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Fans and Critics: Greil Marcus's "Mystery Train" as Rock 'n' Roll History

Author(s): Mark Mazullo


Source: The Musical Quarterly, Vol. 81, No. 2 (Summer, 1997), pp. 145-169
Published by: Oxford University Press
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/742456
Accessed: 07-09-2015 14:55 UTC
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AmericanMusics

Greil
FansandCritics:
Marcus's
Mystery
Trainas Rock'n' RollHistory
MarkMazullo

Since itsfirst
Train:Imagesof
appearancein 1975,GreilMarcus'sMystery
inRock'n' RollMusichas beenacclaimedas a classicofitsgenre.1
America
It has beendiscussedin classrooms
devotedto thestudyofAmerican"popularmusic";ithas beenwidelyrecognized
as one ofthefirst
to
attempts
rock'n' rollin termsofthebroadercontextofAmericanculunderstand
noticesin boththescholarly
andpopular
ture;and it receivedspectacular
Itsimpact,bothon thecommunity
of"counpressesuponitspublication.
tercultural"
rockcommentators
ofthelate 1960sto themid-1970sandon
today'sacademicsconcernedwithpopularmusic,hasbeenconsiderable.
Trainis notsimplya bookaboutmusic.Manyofitstenets,in
Mystery
derive
fromcertainspecific
viewsoftheacademicdiscipline
fact,
directly
ofAmericanStudies,whichMarcusstudiedduringhisyearsat theUniofCalifornia,
in themid-to-late
1960s.2Likemany
versity
Berkeley,
scholarsofAmericanliterature
beforehim,Marcusconstructed
a viewof
therock'n' rolltradition
in orderto explainthe"exceptional"
characteristicsofAmericanculture.His primary
assertion
wasthattherock'n' roll
shouldbe understood
notas an expression
ofcertainsubcultures
repertory
ofclassandracebutratheras a musicalexpression
ofa moregeneral
The authorthusdescribed
nationalidentity.
hisprojectas "an attempt
to
broadenthecontextin whichthemusicis heard;to deal withrock'n' roll
notas youthculture,
orcounterculture,
butsimplyas Americanculture."3
as a culturalform
then,rock'n' rollwasbestunderstood
Paradoxically,
theAmericangrain,becauseofits"antiestablishment"
thatworkedagainst
a distinctive
nationalcharacter.
In other
message,whilestillrepresenting
words,clingingto thecountercultural
imagesand agendasofthelate
thatwouldembrace
1960s,Marcuspositeda notionof"Americanism"
rock'n' rollin itsentirety.
Trainidentified
thebedrockofa rock'n' rollcanonforthe
Mystery
six
as themosttellingrepresentatives
mid-1970sbydistinguishing figures
ofthismusicalstyle:two"Ancestors"-Harmonica
Frankand Robert
fourdiverse"Inheritors"-TheBand,SlyStone,
Johnson-hadinfluenced
145
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146 TheMusical
Quarterly

theirexpression
in a potent
RandyNewman,and ElvisPresley-through
The rock'n' rollmediumhad allowedthese
subcultural
musicalstyle.4
a "versionofAmerica"that,forMarcus,exposed
artists
to communicate
ofthenation'suniqueculturalsphere.He viewedthis
theidiosyncrasies
ofAmerica'slargerartistic
musicfromtheperspective
canon,seekingto
claimforcertainmusiciansthesameaestheticand historical
significance
as Whitman,Melville,
thathas beenaccordedto suchAmericanwriters
within
His culture-critical
and Hawthorne.
projectwasthuspositioned
studies:he arguedthatthemusic
thebroadercontextofAmericanliterary
a senseof
likethenation'sgreatliterature,
underdiscussion,
"dramatize[s]
whatit is to be an American;whatit means,whatit'sworth,whatthe
stakesoflifein Americamightbe. Thisbook..,. is rootedin theidea that
thoseAmericanquestionsand thatthequescan illuminate
theseartists
In theend,Marcus'sclaimwas
tionscan add resonanceto theirwork."5
ofas "symbolic
Americans."6
werebestthought
thatall Americanartists
Trainas a central
I wouldliketo considerMystery
In whatfollows,
on rock'n' roll.Ratherthanmerely
revisitofwriting
textin thetradition
itscontinuing
discursive
sourceand considering
power,
ingone influential
Trainas a meansof
ofMystery
I wishinsteadto usethisexamination
ofthewriting
ofrock
discussion
intoa largerhistoriographical
entering
at
haverecently
foundthemselves
histories.
Historiographical
inquiries
ofthehistorical
discourse.
thecenterofmusicological
Investigations
havebrought
to thedisciofcertainclassical-music
repertories
reception
which
music
and
cultural
uses
to
of
the
social
awareness
a
pline growing
in thepopular
has beenput.Musichistory
musiccriticism
textbooks,
worksarea fewofthemanycritofmusicin literary
press,and discussions
as themusicological
ical-historical
genresthathavecomeunderscrutiny
while
its
own
to
confront
claimingcontinued
past
attempts
community
and disciplinary
situationofcurricular
in thecurrent
legitimacy
reforms.7
ofits
stateis thebroadening
current
Equallyindicativeofmusicology's
concernsto includetherealmofpopularmusic.Ifthestudyofpopular
itseemsclearthatthe
a concernofmusicology,
musicis to be considered
have
revealedtheagendas
that
of
lines
same
historiographical
questioning
ofhighcultureshouldalsobe appliedto thebroad
ofcertaininstitutions
lendsitself
on popularmusic.Becausehistoriography
andvariedliterature
so wellto mappingtheculturalspacethatmusicoccupies,one ofthe
of
is an examination
richstudiesawaitingtoday'smusicologists
potentially
musicthewaysin whichmusicscholarsand criticshave treateddifferent
historical
repertories.
has
thattherock'n' rollrepertory
At issueis thekindofwriting
on themusicitdiscusses.
function
receivedand itsmediating
Equally
ofthemanyrolesthatwriters
is a discussion
to thisenterprise
important

