___. Music for Pleasure
Zack Furness ed. Punk Academics
Christopher Gray ed. Leaving the 20th Century
Roger Sabin ed. Punk Rock: So What? The Cultural Legacy of Punk
Sheila Whitely ed. Sexing the Groove
2.Youressay must draw on some of the readings we have read in this course.
3.Your essay must include research into material that was not part of this course (e.g., cultural theory, history, politics, music theory, psychology)
4.Your essay must have both a discography and a bibliography. The
2 Making sense of mass culture
Some seminal concepts in cultural theory that will inform our reading of punk.
Read:
Theodore Adorno, “On Popular Music,” On Record [online]
Richard Middleton, “’It’s All Over Now’ Popular Music and Mass
Culture – Adorno’s Theory,” Studying Popular Music.
Recommendd
Walter Benjamin, “The Work of Art in the Age of its Technological Reproducability”
Randal Johnson, “Introduction.” Pierre Bourdieu, The Field of Cultural Production
Hear: some #1 hits, 74-79
(none of them punk)
1 Abba, “Waterloo” (1974)
2 Paper Lace, “Billy Don’t Be a Hero” (1974)
3 Rod Stewart, “Sailing” (1975)
4 Elton John & Kiki Dee, “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart” (1976)
5 Brotherhood of Man, “Save Your Kisses For Me” (1976)* best selling single of the year
6 The Wurzels, “Combine Harvester” (1976)
7 Elvis Presley, “Way Down” (1977)
8 10cc “The Things We Do For Love (1977)
9 Wings, “Mull of Kintyre” (1977)* best selling single of the decade
10 Boney M, “Rivers of Babylon” (1978)* best selling single of the year
11 Blondie, “Heart of Glass” (1978/79)
12 The Buggles, “Video Killed the Radio Star” (1979)
3. Making sense of how music makes sense:
Some contemporary theories of popular music
Read:
Simon Frith “The Value Problem in Cultural Studies” Performing Rites
Simon Frith, “The Meaning of Music” Performing Rites
Susan McClary and Robert Walser, “Start Making Sense! Musicology
Wrestles with Rock”, On Record [online]
Recommended:
Richard Middleton, ‘Lost in music’? Pleasure, value and ideology in
popular music”. Studying Popular Music.
Simon Frith, “Making Meaning”, Sound Effects
Hear: American influences on UK Punk
1 The Stooges, “No Fun” (1969)
2 MC5, “Rocket Reducer N. 62 (1969)
3 Velvet Underground, “I’m Waiting for the Man” (1967)
4 Captain Beefheart, “I Love You, Big Dummy”(1970)
5 New York Dolls, “Trash” (1973)
6 Patti Smith, “Gloria” (1975)
7 Television, “Blank Generation” (1975)
8 Jonathan Richman and the Modern Lovers, “Roadrunner” (1976)
9 The Ramones, “Blitzkrieg Bop” (1976)
4. Context: Britain and British youth in 1976
An introduction to the social and political context of punk.
Read:
Andy Beckett, “Waiting for the Collapse”, When the
Lights Went Out
Simon Frith, “The Use of Music” Sound Effects
Glen Matlock, I Was a Teenage Sex Pistol pp. 15-27
John Lydon, Rotten pp. 7-28
Recommended:
Francis Wheen, “Going Underground”, Strange Days Indeed
Hear: UK precursors to punk
1 Mott the Hoople, “Whizz Kid”
2 Kilburn and the High Roads,“Rough Kids”
3 Dr. Feelgood “I can Tell”
4 Dr. Feelgood, “Milk and Alcohol”
5. Dr. Feelgood, “Stupidity”
6 Eddie and the Hot Rods, “96 Tears”
7 The 101’ers, “Junco Partner”
8 The Count Bishops, “Teenage Letter”
5 Situationists and agents provocateurs
Reading punk as art
Read:
Christopher Gray ed. Leaving the 20th Century (excerpts)
Simon Frith and Howard Horne, “Art and Pop”, “The Pop Situationists”
Robert Garnett, “Too low to be low: Art pop and the Sex Pistols,” Punk
Rock: So What? [online]
Recommended:
Jean Baudrillard, “The Precession of Simulacra”
Guy Debord, “Separation Perfected,” and “The Commodity as Spectacle.”
