....
Susan Sontag (1933-2004) spoke of the promiscuity of art and literature--the willingness of great artists and writers to scandalize their spectators t...
Susan Sontag (1933-2004) spoke of the promiscuity of art and literature--the willingness of great artists and writers to scandalize their spectators through critical frankness, complexity, and beauty. Sontag's life and thought were no less promiscuous. She wrote deeply and engagingly about a range of subjects--theater, sex, politics, novels, torture, and illness--and courted celebrity and controversy both publicly and privately. Throughout her career, she not only earned adulation but also provoked scorn. Her living was the embodiment of scandal. In this collection, Terry Castle, Nancy K....
Susan Sontag (1933-2004) spoke of the promiscuity of art and literature--the willingness of great artists and writers to scandalize their spectators t...