Faking It: The Quest for Authenticity in Popular Music

Faking It: The Quest for Authenticity in Popular Music
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Depends How You Define Authenticity

A blend of history and cultural criticism

Among the best books about music I've read

A very interesting book on what is real (and unreal) about "being real"

Faking It: The Quest for Authenticity in Popular Music
Hugh Barker , and Yuval Taylor
Manufacturer: W. W. Norton
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0393060780

Book 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.

Customer Reviews:

Depends How You Define Authenticity.......2007-07-17

The book is very insightful, some chapters more so than others. As a participant in the folk revolution in the first half of the 1960s, the chapter on "Mississippi" John Hurt particularly resonated with me. However, I can readily see how other chapters would affect readers who came of age in other musical periods.

My only problem is definitional; the authors were too Manichean about authenticity versus the lack thereof. As I see it, while a second edition of Moby Dick may lack the authenticity of the first, it is nevertheless a desirable artifact. In other words, such other factors as age and popularity (i.e., staying power) may compensate for missing authenticity. Accordingly, while the authors would classify as "inauthentic folk music" such songs as Early Morning Rain and City of New Orleans, I would be a less restrictive; they are destined to join such equally inauthentic folk songs as Camptown Races and This Land Is Your Land in the great American folk canon.

Similarly, the authors define as "authentic" a song by Kurt Cobain and an album by Neil Young that were each recorded in one take and display all kind of [authentic] imperfections and angst. However, I question whether that makes them more authentic than a perfect opus by Pink Floyd or Miles Davis, or for that matter, Sinatra's perfect cover of I've Got You Under My Skin, which reportedly took over 30 takes to complete. And, if it is angst that confers authenticity, then that goofy pop tune, It Never Rains In California, takes the cake ("Out of work, out of bread, out of self-respect, I'm out of my head, I'm under-loved and underfed, I want to go hoooome").

Buy the book; just pretend that its title is Random Thoughts On Post-60s Music; you'll enjoy it and it will make you think.

A blend of history and cultural criticism.......2007-07-08

FAKING IT comes from two music critics who here examine a range of genres, from blues to rock, in the quest to answer issues of authenticity and cultural reality in music. Popular music's impact is wide-ranging and its ability to effect cultural and social changes has been documented - but is music's authenticity another pop image, born of marketing - or does it reflect real change and underground sentiment? FAKING IT offers a blend of history and cultural criticism and is a pick for any collection strong in popular music history and culture.

Among the best books about music I've read.......2007-04-30

Most books about music are narrative and follow the thread of a band or music movements arc. Either that or you follow a critics taste. That is fine, however those method doesn't end up telling you much but opinions and facts. They can be entertaining but they don't enlighten. This is a rare book about music that does. It helps you see your own taste differently. It helps show you how your opinions that you have about acts or subjects weren't created in a vacuum. It changes the way you feel about the way you feel about music, which is an amazing accomplishment.
My only hope is that they make good on the idea of an exploration of authenticity in hip hop.

A very interesting book on what is real (and unreal) about "being real".......2007-02-22

This is a very interesting book for anyone who has grown up paying even a little attention to the disputes about "authenticity" in popular music over generations. I am a classical musician and while the issues are hardly the same in that world, I can understand the notions of what these folks are struggling over and arguing about.

The authors begin with Kurt Cobain singing a Leadbelly song on MTV unplugged. His manner of singing the song, his complaints about being "real" and even his suicide act as a springboard for the whole book. We learn more about Leadbelly and his promoter, John Lomax, and where they actually fit into the music world of their time versus what white people believed about their heritage. John Hurt, who was a legend as an old man among the sixties folk singers. Yet, in his youth he was not nearly as popular nor as "authentic" as the sixties idolizers would have had the public believe.

It turns out that the Black public preferred Jazz and its sophistications to the blues and rural music that Leadbelly, Hurt and others performed. Nor was it as rooted in the slave past as the traditions believed. There was a lot of cross between rural White music and the rural Black music. We also see this in Jazz. It was only later that the schism between what is authentically "Black" or "White" became a fundamental issue, and its conclusions are largely wrong.

We get to compare the truly personal music of Jimmie Rodgers and his "T.B. Blues" against other music of its time and the tradition of autobiographical music. It is not as deep, rich, or lengthy tradition as one might expect. There is a lot of "character" biography, but not deeply personal stuff such as Rodgers singing about the tuberculosis that was killing him.

