Placing Rock 'n' Roll in American Culture
Monday, April 28, 2008
Greil Marcus's 1975 book Mystery Train is probably the most widely admired book of rock criticism. It's just been published in a fifth edition. Today, the critic and author explains why his subjects – from Elvis to Sly Stone – continue to matter in American culture. Also: Lizz Wright is a rising star in the jazz world whose music features a distinct mixture of jazz, gospel, folk, and R&B. She joins us to share her latest album, "The Orchard," which is garnering some of her best reviews of her career.
Greil Marcus's 'Mystery Train'
In 1975, music critic Greil Marcus published Mystery Train, which for the first time placed rock 'n' roll within the context of American cultural archetypes, from "Moby-Dick" to Jay Gatsby. Thirty-three years later, the book remains a benchmark of criticism and has inspired countless music scribes. He joins us on ...
Soundcheck CD Picks of the Week
Ralph Van Raat, pianist; Frederic Rzewski – "The People United Will Never Be Defeated!" and "Winnsboro Cotton Mill Blues" (Naxos)
Composer and keyboard firebrand Frederic Rzewski has written numerous works steeped in left-wing politics but one stands out as a modern classic: "The People United Will never Be Defeated!," ...
Composer and keyboard firebrand Frederic Rzewski has written numerous works steeped in left-wing politics but one stands out as a modern classic: "The People United Will never Be Defeated!," ...
Lizz Wright
When working on her new album, singer Lizz Wright went home, in rural Georgia, and took pictures of roads, cotton fields and the local church where she learned to sing gospel. Then she started to write a new set of original songs, getting some help from songwriter Toshi Reagon. Lizz ...
Keeping Pop on the Radar
When Greil Marcus first published his landmark book Mystery Train in 1975, American culture was something you could talk about as a single thing. We all watched the same menu of TV shows, and pop music was truly popular –- it seemed like everyone knew the words to “American Pie,” ...
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