Wendy Fonarow
| Wendy Fonarow | |
|---|---|
 Wendy Fonarow, 2010 | |
| Born |
date of birth unknown Los Angeles, California, USA |
| Occupation | Anthropology, Professor, Writer, A&R |
| Nationality | American |
| Genres | Non-fiction |
|
www.indiegoddess.com | |
Wendy Fonarow was an anthropology instructor[1] at Glendale Community College,[2][3] writer and music industry professional. She is best known for the book Empire of Dirt, and for her column Ask the Indie Professor in The Guardian.
Life and career
Wendy Fonarow was born in Los Angeles.
While studying at University of California in San Diego, she worked at the campus radio station. There she was exposed to bands like The Fall, Pink Industry, Wire, Magazine, and the magazine NME. Milo Aukerman of the Descendants also attended UCSD and decided to do a cover of the Beach Boys "Wendy" for her which was later included on The Descendant's album Enjoy! After graduating, back in LA, she started to go to concerts of similar bands.
In 1989 Fonarow was added to the guest list of Something Happens (an Irish band who gave her backstage access.
While attending other concerts, she noticed that the spectators (usually) obeyed some unwritten rules, which made her interested in music performance as a ritual. She later chose this area as the topic for her PhD thesis .
In 1996 she was working at MCA Records in Los Angeles as an A&R manager.
In 1999 she finished her PhD thesis and in 2006 she published her book.[4][5] She has given lectures and keynotes at Cambridge University, Princeton, Columbia University, UCLA, University of Milan, University of Oslo and the University of Edinburgh as well as professional conferences including By:Larm, CMJ, SXSW, Music Finland, and EMP in Seattle, NYC, and Los Angeles.
Bibliography
Non-fiction
- (1995) "The Spatial Organization of the Indie Music Gig" reprinted in The Subcultures Reader, Ken Gelder (Editor), Sarah Thornton (Editor).
- (1996) "Spatial Distribution and Participation in British Contemporary Musical Performances" Issues in Applied Linguistics, 7(1)
- (1999) “The Culture of Participation and the Morality of Aesthetics in British Independent Music Performances” PhD. Diss., University of California at Los Angeles (Ann Arbor: UMI).
- (2006) Empire of Dirt: The Aesthetics and Rituals of British Indie Music . Paperback: ISBN 978-0-8195-6811-3, Hardcover: ISBN 978-0-8195-6810-6.
- (2008) "Portrait du chercheur en fan", Cairn.info
Influence
- Google Scholar finds 75 citations of her book and 31 citations of her 1995 article (as of 04 April 2013).
- She suggested the name of the band Mojave 3[6][7] inspired by the Mojave desert near L.A.
- Sebadoh's "Secret EP"[8][9] and Album "Defend Yourself" were recorded in Wendy Fonarow's Indietopia Music Studio in Adams Hill, CA.
See also
- Indie music
- Indie pop
- Indie rock
References
- ↑ Dr. Wendy Fonarow, Professor of Anthroplogy, on sabbatical
- ↑ Glendale Community College : Faculty & Staff : FONAROW, WENDY
- ↑ Dr. Wendy Fonarow, Associate Professor of Anthropology
- ↑ "England Made Me", The Word (magazine), Issue 86, April 2010, pages 108-111
- ↑ Empire of Dirt: The Aesthetics and Rituals of British Indie Music Paperback: ISBN 978-0-8195-6811-3, Hardcover: ISBN 978-0-8195-6810-6
- ↑ Wendy Fonarow (22 March 2011). "Ask the indie professor: Why so many bad band names?". guardian.co.uk. Retrieved 22 April 2011.
- ↑ Wendy Fonarow (2006-07-25). "Three vs. 3". mojave3online.com. Retrieved 22 April 2011.
- ↑ _tunic_ (2012-10-07). "SeBADoH". Retrieved 2013-12-04.
- ↑ "Secret EP by Sebadoh". Sebadoh. Retrieved 2013-12-04.