The authors later show us Elvis and how he created his persona and what traditions that flowed out of along with what Elvis actually invented. The problem is that what he created has become so much a part of what followed that it seems part of the genre now, but it was radical when Elvis created it. Or so the authors state.

We then get a wonderful chapter comparing The Beatles and The Monkees. It isn't quite as cut and dry issue of what is "authentic" versus "fake" as you might first think before you read the book. There is no question that The Beatles changed everything, but there is a lot of artifice that went into their music, too.

There is also woven into this the pop music of the Don Kirshner types and his role in The Monkees and what he did afterwards in creating The Archies and the lasting pop hit "Sugar Sugar".

Then comes a look at Neil Young and his travels through various stages of the search for Authenticity (the capital "A" is needed to describe what he was after). The Disco world and Donna Summer is next, the Punk Rock world, the faux reality of Ry Cooder's "Buena Vista Social Club" and world music. The book ties up with a look at Moby and then Nick Cave's "Mercy Seat" and the even more "real" cover by Johnny Cash.

One of the things that I find odd about the idea of "authenticity" in the making of a song is that these artists go around the world performing these pieces for decades. It is not possible that every performance of the work is equally "authentic" or even retains anything "real" about it after the thousandth time they perform it. The authors do mention Keith Jarrett who actually does make up new music on the spot for that night's performance. Now THAT is authentic. Of course, I find that a lot of his ruminations are just as boring as most of real life. Sure, there are moments of great brilliance, but art is working that up into a work and sharing that rather than all the scutwork that goes into the hard work of composing or writing or painting or sculpture.

I liked this book a lot and agree with the authors that listeners need to play more with the realities and the ideas of authenticity. We need to keep our ears and minds open to actually perceive what is going on rather than quickly accepting or dismissing musical works and musicians because of who we think they are (there is a lot of artifice in the creation of these persona's, too).

Of course, in the classical world, there is some of this, too. What is "real" classical, and what is out of bounds. And that discussion is not appropriate to this review. However, the idea that the piece is a role for the artist to perform rather than something "autobiographical" is rather well established.

One of the things beginning listeners to classical music get trapped in is hearing autobiography in the works of the masters. It is not that it is never there, but that it is rarely there as much as they suppose it is. The key is, does it move us? Is it great music? Does it speak to us about our lives and the human condition? It can also be for simple delectation. Not everything has to be dripping in angst and death. Real life has enough of that. Art should have something more, don't you think?

Sounding Indigenous: Authenticity in Bolivian Music Performance

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The Search for Authenticity

Sounding Indigenous: Authenticity in Bolivian Music Performance
Michelle Bigenho
Manufacturer: Palgrave Macmillan
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0312240155

Book Description

Sounding Indigenous explores the relations between music, people, and places through analysis of Bolivian music performances: by a non-governmentalorganization involved in musical activities, by a music performing ensemble,and by the people living in two rural areas of Potosi. Based on researchconducted between 1993 and 1995, the book frames debates of Bolivian national and indigenous identities in terms of different attitudes people assume towards cultural and artistic authenticity. The book makes uniquecontributions through an emphasis on music as sensory experience, anexamination of authenticity in relation to music, a combined focus on different kinds of Bolivian music (indigenous, popular, avant-garde), and an interpretation of local, national, and transnational fieldwork experiences.

Customer Reviews:

The Search for Authenticity.......2002-08-31

We live in an age of ever increasing globalism. People and societies living on the margins are rapidly being drawn into the world economy. As this process speeds on, these same people are taking a step back and wondering what is it that makes us unique? And in turn, who and what is truly "authentic".

Michelle Bigenho's book looks at these important questions within the context of Bolivian musical performance. As a participant observer, Bigenho joins and chronicles the experiences of three groups of musicians.

The first group is made up of professional musicians/intellectuals whose performance repertoire includes mestizo criollo music from the era of the Chaco War. This group explores the question of what it means to be a Bolivian by re-discovering music of the traumatic Chaco War. This was the key event that helped develop the sense of Bolivia as a nation state. This group helps expand the idea of what is "authentic".

The second case she describes is of an indigenous community that due to the migration of young people fears that it is losing its traditional culture. This community lives with the sense that they are losing their "authenticity". Bigenho examines this fear through the lense of their musical performances.

