Argues that since its inception, popular music has been a product of mass media and consumption. The audience of rock music is influenced by the media and their own experiences, particularly the distinction between "street" and "suburban" cultures. Relevant to my paper, many Latino Morrissey fans, especially in the LA area, seem to relate to both identities. He cites class and ideologies, as well as ethnicity, as critical for understanding the contexts of rock music.
tagged consumption cultural_identity media music_criticism rebellion rock_music
by kmkeller
...on 30-NOV-05
Journal article using the Smiths as a case study of a "star" who exists as a contradiction between image and reality, especially focusing on the "Englishness" exuded in both their existence and their music. Stringer argues that Morrissey's lyrical and public attention has always been a "white England," about which he often sang in protest, which is especially interestign in the context of Latino American fans. He concludes that it is unclear whether fans of The Smiths listen because they appreciate the foundations of the band's image, or their "working over" of often-repressed social and political boundaries.
(Link is to PennText - article available through JSTOR.)
(Link is to PennText - article available through JSTOR.)
tagged British_pop_culture English_culture The_Smiths cultural_identity music_criticism
by kmkeller
...on 30-NOV-05