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Trainas Rock'n' RollHistory


147
Mystery

on musicplay:thewaya musicscholarand/or
criticfulfills
therolesof
thekindofhistory
willdetermine
fan,critic,andhistorian
beingwritten.
ofinvesAgain,theattitudeofthescholartowardtheobjectorrepertory
discourse.8
tigationhas beentakenup as a topicin recentmusicological
discourseon popularmusiccomesto be considAs thecritical-historical
to theseroleswillguidethereceptionofthesetextsered,a sensitivity
their
conceptionoftheirownroleshad determined
justas thewriters'
treatment
oftheirmusicalsubjectat hand.
Trainembodiesstrategies
Mystery
implicitin rockhistory
writing
in
American
intellectual
The writthatderivefromlargertrends
history.
relatedto thehistory
ofthosesocial
tenhistory
ofrock'n' rollis directly
groupswhoseconcernsand idealsthismusichas cometo represent-most
theAmericancounterculture.
Because,as muchcurrent
characteristically,
written
work
has
the
ofa musical
demonstrated,
musicological
history
isdependentat leastin parton itshistorical-critical
reception,
repertory
becomesa centralaspect
theconnectionbetweenrockand itshistorians
A broadening
ofthestudyofpopularmusicto
ofrock'shistory
itself.
ofthenarratives
includean examination
literproposedbyone powerful
makespossiblean interpretation
ofthe
aryarmoftherockcommunity
socialgroupthatcreatesthesehistorical
accountsas an "institution."
In
current
suchsociallyconstructed,
institutheory,
literary
self-perpetuating
tionsarerecognized
as crucialto theproduction
and receptionofcultural
texts.The thesisproposedhere,influenced
in literary
work
studies,is
by
thata musicalrepertory's
receptionin varioussocialspacesbecomesa
centraland intrinsic
Thus,an investigaaspectofitshistorical
"meaning."
tionofthemuch-read
narratives
ofcertainsegments
oftherockcommunityshouldnotbe contentwithnotingonlytheirsociologicalimplicarolein thespheresof
tions,butrathershouldexploretheirpowerful
culturalproduction
and reception.9
ofwritten
histories
also necessitates
anycontextualization
Finally,
their
own
historical
location
and
culturalmatrix
taking
corresponding
intoaccount.The institutional
claimsmadeforrock'n' rollchangedsignificantly
duringthelate 1960sand early1970s-a periodofperceived
crisisforthismusicaltradition.
The roleoftheseclaimsin theformation
ofa rock-historical
narrative
shouldnotbe underestimated.
It is in this
contextthatI willconsiderMarcus'sMystery
Train.The author's
closetie
to one oftherockinstitution's
mostprominent
Stone
mouthpieces,
Rolling
and ideologicalconmagazine,is also crucialto someofthehistorical
structions
thatemanatedfromthatsource.10
Ratherthanreadthesedocumentsas transparent
windowsintorock'n' roll's"realhistory,"
we might
considerinsteadwhatis at stakewhena written
history
emergesin times
ofcrisis.Whatkindofhistory
is produced?
Whosecrisisis madeapparent?

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148 TheMusical
Quarterly

ofthishistory
And howis thesubject
bythesegroupsin actsof
employed
theirownculturaland politicallegitimation?
rockmusic
In the 1970s,manycountercultural
considered
intellectuals
a timeofpivotalcrisis.Thusitwasarguedthatthe
to be experiencing
a losingbattleon
1960swasfighting
"authentic"
styleofthemid-to-late
diedseveralfronts.
Manyiconicrockstarsfromthisperiodhad recently
mostfroman excessofdrugsand alcohol.New genresand styleswere
ofthe 1960srocksound:theworkofsuch
thehegemony
challenging
and CarlySimon;theart
as
Carole
King,JamesTaylor,
singer-songwriters
theincreasingly
sounds
rockmovements;
rockorprogressive
threatening
bastionshad beendisgraced
ofdisco;and so on. In addition,rock'sformer
in thesummer
at theAltamontmusicfestival
aftertheviolenteruptions
district
into
of1969and thedeclineofSan Francisco's
Haight-Ashbury
soto
this
rock's
and
most
slumconditions.
group,
disturbingly
Finally,
calledantiestablishment
messagewasbeingchallengedbywhatwas
disavowalofthepoliticalsphereon thepartof
to be a large-scale
thought
youngpeopleacrossthecountry.11
the 1960swaned,manyinvolved
As theupheavalthatcharacterized
in thatdecade'salternative
projectssoughtcontinuedsocialand political
historical
accountsofitsculture.In particular,
byproducing
expression
StoneIllustrated
TheRolling
History
ofRock& Roll(1976) helpedto conIn itsmultifromthisperspective.12
structa viewofrock'n' roll'shistory
to explainrock'n' roll'scontinuedrelevancein American
authoredeffort
ofrock'n' rollas wellas
thistextreachedbackto theearlyhistory
society,
to relatedgenresofAmericanpopularmusic,suchas theblues.Bydoing
of
ofrock'strajectory
narrative
an uninterrupted
so, itmanufactured
'n'
term
"rock
the
it
dissent.
socialand political
Accordingly,employed
the
themusicalstyleas a whole,preferring
to signify
roll"consistently
to themorecommonconventionthat
ofthisterminology
inclusivity
to musicafterthemid-1960sas simply"rock."
refers
Stonemagazineflowered
in 1967 in San Francisco,
Established
Rolling
itsassociationwiththeNew Journalin theearly-to-mid-1970s
through
influence
on thenation's
self-described
itsostentatiously
ism,through
launched
itsmanysatelliteprojects,
and through
leftist
politicalactivities,
The
Wenner.
of
its
ambitions
Hearstian
the
Rolling
Jann
publisher,
by
of
StoneIllustrated
History
ofRock& Rollwasperhapsthemostimportant
ofall of
forthefirst
thesepublications:
time,itassembledtheviewpoints
narrative
ofrock'n'
themagazine's
majorcriticsintoa comprehensive
The mostinteresting
roll'shistory.
thingaboutthisbookis thatwhileit
oftherock'n' rolltraand
of
a
representsvariety opinions remembrances
on
a
from
certain
statement
a
unified
it
also
generation
dition,
provides