Bigenho contrasts this feeling of loss with another nearby community that is suffering the same demographic and cultural pressures. However, due to frequent contacts with anthropologists and NGO's, this community is secure in its identity. Their belief in their own authenticity is reflected in the music.

Book Description

No change has had a more profound influence on the development of music-making over the last two decades than the growth of the historical performance movement. The notion that we can - and indeed should - perform music in the manner its composers intended has led to a search for original methods and styles of performance. At first this was the pursuit of a small coterie, but in recent years the explosion of popular interest in what has been called the 'authenticity' movement has led to a sea-change in our listening habits. Performances on period instruments are now supplanting those on modern instruments in some central areas of the classical repertory, and by many this is perceived as a threat. For the first time, this book explores the thinking behind the search for so-called authenticity in musical performance, and questions some of the received opinions about its worth and purpose. The contributors include critics Nicholas Kenyon of Early Music and Will Crutchfield of the New York Times, alongside Howard Mayer Brown, Philip Brett, Robert P. Morgan, Richard Taruskin, and Gary Tomlinson, all of them experts in their field. The variety of views expressed is sure to provoke wide discussion and to stimulate new thought among both scholars and performers about the future of the historical performance movement.

Blue Chicago: The Search for Authenticity in Urban Blues Clubs

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A wonderful, highly readable sociological blues review

Blue Chicago: The Search for Authenticity in Urban Blues Clubs
David Grazian
Manufacturer: University Of Chicago Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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The club is run-down and dimly lit. Onstage, a black singer croons and weeps of heartbreak, fighting back the tears. Wisps of smoke curl through the beam of a single spotlight illuminating the performer.

For any music lover, that image captures the essence of an authentic experience of the blues. In Blue Chicago, David Grazian takes us inside the world of contemporary urban blues clubs to uncover how such images are manufactured and sold to music fans and audiences. Drawing on countless nights in dozens of blues clubs throughout Chicago, Grazian shows how this quest for authenticity has transformed the very shape of the blues experience. He explores the ways in which professional and amateur musicians, club owners, and city boosters define authenticity and dish it out to tourists and bar regulars. He also tracks the changing relations between race and the blues over the past several decades, including the increased frustrations of black musicians forced to slog through the same set of overplayed blues standards for mainly white audiences night after night. In the end, Grazian finds that authenticity lies in the eye of the beholder: a nocturnal fantasy to some, an essential way of life to others, and a frustrating burden to the rest.

From B.L.U.E.S. and the Checkerboard Lounge to the Chicago Blues Festival itself, Grazian's gritty and often sobering tour in Blue Chicago shows us not what the blues is all about, but why we care so much about that question.

Customer Reviews:

A wonderful, highly readable sociological blues review.......2003-07-14

Grazian presents the world of Chicago's blues scene with the loving touch of a real fan, and the critical eye of a deep-thinking sociologist. His exploration of notions of "authenticity" in blues is penetrating and insightful, as he examines what it is in the blues experience that makes us think of it as "authentic" -- is it the color of the musician? The world-weariness in his voice? The ambience or clientele of the club? Or is it simply a construct of audience expectations, differing from person to person? Grazian, a blues player himself, skillfully points out how and why the authenticity we seek in our music is a reflection of our search for authenticity, the desire to "keep it real," in culture itself.

Disenchanting Les Bons Temps: Identity and Authenticity in Cajun Music and Dance (Post-Contemporary Interventions)

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Disenchanting Les Bons Temps: Identity and Authenticity in Cajun Music and Dance (Post-Contemporary Interventions)
Charles J. Stivale , and Charles J. Stivale
Manufacturer: Duke University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Book Description

The expression laissez les bons temps roulerâ"let the good times roll"âconveys the sense of exuberance and good times associated with southern Louisiana’s vibrant cultural milieu. Yet, for Cajuns, descendants of French settlers exiled from New Brunswick and Nova Scotia in the mid-eighteenth century, this sense of celebration has always been mixed with sorrow. By focusing on Cajun music and dance and the ways they convey the dual experiences of joy and pain, Disenchanting Les Bons Temps illuminates the complexities of Cajun culture. Charles J. Stivale shows how vexed issues of cultural identity and authenticity are negotiated through the rich expressions of emotion, sensation, sound, and movement in Cajun music and dance.