Hear:
(on the subject of boredom, commodity and spectacle)
1 Sex Pistols, “Anarchy in the U.K.” (1976),
2 Sex Pistols “Holidays in the Sun” (1977)
3 The Clash, “London’s Burning” (1977)
4 The Buzzcocks, “Boredom” (1977)
5 The Carpettes, “Wunderbar” (1977)
6 The Adverts, “Bored Teenagers” (1978)
7 X-Ray Spex, “Art-I-Ficial” (1978)
8 The Raincoats, “Fairytale in the Supermarket” (1979)
9 The Clash, “Lost in the Supermarket” (1979)
10 Crass, “You Pay” (1978)
11 Crass, “Chairman of the Bored” (1979)
12 The Members, “Sound of the Suburbs” (1979)
13 The Buzzcocks, “Why Can’t I Touch it?” (1979)
14 The Jam, “That’s Entertainment” (1980)
6 Sex and the meaning of style
Reading punk as fashion
Read:
Dick Hebdige, “Style as Homology and Signifying Practice” On Record
[online – search in TOPCAT and follow the links]
Gary Clarke “Defending Ski-Jumpers: A Critique of Theories of Youth
Subcultures” 81-89 On Record [online]
Frank Cartledge, “Distress to impress? Local punk fashion and
commodity exchange,” Punk Rock: So What? [online]
Recommended:
Sinker, Mark. “Concrete, so as to self-destruct: The etiquette of punk, its habits, rules, values and dilemmas.” Punk Rock: So What?: [online]
Hear: on self-reflexivity and style
1 Alternative TV, “How Much Longer” (1977)
2 Television Personalities, “Part Time Punks” (1978)
3 The Clash, “(White Man) In the Hammersmith Palais” (1978)
4 X-Ray Spex, “I Am a Poseur” “Identity” (1978)
5 Crass, “Punk is Dead” (1978)
6 The Door and the Window, “Part Time Punks” (1979)
7 David Bowie, “Fashion” (1980)
8 Adam and the Ants, “Prince Charming” (1981)
9 Adam and the Ants “Stand and Deliver” (1981)
10 (bonus track) The Kinks, “Dedicated Follower of Fashion” (1966)
7 First wave: 1976-78
So, can we define this thing now?
Read:
Simon Frith, “Songs as Texts” and “The Voice” Performing Rites
Cliff McCarten, “Rough Grain: Significations of the Early Punk Voice”
Recommended:
Simon Frith, “Why Do Songs Have Words”
Hear: first wave UK punk
1 The Sex Pistols, “Pretty Vacant” (1976)
2 The Damned, “New Rose” (1976)
3 The Clash, “Janie Jones,” (1977)
4 The Clash, “Career Opportunities,”
5 The Jam, “In the City” (1977)
6 The Jam, “Sounds from the Streets” (1977)
7 The Sex Pistols, “God Save the Queen”(1977)
8 The Buzzcocks, “Breakdown” (1977)
9 The Users, “Sick of You” (1977)
10 The Drones, “Corgi Crap” (1977)
11 The Cortinas, “Fascist Dictator” (1977)
12 The Boys, “I Don’t Care”(1977)
13 Wire, “Three Girl Rhumba” (1977)
14 Wire, “Mr. Suit” (1977)
15 Wire, “12 X U” (1977)
16 Eater, “Outside View” (1977)
17 The Damned “Neat Neat Neat” (1977)
18 Snivelling Shits, “I Can’t Come” (1977)
19 Sham 69, “I Don’t Wanna” (1977)
20 Chelsea, “Right to Work” (1977)
…okay, but it’s 1978 now; is it still punk?
21 The Undertones, “Teenage Kicks” (1978)
22 The Clash, “Tommy Gun” (1978)
23 The Jam, ’A’ Bomb in Wardour Street” (1978)
24 The Jam, “Down in the Tube Station at Midnight” (1978)
25 The Adverts, “One Chord Wonders” (1978)
26 The Boys, “Brickfield Nights” (1978)
27 The Lurkers, “Ain’t Got A Clue” (1978)
28 Sham 69 “Borstal Breakout” (1978)
…and then was it ever punk?