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Trainas Rock'n' RollHistory


149
Mystery

Not surprisingly,
Marcus'ssweepingconceptionofrock'n'
thattradition.
rollcultureas broadlyand inherently
wasadoptedbyRolling
"American"
Trainwasbeingwritten,
theeditorstherealso attempted
Stone:as Mystery
to broadenthehorizonsofthejournal.In 1974,forinstance,Wenner
ofthemagazinefrom"justa littlerock'n'
changedhisofficial
description
rollnewspaper
fromSan Francisco"to "[a] biweekly
generalinterest
magazinecoveringcontemporary
Americanculture,
politics,and arts,witha
in music."13
specialinterest
ofan illustrated
The format
allowedRolling
Stoneto capture
history
thevisceralessenceofrock'n' roll,thusproviding
an optionforfanswho
didnotcareto wadethrough
thelengthy
written
passages.In accordance
oftheparentmagazineitself,
withthestyleand format
TheRolling
Stone
&
Rock
Roll
Illustrated
also
underscored
rock
'n'
roll's
function
as
History
of
a constituent
ofAmerica'sincreasingly
culture.At thevery
image-driven
frontofthebookone foundthreeillustrations
whoseplacementpreceded
theintroduction
bytheeditor,
JimMiller,and whichweredoubtless
intendedto encapsulatethekeyfeatures
ofthemusicalstyle.In thefirst,
thelittle-known
1950srockerErselHickeyrepresented
thequintessential
rock'n' roll-the electricguitar,
white,working-class
imageofstylized,
thecuffed
hair.The seccollar,and theduck-tailed
pants,theturned-up
an energetic
crowdofteenagegirlsheld
ond,a two-pagespreaddepicting
backbya middle-aged
theviewerthatrock'n' roll
policeforce,reminded
wasand alwayshas beena phenomenon
bothchargedwithsexuality
and
at oddswithauthority.
The third,a studioportrait
oftheFiveSatins,who
becamefamouswiththe 1956hit"In theStilloftheNite,"highlighted
theimportance
ofthemusicaltraditions
ofblackAmericawithinrock'n'
roll'shistory.
It waswiththesethreephotographs
thattheeditorsofthe
Illustrated
theirstory-tobe toldthrough
thelensofthe
History
prefaced
1970s.Thiswasa talethatevokedtheparticipatory
societythatrock'n'
rollwasbelievedto have createdthrough
and
rebellion,
style,sexuality,
ofrace,class,andgender.
inclusivity
In theeditor'sintroduction,
Millerconfirmed
thismessageand
broadeneditsscope.He beganbyappropriating
thetraditions
offolk
music:herewasa "history
ofrock'n' roll"thatbegannotwithElvisPresand blues,butwithan anecdoteaboutBob
ley,norevenwithrhythm
their1960s-style
folkbackon the
DylanandJoanBaez,as theybrought
roadin the 1970s.The easyconflation
of"folkmusic"(ofa particularly
thatprovided
cast) and rock'n' roll,an introductory
politicized
strategy
thenarrative
withmoreovertly
credentials
than
it
couldhave
political
mustered
withouttheassociation,
wasmatchedbya secondappropriation
in theopeningchapters,
thistimeoftheblues.14
the
Finally,
throughout
bookone readthesameaestheticrefrain:
rock'n' rollwasno merefadfor