Stivale combines his personal knowledge and love of Cajun music and dance with the theoretical insights of Gilles Deleuze and FÃ©lix Guattari to consider representations of things Cajun. He examines the themes expressed within the lyrics of the Cajun musical repertoire and reflects on the ways Cajun cultural practices are portrayed in different genres including feature films, documentaries, and instructional dance videos. He analyzes the dynamic exchanges between musicians, dancers, and spectators at such venues as bars and music festivals. He also considers a number of thorny socio-political issues underlying Cajun culture, including racial tensions and linguistic isolation. At the same time, he describes various efforts by contemporary musicians and their fans to transcend the limitations of cultural stereotypes and social exclusion.

Disenchanting Les Bons Temps will appeal to those interested in Cajun culture, issues of race and ethnicity, music and dance, and the intersection of French and Francophone studies with Anglo and American cultural studies.

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Authenticity in Music
Raymond Leppard
Manufacturer: Hal Leonard Corporation
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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The music director of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra examines the 20th-century attitude toward early music, focusing on works by Monteverdi, Handel, and Gluck.

Stepping Out of the Bubble: Reflections on the Pilgrimage of Counseling Therapy

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understanding myself
A practical resource for better living
Reviewed -by C.Gale Perkins-author
Gaining Courage to Live Outside of the Bubble
My Review of a Great Book

Stepping Out of the Bubble: Reflections on the Pilgrimage of Counseling Therapy
James P. Krehbiel
Manufacturer: Booklocker.com
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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When Perfect Isn't Good Enough: Strategies for Coping with Perfectionism
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ASIN: 1591138019

Book Description

STEPPING OUT OF THE BUBBLE: REFLECTIONS ON THE PILGRIMAGE OF COUNSELING THERAPY is the story of courage and risk taken by those who seek to better their lives. Drawing on the wisdom of those who provided a foundation for counseling theory and and practice, Krehbiel shares his expertise and wealth of experience. By sharing personal experiences, you will find encouragement to move forward in the journey toward personal growth and development.

Customer Reviews:

understanding myself.......2007-05-01

After reading Stepping Out of the Bubble a year ago, I went back and read it again for a second time. I was able to pick up even more information this time around that helped me understand and overcome some of my own internal conflicts. This is a book you can read at any point in your life and always find information that pertains to that particular moment. Krehbiel has a way of explaining things that others may consider unexplainable. Whether you are a student, a teacher, or just a guy like me, this book can and will change your life.

A practical resource for better living.......2006-03-27

For me, "Stepping Out Of The Bubble" was reminiscent of the renowned books of author, M. Scott Peck, in the style of presenting profound insights into sensible, easy-to-understand language and clear ideas an average person can relate to. Practicing Licensed Professional Counselor and Nationally Certified Cognitive-Behavioral Therapist and author of "Stepping Out Of The Bubble", James Krehbiel proficiently shares a portion of his expertise, condensing great weight into accessible and workable solutions for a more fulfilling life's plan.

The "bubble" represents our security and comfort zone, but it is also the inner place where we store the pain of our past experiences and the unpleasant reality of that not being made conscious which keeps us bound in unhealthy and self-defeating patterns. Staying within this bubble limits our emotional responsiveness as we numb ourselves to the coexistence even as unresolved issues unconsciously filter forth. To step outside of the bubble is to courageously examine the contents in all honesty and to face life's reality outside of the bubble. Once outside the bubble, one can move forward to experience life in more emotional depth, fullness and passion. "Being a fully functioning individual is about being true to whom you are and letting things be the way they are," explains author, James Krehbiel.

With brilliant and compassionate understanding, Mr. Krehbiel briefly details methods used and pertinent case examples within his therapy practice. "Self-regulation is a goal of therapy. I educate people in the fact that all the answers are ultimately within." "Stepping Out Of The Bubble" strives to do the same, by giving information on how we become trapped in the bubble and how beneficial the making of conscious choices to leave, can be.

Some of the many topics included within this book are: being assertive, characteristics of an "authentic" person, the integration of each of our different personality parts, the difference between true guilt and false guilt, setting boundaries, addictions and addictions to "manic" relationships, awareness (staying in the moment or mindfulness), grounding, honoring one's inner voice, panic attacks, OCD and mood disorders. The section regarding kids and parenting was exceptional, in my opinion, and I found many points about discipline that made much sense. Also appreciated was the section relating to religion (dogma) versus faith (spiritual) as well as what needed to be said about pop culture.