29 The Stranglers, “Peaches” (1977)
30 The Vibrators, “Baby, Baby” (1977)
31 Elvis Costello, “Less than Zero” (1977)
32 Slaughter and the Dogs, “We Don’t Care” (1978)
33 The Soft Boys, “I Want to Be an Anglepoise Lamp” (1978)
34 The Rezillos, “Destination Venus” (1978)
8 Next Wave: Marxists and smartypants
Read:
Greil Marcus, “It’s Fab, It’s Passionate, It’s Wild, It’s Intelligent! It’s the Hot New Sound of England Today!” Rolling Stone (July 1980)
Simon Reynolds, “Militant Entertainment” Rip it Up and Start Again
Simon Reynolds, ”Autonomy in the U.K.” and “Messthetics”, Rip it Up and Start Again
Recommended:
Lester Bangs, “The Clash”
Hear:
1 Wire, “Practice Makes Perfect” (1978)
2 The Rejects, “Stir Crazy” (1977)
3 The Rejects, “Technique Street” (1977)
4 Scritti Politti, “Hegemony” (1978)
5 Scritti Politti, “Messthetics” (1978)
6 The Fall, “Repetition” (1978)
7 Alternative TV, “Action Time Vision” (1978)
8 Gang of Four, “Damaged Goods” (1979)
9 Gang of Four, “At Home He’s a Tourist” (1979)
10 Gang of Four, “Outside the Trains Don’t Run on Time” (1979)
11 Scissor Fits, “I Don’t Wanna Work for British Airways” (1978)
12 Swell Maps, “H.S. Art” (1978)
13 Swell Maps, “Robot Factory” (1979)
14 Desperate Bicylces, “Skill” (1979)
15 The Clash, “Something About England” (1980)
16 Funboy Five, “Compulsive Eater” (1980)
17 Diagram Brothers, “There is No Shower” (1980)
9 Oh Bondage Up Yours!
Intersections of punk and feminism
Read:
Simon Frith and Angela McRobbie, “Rock and Sexuality” On Record
[online]
Norma Coates, “(R)evolution Now?”
Maria Raha, “Voodoo Dolly,” “Number One Enemy,” “The Day the Girls Turned Dayglo,” “Shaved Women, Collaborate!”
Hear:
1 The Slits, “Typical Girls”
2 The Slits, “Ping Pong Affair”
3 The Slits, “Love Und Romance” (1979)
4 X-Ray Specs, “I Am a Cliché” (1978)
5 The Raincoats, “Lola”,
6 The Raincoats, “Only Loved at Night” (1979)
7 Kleenex (Liliput) “Krimi” (1978)
8 The Chefs, “Food” (1978)
9 Penetration “Don’t Dictate” (1977)
10 Petentration, “She Is the Slave” (1979)
11 The Au Pairs, “Domestic Departure”(1979)
12 The Au Pairs, “It’s Obvious” (1980)
13 Poison Girls, “Persons Unknown” (1980)
14 Girls at Our Best, “Getting Nowhere Fast” (1980)
15 Crass, “Bata Motel” (1981)
See: Derek Jarman, Jubilee
10 Sing if You’re Glad to Be Gay
Intersections of punk and queer culture
Read:
Andy Beckett, “The Real Sixties”, When the Lights Went Out
Alwyn Turner, “Sexualities” Crisis? What Crisis?
Tavia Nyong’o “The Intersections of Punk and Queer in the 1970s” Punk Academics
Hear:
TRB, “Glad to Be Gay”
See:
Derek Jarman, Jubilee
11. Working Class Heroes
Punk and the problem of authenticity
Read:
Simon Frith, “Musicians and the Audience”
Garry Bushell, “The Story of Oi!”
Recommended:
Ian Goodyer, “Rock Against Racism”
Dettmar & Richey, “Modeling Authenticity”
Hear: oi!
1 Angelic Upstarts, “The Murder of Liddle Towers” (1978)
2 Cockney Rejects, “Oi! Oi! Oi” (1980)
3 Cockney Rejects, “Police Car” (1979)
4 Sham 69 “Hersham Boys” (1979)
5 Menace, “Last Year’s Youth” (1979)
6 The Exploited, “Army Life” (1980)
7 The Exploited, “Punks Not Dead” (1981)
8 Charged G.B.H. “City Baby Attacked by Rats” (1981)
9 Blitz, “Nation on Fire” (1982)
10 Cock Sparrer, “Where Are They Now?” (1983)
11 Cock Sparrer, “England Belongs to Me” (1983)
and anarcho-punk
12 Crass “White Punks on Hope” (1979)
13 Crass, “Greatest Working Class Rip Off” (1982)
14 Varukers, “Protest and Survive” (1981)
15 Newtown Neurotics, “Living With Unemployment” (1983)
Week 12: It was easy, it was cheap, go and do it.
Insights and problems from your research.
Read:
There are no required readings this week. The following are texts that were included in previous versions of the course but didn’t find a home this time:
Mark Perry, Sniffin' Glue: The Essential Punk Accessory
Simon Frith, “Making Records” Sound Effects
Michael Warner, Publics and Counterpublics
Don Letts, “Dread Meets Punk Rockers” Culture Clash
Alwyn Turner, “Race” Crisis? What Crisis?
Simon Frith, “Rhythm, Race, Sex and the Body” Performing Rites
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