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150 TheMusical
Quarterly
the youngbut a bonafideartisticmediumwhose textsrepresented,in their
the summoningforthof social, political,and economic freedom.
maturity,
The manychaptersin the Illustrated
Historywrittenby the critic
Greg Shaw demonstrateeven moreevocativelythe rock-historical
position held by the RollingStonecommunity.In his essays"The Teen Idols,"
"The InstrumentalGroups,"and "BrillBuildingPop," Shaw arguedthat
the periodbetween BuddyHolly's and Ritchie Valens's deaths in 1959
and the firstAmerican visitby the Beatles in February1964 was a problematicone in the historyof the tradition,mainlybecause "nobodycould
say forsurewhich were the essentialingredientsforsuccess in thisnew,
mysteriousand incrediblylucrativefieldof teenage music."15
Shaw's writingalso evoked the facilerhetoricof the "revolution"
thatso characterizesrock 'n' roll historywritingof thisperiod.For
instance,in his chapteron the obscureinstrumental
groupsof the first
"As ifin
he
that
argued
phase (ca. 1958-64),
"post-rock-and-roll"
&
responseto thisamputationof rock roll fromitsroots,in the late Fifties
bands began appearingthroughoutthe country,helpwhite instrumental
ing to keep the music alive at a local level and directlyinfluencingthe
Englishbands that would bringrockout of itsdoldrumslateron in the
Sixties."16Because rock 'n' roll is so predominantlya vocal style,this
essaywould seem to hold littleor no importancein the granderscheme of
things.Yet Shaw attemptsto make clear thisperiod'ssignificancein the
shapingof a rock 'n' roll aesthetic:
Instrumental
groupswerealmostwithoutexceptiona regionalphenomenon,a productofthelocal musicscenesthathavebeenthesourceofvirinnovationin rock& roll.As a generalrule,protuallyeverysignificant
musiciansin themusiccapitals-New York,Los Angelesand
fessional
outsidethemusicindustry,
London-had becomeinsulatedfrominfluences
ofaudienceswithwhom
whilelocal bands,playingeverynightin front
newstyles,
dancesand musicdevelopinitiated
theyhad a directrapport,
has
betweenfansand musicians
ofthisinteraction
ments.The immediacy
beencrucialto rock'sevolutionary
process.17
Of note here is the messageregardingrock'n' roll'sauthenticity-theargufactorin any repertory's
mentthata directlink to fanswas thedetermining
historyof rock'n' roll.In all,
potentialforinclusionin the institutionalized
Shaw's contributionsto the Illustrated
Historyexemplifythe positionthat
would take: authenticrock'n' rollbegan with
so manyof the contributors
a setbackbetween 1958 and
Elvis and the rockabillygeneration,suffered
of
the Beatles.
the
arrival
with
was
and
1964,
rejuvenated
But more importantthan the creationof a narrativefromthe mid1950s forwardwas the attemptto findearlierrootsforrock 'n' roll in the

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Trainas Rock'n' RollHistory


151
Mystery

Millercharacterized
annalsofAmericanexperience.In his introduction,
thestyleas one thatdefineditsaudience's"sensibility,
styleoflife,and
Butofthemanypowersofrock'n' rollthatMillersummoned,
fantasies."
one-"the evocationofan heroicAmericanpast"-standsoutas themost
ofrock
byadoptingforthehistory
telling.Justas Millerbeganthishistory
hiscolleague
'n' rollvariousotherrelatedAmericanmusicaltraditions,
Stone'spremier
had in theprevious
GreilMarcus,one ofRolling
critics,
narrative
to
for
this
nothinglessthanall of
yearattempted appropriate
America'smythic
past.
Despitea debatein themid-1970soverthecontinuedrelevanceofrock
Trainreceivedoverwhelming
musicin thatdecade,Mystery
from
support
thecommunity
ofcountercultural
intellectuals.
Marcus'sreputation
was,
linkto theintellectual
bythispoint,secure.As rock'n' roll'sstrongest
he wasa rarebreedofrock'n' rollcritic:botha fananda
academy,
themusic'spassionand sexuality
whilemaking
scholar,he confronted
and
intellectual
sense
of
its
His standing
proper
messages.
politically
literati
wasmadeclearbytheeditor'sacknowlamongthecountercultural
in theintroduction
to theIllustrated
Here,Miller
History.
edgments
hiscolleague-usinghipFrenchlingo,alliteration,
described
and a literto
a
novel
of
the
time-as
reference
Stone's
"coordinatpopular
Rolling
ary
bon vivant,and theonce and
ingeditor,San Franciscoliaison,Berkeley
future
kingofrockraconteurs."
Trainsharedthesameadmiration
The reviewers
ofMystery
forMarcus.In a discussionin theNewYorkReviewofBooks,forexample,Mark
thatrock'n' roll'sspirithad beenstripped
ofits
CrispinMillerregretted
and culturally
andhe bemoaned
authenticity
co-optedin themid-1970s,
thefactthat"unfortunately,
thetimeis rightfora history
ofrock'n'
roll."18
Millerwenton to discussseveralnewcontributions
to theburmorethantheseotherhistories,
he wrote,
geoningrock'n' rollliterature;
Trainwascapableoftelling"thecontinuing
Mystery
storyofa finished
foundrock'n' rollto be a deadculThus,whilehe regretfully
thing."19
turalphenomenon,
Milleraffirmed
bothMarcus'spoliticized
messageand
hismethodology.
Marcuslocatedthedifferent
at various
periodsofrock'n' roll'shistory
rebels,slipsbackintoconformity,
pointsin a repeating
cycle:itemerges,
and waitsin an almosthibernatory
stateuntilitamassesenoughdiscursive
to
of
its
culturalmilieu.He readintothe
power speakeloquently
again
rebellionofrock'n' rollitsimmortality.
withthis
ThoughMillerdisagreed
he couldnotresistitsappeal,forin itlivedtheregenerhealthyprognosis,
ativehopesofthecounterculture.
he arguedthatMarcus
Accordingly,
criticsto shame.In fact,thereis moreofrock's
"putscertainpretentious