I enjoyed reading "Stepping Out Of The Bubble" and would recommend it to anyone. It is enriching and inspirational.

Reviewed -by C.Gale Perkins-author.......2006-03-18

Stepping Out Of The Bubble by James P. Krehbiel, Is an outstanding book on Counseling Therapy. Krehbiel, is able to put life patterns and fears into perspective so that the lay person can fully understand the mystery that most think is behind counseling. His approach to show that so much of what we seek answers for is within ourselves and with the right counsellor we can become free and step out of the Bubble or Bubbles that a lot of us are in.

This book should be a gift to every teen and their parents, no home should be without it.

Gaining Courage to Live Outside of the Bubble.......2006-02-25

James P. Krehbiel's Stepping Out of the Bubble was a fascinating read. I found myself underlining various passages. His explanation of how we get stuck in the bubble (comfort zone), and how we find our way out is powerful. It provided me with hope as I move through my own personal journey. I found myself experiencing an emotional reaction to many of the case examples and concepts he explored. He definitely hit some "hot buttons" in my life. But Mr. Krehbiel also provided specific guidelines and tools for stepping out of the bubble. At one point he says, "Courage can be defined by those who live outside the bubble as opposed to those who live in it. I like to compare stepping out of the bubble to wading into the water."

His chapter which includes ideas on multidimensional thinking is appropriate in today's political climate. He indicates that true dialogue takes into consideration the appreciation for differences in opinions. He makes some profound statements about pop culture's affect on the lives of today's children. He also gives parents tools and resources for assisting their children in bettering their behavior. The book ends with a resounding "yes" to life with a hopeful, powerful way of perceiving and reframing life's problems. This was an excellent book!

My Review of a Great Book.......2006-02-23

"Stepping Out of the Bubble : Reflections On the Pilgrimage of Counseling Therapy by James P. Krehbiel is an amazing and outstanding book that provides help and direction to the many people that are suffering from problems described in this book.

I was amazed at how many of the problems and challenges, that the author writes about, are problems and challenges I have seen many people suffer with.

The counseling theory and practice information in this book provides a direction for people that have a problem and are willing to go to counseling and risk moving forward in their journey toward finding personal growth and development, and eventually stepping out of the bubble.

Many people have problems and challenges that they never seek help for and they and their loved ones continue to suffer. This book goes a long way in bringing the thought of counseling to people and helping people to better understand the counseling process.

To author James P. Krehbiel thank you for writing your great book. I am convinced your book will help many people and because of your book many more people will step out of the bubble. I recommend this book very highly and also feel it would be a great college text.

Popular Music in Contemporary France: Authenticity, Politics, Debate (Berg French Studies Series)

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Popular Music in Contemporary France: Authenticity, Politics, Debate (Berg French Studies Series)
David L. Looseley
Manufacturer: Berg Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Book Description

While music lovers from all over the world have tried to recreate the ambience of French cafés by playing music from stars such as Piaf, Trénet and Chevalier, intellectuals, sociologists and policy makers in France have been embroiled in passionate debate about just what constitutes 'real' French music. In the late 1950s and 1960s a wave of Anglo-American rock 'n' roll and pop hit Europe and disrupted French popular music forever. The cherished sounds of the chanson were sidelined, fragmented or merged with pop styles and instrumentation. From this point on, French music and music culture have been splintered into cultural divides - pop culture vs high culture; mass culture vs 'authentic' popular culture; national culture vs Americanization. This book investigates the exciting and innovative segmentation of the French music scene and the debates it has spawned. From an analysis of the chanson as national myth, to pop, rap, techno and the State, this book is the first full-length study to make sense of the complexity behind the history of French popular music and its relation to 'authentic' cultural identity.

Creating Country Music: Fabricating Authenticity

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The sometimes surprising origins of "country".

Creating Country Music: Fabricating Authenticity
Richard A. Peterson
Manufacturer: University Of Chicago Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0226662853

Book Description

In Creating Country Music, Richard Peterson traces the development of country music and its institutionalization from Fiddlin' John Carson's pioneering recordings in Atlanta in 1923 to the posthumous success of Hank Williams. Peterson captures the free-wheeling entrepreneurial spirit of the era, detailing the activities of the key promoters who sculpted the emerging country music scene. More than just a history of the music and its performers, this book is the first to explore what it means to be authentic within popular culture.

