Empire of Dirt
|
Paperback cover | |
| Author | Wendy Fonarow |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre | non-fiction |
| Publisher | Wesleyan University Press |
Publication date | 2006 |
| Media type | Print (hardback and paperback) |
| Pages | 336 |
| ISBN | 978-0-8195-6810-6 |
Empire of Dirt: The Aesthetics and Rituals of British Indie Music is a 2006 book by Wendy Fonarow.
Paperback: ISBN 978-0-8195-6811-3, Hardcover: ISBN 978-0-8195-6810-6.
Contents
The title of the book comes from one verse from the cover version by Johnny Cash of the Nine Inch Nails song "Hurt" ("and you could have it all, my empire of dirt"). Fonarow was given a vinyl edition of the Cash album American IV by Alan McGee, founder of Creation Records while writing the manuscript.
The cover, designed by Matthew Cooper, depicts a typical indie band (2 guitarists, a bass player and a drummer all thin) in silhouette (see sleeperbloke).
In chapter 1 the author discuss 'What Is "Indie"?'. A problem with defining indie is that any precise definition will exclude music and performers which indie fans and insiders feel should be included or include ones that should be excluded.[1] These are some possible definitions:[2]
- Indie music is the one which is recorded by independent labels and distributed via independent distributors. Records distributed via independent distributors qualified for the UK Indie Chart.
- a genre of music with a distinctive sound and style.
- music that communicates a particular ethos.
- a category of critical assessment.
- music different from other genres like mainstream pop, dance, blues, country or classical.
References
External links
Reviews
- Tim Jonze (26 April 2008). "School of rock". The Guardian. Retrieved 18 February 2011.
- Emily Rose (9 June 2006). "Dirty indie: 'Professor of indie rock' Wendy Fonarow explains how 13 years of gig attendance spawned Empire of Dirt". Retrieved 18 February 2011.
- Elsa Grassy (2007). "Review: Empire of Dirt: The Aesthetics and Rituals of British Indie Music". Cercles, Revue pluridisciplinaire du monde anglophone. Retrieved 21 April 2011.
- Dave Itzkoff (1 October 2006). "Music Chronicle". The New York Times, Sunday Book Review. Retrieved 21 April 2011.