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152 TheMusical
Quarterly

spiritin thisbookthanthereis in rockmusic."Here,rock'n' roll'sideolthetradition


is
in thisreading-shinesthrough:
ogy-as institutionalized
movement
castas a cultural
that,forthemostpart,isnotto be discussed
meansofcultural
arenas.Itspowerful
intellectual
in established
significationaremostlikelyto be misunderstood
bythosewhodo notpassionately
rock
rock'n' roll'slineoffire.Instead,it takestheinexhaustible
confront
'n' rollfan-and all thebetterifthisfanhas therareacademiccredenintoan
ofrhetoric
tials-to blendtheotherwise
systems
incompatible
and movinganalysis.20
enlightening
In an extendedreviewin theVillageVoiceentitled"ElvisPresleyas
Marcus'sstatureas a manofletMobyDick,"FrankRichalso emphasized
ofMarcus'svisionofAmerica:"Marters.21
He beganwithan affirmation
and ourartmerge
cussetsoutto definethatheadyspacewhereourhistory
intoa single,durablevisionofourcountry-avisionthatis capableof
recessesofourcollectivedemocratic
thedeepestand darkest
illuminating
withroots,likeother
soul."Rock'n' rollwasnowseenas an institution
with
in America'spast.Richsawno problems
ofculture,
"adult"forms
ofrock'n' roll:"It's
forthe"meaning"
century
diggingintothenineteenth
a measureofhowlongand richa viewMarcustakesofthesemusicians
ofthevaluehe placesin theirwork,that
a vindication
and,concurrently,
orVietnamintoourfaces
to shoveWatergate
itneverbecomesnecessary
Trainitsshareofmeaning."
to givetherockofMystery
mythbywhichto remove
Again,Marcushad providedthenecessary
an
of
1960s.
the
failures
rock'n' rollfromthepolitical
Althoughinitially
ofthe
froma mirror
radical,rock'n' rollhad beentransformed
outspoken
ofAmerica's
socialpanoramato an expression
troubled
contemporary
withbothMarcus'svisionofAmericaand
glowingpast.Richconcurred
in theshapingofourculturaliden'n'
roll's
of
rock
hisreading
complicity
"maynot
tity.He concludedthatthemusic,a forceofgreatsocialagency,
vistasintact."
be doingsucha bad job ofkeepingourdemocratic
Marcus'sworkand itsbroadappeal,it is helpfulto investiTo understand
accountsofAmerican
gatehisownrelianceon at leastthreeinfluential
ofCalifornia,
at theUniversity
As an undergraduate
intellectual
history.
hisownmajorin American
in the 1960s,Marcushad fashioned
Berkeley,
construcin thecelebrated
himself
Studiesand had immersed
midcentury
critics
In theworkoftheAmericanliterary
tionsofAmericanliterature.
D. H. Lawrence,
writer
F.O. Matthiessen
andLeslieFiedlerand theBritish
thatproofcultural
criticism
tradition
Marcuscameuponan impressive
In
videdhimwithseveralideascentralto hisowncriticalmethodology.
Studies
inClassic
theauthor's
note,forinstance,he includedLawrence's
Novelin
LoveandDeathintheAmerican
and Fiedler's
Literature
American

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Trainas Rock'n' RollHistory


153
Mystery

ofmyown
a greatdeal to theambitions
a listof"booksthatmattered
book,and to itscontent."22
ArtandExpression
in
Renaissance:
Matthiessen's
widelyreadAmerican
andWhitman
on midtheAgeofEmerson
(1941) hadlefta strong
impression
In hisopeningmanifesto,
criticism.
Matthiessen
Americanliterary
century
of
five
canonical
American
writers
thattheartistic
had maintained
program
HawAmericancultural
politicsat itsmostbasic:"Emerson,
represented
andMelville... all feltthatit wasincumbent
thome,Thoreau,Whitman,
to thepotentialities
freedbythe
to givefulfillment
upontheirgeneration
withAmerica's
commensurate
Revolution[and]toprovidea culture
politiWhatemerges
fromthetotalpattern
oftheirachievecal opportunity....
forourdemocracy."23
ment.. is literature
neitherAmerican
Renaissance
norits
AlthoughMarcusmentioned
as
Frank
Rich
that
Train
such
commented
readers
author,
Mystery
early
in
the
tradition
of
such
and
was"determinedly proudly
ground-breaking
as ... Matthiessen's
American
RenaisworksofAmericanculturalcriticism
Marcuswasclearlyinvolvedin manufacturing
LikeMatthiessen,
sance."24
in one volartists
whosegrouping
of"democratic"
a canonicalcommunity
each
cast
as
much
"make
umecould,in Matthiessen's
words,
[artist]
lightas
that"ina
Alongtheselines,Marcusasserted
possibleon all theothers."25
thecountry
as a
an artistdenieshisdeepestnaturebyignoring
democracy,
whole,"and "todo one'smostpersonalworkin a timeofpubliccrisisis an
actofcommonfaith;... one
democratic
honest,legitimate,
paradoxically
whatever
it is thatone has to
byoffering
keepsfaithwithone'scommunity
waslinkedto theanxietyof
And justas America'searliestfiction
say."26
so too,arguedMarcus,didtheserock'n' rollers
society,
post-Revolutionary
in
a
when
at
time
the
was,in hiswords,"upforgrabs."
country
step
a generalmodelforMarIfMatthiessen's
workseemstohaveprovided
an evendeeperinfluence
camefromD. H. Lawrence,
whose
cus'sthought,
ofthebody,writings
on psychoanalysis,
andgenadvocacyoftheliberation
withestablished
cultural
sensibilities
had turned
him
eraldissatisfaction
workwaswidelyreadduring
the
icon.Lawrence's
intoa youth-culture
to thecounterculture's
ofhisideasresponded
des1960s;theresurrection
intellectual
ancestors.27
As Marcusmentioned,
peratesearchforlegitimate
inClassicAmerican
Literature
Lawrence's
Studies
affected
the
(1923) greatly
inMystery
Train.He evokedLawrence's
ideashe expressed
mosttrenchant
"The artist
wordson Americanartistry:
usuallysetsout.., topointa moral
andadorna tale.The tale,however,
pointstheotherway,as a rule.Two
theartist's
andthetale's.Nevertrust
theartist.
blankly
opposingmorals,
Trustthetale.The properfunction
ofa criticis tosavethetalefrom
the
artist
whocreatedit.Now weknowourbusinessin thesestudies:
savingthe
AmericantalefromtheAmericanartist."28
Marcusquoteda portionofthis