"[Peterson] restores to the music a sense of fun and diversity and possibility that more naive fans (and performers) miss. Like Buck Owens, Peterson knows there is no greater adventure or challenge than to 'act naturally.'"—Ken Emerson, Los Angeles Times Book Review

"A triumphal history and theory of the country music industry between 1920 and 1953."—Robert Crowley, International Journal of Comparative Sociology

"One of the most important books ever written about a popular music form."—Timothy White, Billboard Magazine

Customer Reviews:

The sometimes surprising origins of "country"........1998-03-03

The "authentic" in country music is not as easily defined as might be thought.
Peterson traces its roots from the early "hillbilly" days on the new medium of radio to the death of Hank Williams in 1953, noting along the way the contributions of promoters, performers, and fans in continuously re-defining the genre to adapt to changing tastes and circumstances.
Many readers will be looking for the early histories of the old time performers, and they will not be disappointed. They may be surprised at the professionalism that lay beneath rustic exteriors, and the degree of conscious attention to "signifiers of authenticity" by their favorite artist.

Customer Reviews:

A fascinating look at cultural change.......2001-10-27

This book is not history, nor is it fan literature. If that's what you're looking for, you have many alternatives available to you.

Instead, Jensen delivers a scholarly analysis of the controversy that arose in the '50s and '60s, when producers like Chet Atkins and Owen Bradley abandoned twangy honky-tonk stylings and created the pop-influenced Nashville Sound. Opry-loving purists cried sellout; Music Row executives anxiously defended the new sound as "still country." Where did this anxiety come from, Jensen asks, and what does it tell us about what cultural genres mean to people?

Jensen spends most of the book puncturing two widely-accepted country music myths: Music Row destroyed pure country music by pandering to pop audiences for money (in fact, country had been a commercially-driven enterpise since the '20s); and country had to play to a wider audience to save itself from the onslaught of rock 'n' roll (yet both country and rock were responding to the same set of changing market demands). If these two explanations don't account for the Nashville Sound and the battle lines drawn around it, what does? Jensen situates the answer, not in economic or cultural "forces," but in the beliefs and values of perfomers, producers, and fans. She reinforces her point by sharing her own experience of cultural identification in a honky-tonk bar she worked at as a grad student.

In so doing, Jensen puts people back in cultural criticism, a field in which economic systems and discursive structures are often portrayed as mysteriously acting by themselves. If I have a criticism of the book, it's that it doesn't go quite far enough. If, as she demonstrates, country fans value the music's generic markers as reaffirming class identities, how does the music industry turn class alienation into a "product" -- the sale of which presumably reinforces the capitalist infrasturcture that class alienation arises from? And if the study of culture is to be based in the values of people, how does it keep from drifting off in a sea of subjectivity?

That said, Jensen offers a well-researched, thoughfully written exploration of a fascinating moment in the evolution of country music. If you agree that country music is worth thinking about, then you'll want to read this book.

A college research paper.......2000-01-22

I felt like a specimen in a research lab while reading this book--because I'm one of the fans the author analyzes. In truth, I don't care whether the music is authentic or commercial. Most of us are smart enough to realize music is a business and people are in it for the money. I listen to country music because I love the sound, and I especially like fiddles and steel. There's no reason we must give up those instruments as a sign of progress. There's plenty of room in the business for traditional and new music. As for the Coke analogy, Classic Cokes tastes better than new Coke--that's why people wanted to keep it, not because they didn't like change. The author says she kept the Rose Bowl and college lives separate. Well, country music is an integral part of my life. I guess that makes me authentic. I wanted to learn about the development of the Nashville Sound. Instead I got a lecture on the meaning of commercialization and I was told to grow up and accept the fact that life changes. I wasted my money in buying this book.

Read: commercialization by publishers and authors.......1998-08-04

This book shows less than no research and little or no personal knowledge. Three years as a waitress in an Illinois honky tonk gives her knowledge of Country music fans, and being a Vanderbilt University professor gives her legitimacy. I don't think so.

The author says in 100 words what could be said in 10. She uses amateurish sentences like "I explain this better in chapter 6."

With her experience in an Illinois honky tonk, she tells us honky tonks are a Southern phenomenon. Then she says honky tonk music is dead.

Her premises, presentation, and conclusions are faulty. This is simply a bad book.

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