Hardcore punk in the age of Reagan : the lyrical lashing of an American presidency /
Few politicians produced the musical reaction that Ronald Reagan did. His California-branded conservatism inspired countless young people to pick up guitars and thrash out their political angst. Punk bands across the United States took aim at the man, his presidency, and the idea of America he was s...
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| Format: | eBook |
| Language: | English |
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Chapel Hill :
The University of North Carolina Press,
[2025]
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| Summary: | Few politicians produced the musical reaction that Ronald Reagan did. His California-branded conservatism inspired countless young people to pick up guitars and thrash out their political angst. Punk bands across the United States took aim at the man, his presidency, and the idea of America he was selling to voters nationwide. Small yet vibrant scenes across the country emerged to challenge the communal norms and social values projected on them by the popular media and consumer culture. Punk enthusiast Robert Fitzgerald argues that these songs' lyrics aren't just catchy and fun to scream along with; they also reveal the thoughts and feelings of artists reacting to their political environment in real, forthright, and uncensored time. In candid detail, Fitzgerald shows how these lyrics illustrated what young adults felt and how they reacted to one of the most influential and divisive leaders of the era. Punk lyrics are seemingly simple, the author argues, but they sketch out a complex, musically inspired countermovement that is as canonical in the American songbook as the folk and rock protest music that came before. |
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| Physical Description: | 1 online resource (256 pages) : illustrations |
| Bibliography: | Includes bibliographical references and index. |
| ISBN: | 9781469685472 (electronic bk.) 1469685477 1469687607 9781469685465 1469685469 9781469687599 1469687593 9781469687605 |