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154 TheMusical
Quarterly

ofSlyStoneand in thesameveinsoughtoutthe
passagein hisdiscussion
"Americantale"in theworkofall ofhiscanonicalrock'n' rollers.
BothLawrenceandMarcusespousedthedoctrine
ofAmericanexcepan entrenched
intellectual
thatAmerica's
tradition
tionalism,
asserting
social,political,and economicconditionsinevitably
giveriseto a
Forexceptionalists,
sphere.29
unique-that is,"exceptional"-cultural
thatit
one oftheuniquequalitiesofAmericanartliesin therelationship
fosters
that
betweentheartistand theaudience.Lawrencehad written
Melville"wasa realAmericanin thathe alwaysfelthisaudiencein front
Marcusalso viewedtheperformer-audience
ofhim."30
dynamicas a cruthat
cial component
ofrock'n' roll'sartistic
one
couldbe genpotential,
eralizedintoan individual-community
dynamicandserveas a modelfor
Thisparadigm
actsin accordancewithone centralthemein
democracy.
theconflict
in twentieth-century
Americabetween
Lawrence's
writing:
extremeindividualism
and thedesperate
to
yearning escapefromit.In a
thissamedialecticas
Train,Marcusidentified
keypassagefromMystery
theunderlying
essenceofrock'n' roll:"The tensionbetweencommunity
and self-reliance;
betweendistancebetweenone'saudienceand affection
forit; betweenthesharedexperienceofpopularcultureand thespecial
talentofartists
whobothdrawon thatsharedexperienceand changeitthesethingsarewhatmakerock'n' rollat itsbesta democratic
art,at
Thisdichotomy
leastin theAmericanmeaningoftheworddemocracy."31
in Marcus'sexpansiveand widelyadmired
is exploredmostthoroughly
which
Train.He
Elvis
servesas theheartofMystery
on
Presley,
essay
on thetopicoffreedom
and arguesthatPresquotesLawrenceextensively
Americandialecticbetweenindiley'sworkcapturesthefundamentally
"Thereis a modesty
of
and community
vidualfreedom
responsibility:
In
this
will
for
world
Elvis's
singles].
hope what
country-style
you
spirit[in
youdeserve,butnotdemandit; youmaycelebrateyourlife,butnotwith
thelifeofsomeoneelse.The
thatmightthreaten
thekindofliberation
publicimpulseofthemusicis notto breakthingsopen,butto confirm
whatis alreadythere,to add to itsrealityand itsvalue.This is thekindof
D. H. Lawrencehad in mindwhenhe wroteaboutAmericain an
freedom
essaycalled'The SpiritofPlace.' "32
on art'sproper
MarcusandLawrencealsosharedan insistence
Finally,
forthe
as critique.LawrencehadpraisedAmericanliterature
function
refuse
"Americans
ofitssymbolism:
indirectness
explicitand
everything
He
in
revel
subterfuge."33
alwaysputup a sortofdoublemeaning.They
who"keeptheirold-fashioned
had beenmesmerized
bytheAmericans,
silkhat,whiletheydo themost
idealfrock-coat
on,and an old-fashioned
whichhas rustedin,and
things. . . Theiridealsarelikearmour
impossible
is
The heartofAmericanaestheticcriticism
willnevermorecomeoff."34

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Trainas Rock'n' RollHistory


155
Mystery
the removalofthis"spiritualget-up."Because "authentic"rock'n' roll,as
Marcusand his colleaguesconstructedit,shouldalwaysconveya potentand
thatit imitateclassicAmerican
unspoiledsocial message,Marcuspreferred
a
or
veiled
literature
critiqueinsteadofsuccumbing
byoffering metaphorical
to the pedestrianor "solipsistic"methodsofsocial criticismthatwereprevathe mid-1970s.35
lent in the music-even muchofthe rockmusic---of
The American literarycriticLeslie Fiedlerhad also acknowledged
D. H. Lawrence'sworkas epochmakingin the understandingof American
culture.In his influentialLove and Death in theAmericanNovel (1960)
Fiedlerhad portrayedAmerican lifeas a continuouscycle of related
themes:"There is a patternimposedboth by the writersof our past and
the veryconditionsof lifein the United States fromwhich no American
novelistcan escape, no matterwhat philosophyhe consciouslyadopts or
what themehe thinkshe pursues."36This view is echoed by Marcus in his
assertionthat rock 'n' roll embodies"a certainAmerican spiritthatnever
disappearsno matterhow smooththingsget." Similarly,he claimed to
illuminate"unitiesin the American imaginationthat alreadyexist."37
In his work,Fiedlerhad attemptedto determinethe fundamental
natureof the Americanpsycheby applyinga psychoanalyticcriticismto
the American novel. Like Lawrence,FiedlerregardedAmerican novels as
textsfromwhich the criticcan extractthe secretsof a collective American culture,itssoul, its archetypes,and so on. Thus, just as Fiedlerhad
interpretedthe characterof Fedallah in Melville's Moby-Dickas representing "the Faustianpact, the bargainwiththe devil, which our authorshave
alwaysfeltas the essence of the American experience,"38Marcus'schapter
on the blues singerand guitaristRobertJohnsonwas based on precisely
the same interpretation.
With Fiedlerobviouslyin mind,he wrote:
Thereweredemonsin [Johnson's]
songs-bluesthatwalkedlikea man,the
or
in
the
two
with
each
other-and Johnson
wasoftenon
devil,
league
terms
with
his
fear
seems
to
have
been
thathisdesires
them; greatest
good
wereso extremethathe couldsatisfy
themonlybybecominga kindof
demonhimself.... The onlymemory
in Americanartthatspeakswiththe
sameeerieresignation
"Me
[asJohnson's and theDevil Blues"]is that
momentwhenAhab goesoverto thedevil-worshipping
Parseeshe kept
stowedawayin theholdofthePequod.39
The thematicsofJohnson'sworkcould not have played moreperfectly
into Marcus'stranspositionof Fiedler'sideas on the American novel into
the fieldof rock 'n' roll. And yet,althoughMarcus wanted to claim Johnson as one of that tradition'stwo most importantancestors,he wrotethat
"I have no stylisticargumentsto make about Johnson'sinfluenceon the
otherperformers
in thisbook, but I do have a symbolicargument."40

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156 TheMusical
Quarterly

This statement,
and manyotherslikeit,wascentralto Marcus's
wholeproject.Amongotherthings,it revealedhisrelianceon thekindof
and criticism
thathispredecessors
had also espoused.Distrustful
of
history
an analyticalorempirical
of[stylistic]
orevents,these
"history
processes"
writers
had offered
insteada "mythical"
the
stance,whichemphasized
'n'
the
the
the
fan
bond
between
and
rock
roll
text,
artist,
(i.e.,
spiritual
hisliterary
thecritic).Fiedler,
forexample,had introduced
studywiththe
"Thisis not. ., an academicorscholarly
book,thoughit is
following:
to worksofscholarship.... I havenot.., written
indebtedthroughout
meretextual
whatis mostoftenmeantthesedaysbya 'critical'study,
And Lawrence,in a passageon
ahistorical,
anti-biographical."41
analysis,
that"TheLastoftheMohicansis
JamesFennimore
Cooper,had written
I
narrative
and true'romance.'Formyself,
dividedbetweenrealhistorical
whereasthenarrative
is
theromance.It has a mythmeaning,
prefer
record."42
chiefly
Trainwaswritten,
theAmericanhistoOvera decadebeforeMystery
as
features
ofthisstyleofwriting
rianRichardHofstadter
had identified
and had discussedthismindsetin thelargercontextof
"anti-rationalism"
had agreedthat
Americananti-intellectualism.43
ThoughHofstadter
is notthecreationofpeoplewhoarecategorically
"anti-intellectualism
assertedthat"thecommonstrainthat
hostileto ideas,"he nevertheless
is a
theattitudes
and ideaswhichI call anti-intellectual
bindstogether
and suspicionofthelifeofthemindand ofthosewhoare
resentment
to minimize
the
to represent
considered
it;and a disposition
constantly
valueofthatlife."44
theantagonism
is usefulin thatitarticulates
Such a definition
orcriticalperspectives.
betweengroupswithopposinghistorical
Thus,
whenMarkCrispinMillerarguedthatMarcus,"withhislivelyanecdotal
criticsto shame,"we gaina cluetoward
style,putscertainpretentious
assessment
oftheinstitution
Marcus'ssimilarly
derogatory
understanding
on sevMarcusrefers
to musicology
Americanmusicology.
ofmid-century
that
oranaeraloccasionsthroughout
Train,
asserting empirically
Mystery
and aesthetic
historical
couldonlydescribe
basedmusicology
lytically
On theotherhand,a criticalmethodthatfocusedsympathetiprocesses.
thesepheit couldexplain
ofmythcouldgo further:
callyon theworkings
mechanicalhisa merely
thusrepresented
nomena.Academicmusicology
and
one thatonlyproducedobjectivechronicles
toricalconsciousness,
national
or
of
couldnotenterthedeeperrecesses personal
experience.
forthisreasonthatMarcusapologizedfor"goinginto
It wassurely
whenhe discussed
ofa certainElvisPresley
themusicology"
recording
His musical
itsrecorded
history.
aspectsofthesongthroughout
stylistic
that
the
to
subordinated
remained
commentary
mythical
analysesalways

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Trainas Rock'n'RollHistory
157
Mystery
it servedonly as a tool. On RobertJohnson'sguitarplaying,forexample,
he evaded specificmusicalcommentarywithsuch statementsas "[his]
technique was not only more advanced, it was deeper,because it had to
be."45Finally,Marcus preferred
to valorizepsychesand personas-that is,
mythicalentities-over what he feltto be the ineffectualhistoriesof
processesand events:
The questionofhistory
mayhavebeensettledon thesideofprocess,not
I verymuchappreciate.
butit is nota settlement
Historical
personality,
forcesmightexplaintheCivil War,buttheydon'taccountforLincoln;
whenitdid,buttheydon't
theymighttellus whyrock'n' rollemerged
explainElvisanymorethantheyexplainLittlePeggyMarch.Whata sense
is
ofcontext doesgiveus,whenwe arelookingforsomeonein particular,
it always
an idea ofwhatthatpersonhad to workwith;butformyself,
Therearealwaysblankspots,and
seemsinexplicablein theend anyway.
takeover.46
thatis wherethemyths
In 1978, threeyearsafterthe appearance ofMarcus'sMystery
Train-and
quite independentlyfromthatwork-the Canadian historianSacvan
Berkovichcommentedupon a characteristicstyleofAmericanwritingthat
has persistedsince its inceptionwiththe Puritans.Berkovich,along with
othercurrentscholarsof the Puritanperiod,called thisgenrethe "American jeremiad."Berkovichcharacterizedit as "an officially
endorsedcultural
in
thread
the
of
the mythof
myth .., one major
process self-justification,
America."47The authorsofthe manyjeremiadsdiscussedby Berkovich
sharedtwo features:theyfirsthighlightedAmerica'ssense of a national
mission,and theythen lamentedtheirown generation'slack ofsuccess
both in remainingtrueto thatmissionand in buildinga betterworld.
In his analysisof American jeremiads,Berkovichwas both fascinated
by theirabundance and astoundedthat thisrhetoricalstylehad lasted
over centuries"in a countrythat,despite itsarbitrary
territorial
limits,
could read its destinyin its landscape, and a populationthat,despite its
bewilderingmixtureofrace and creed,could believe in somethingcalled
an American mission,and could investthatpatentfictionwithall the
emotional,spiritual,and intellectualappeal of a religiousquest."48
Berkovichcited severalexamples of the jeremiad:
Herewastheanarchist
Thoreaucondemning
hisbacksliding
by
neighbors
to theWestward
reference
WaltWhitman,
errand;here,thesolitary
singer,
leader,Martin
claimingto be theAmericanWay;here,thecivilrights
LutherKing,descendantofslaves,denouncing
as a violationof
segregation
theAmericandream;here,an endlessdebateaboutnationalidentity,
fullof

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158 TheMusical
Quarterly
rageand faith,... conservative
politicians
huntingoutsocialistsas conspir-

atorsagainst
thedream,
thatcapitalism
wasa
left-wing
proving
polemics

ofthecountry's
sacredorigins.49
betrayal

Traincan be readas belonging


Fromthisperspective,
Mystery
it
within
this
tradition; was,indeed,a particularly
tellingjeresquarely
ofthe 1960s.As Marcuswrote:"tobe an Amerimiadforthegeneration
and to feelaloneandhaunted
can is to feelthepromiseas a birthright,
whenthepromisefails.No failurein America,whether
ofloveorof
kind
ever
it
is
a
of
of
a
is
simple; always
betrayal, massofshadowy,
money,
In Berkovich's
sharedhopes."50
view,thejeremiadas a genrewasessential
"Itwasa ritual
to theforging
ofan ideaofAmericannationalidentity.
to spiritual
renewal,publicto private
designedto join socialcriticism
theshifting
'signsofthetimes'to certaintraditional
metaphors,
identity,
and
Marcus'sMystery
Trainstroveto do justthat,and
themes, symbols."51
and
at a timewhenitsinstitutional
frameofreference
to do itprecisely
crisis.Its
wereundergoing
a profound
generation
identity
corresponding
responseto theperceivedcrisisinvolvedthreepointsofargumentation:
thecelebration
ofcertaintypesofpastrock'n' rollperceivedto be conofitsimmito dispelthewarnings
duciveto alternative
culture;theeffort
nentdeath;and,through
imageofa past"exceplinkagewitha mythical
ofselectedgenresofrock'n' rollwithan
tional"America,theproviding
This
for
opportunity immortality. maybe whatMarkCrispinMillermeant
whenhe assertedthattherewasmoreofrock'n' roll'sspiritin thisbook
thantherewasin themusicitself.
thejereBerkovich
arguedthat"evenwhentheyaremostoptimistic,
their
affirmations
Not
miadsexpressa profound
infrequently,
disquiet.
a fear
to confront
thepresent,
desperation-arefusal
betrayan underlying
to translate
'America'intoa visionthatworksin
an effort
ofthefuture,
IntoMarcus'soptimistic
spiritbecauseitcan neverbe testedin fact."52
to testtheAmericansoilforthepossiproject,then,we can readan effort
And becausefor
a renewablecounterculture
mythology.
bilityofgrowing
oftheAmericanimagination
thecentralcategory
theseexceptionalists
ofrock'n'
construction
thisparticular
wasa rebellionagainstauthority,
wasbasedon thedebatablepremisethatany
narrative
roll'shistorical
In the
be antiestablishment.
rock'n' rollmustinevitably
"authentic"
truly
'n'
roll
rock
termed
authentic
rock
of
what
(or
ideologues
primeyears
to
referred
1960s-"antiestablishment"
"rock")-thatis,themid-to-late
suchthingsas a morefreeand inclusiveparticianyonewhoencouraged
society;a deepsuspicionofsociallyvalidated
pationin an integrated
an accepnormsofeducation,evaluation,and economicadvancement;
of
and
so
on.
The
liberated
tanceofspontaneously
sexualities;
history

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Trainas Rock'n'RollHistory
159
Mystery

wellsuitedto sucha stance.As BenedictAnderson


mythsisparticularly
ofthemannerbywhichtheidea ofa
putit in a nowfamousdescription
isjustified
is constructed,
the"imagined
nationalcommunity
community"
historical
and any
for
transcend
boundaries,
reality,
through
myth, myths
Marcussoughtto locatethisidealcomverification.53
needforempirical
in rock'n' rollculture:"In theworkofeach performer
[discussed
munity
to createoneself,to makea newman
in Mystery
Train]thereis an attempt
and whatis imagined;each individualattempt
outofwhatis inherited
nevereasyto define,
wherethemembers
of
impliesan idealcommunity,
wouldspeakas clearlyto theartistas he doesto them.
thatcommunity
The audiencesthatgatheraroundrock'n' rollersareas closeto thatideal
as anyonegets."s4
Thus,as rock'n' roll'spublicintellectuals
community
decidedthattheAmericanexperiencewasnotto be substantially
altered
insteadan idealistically
via directpoliticalaction,theyfashioned
particiwereinexorably
underpatoryworld,in whichAmerica'sinstitutions
thetradition's
minedbyrock'n' rollculture.Further,
earlyhistory
quickly
withinthisnarrative
as well;theresultwasa group
becameappropriated
linearand uninterrupted
ofwritten
histories
underpositinga supposedly
groundphenomenon.
It is through
suchjeremiadsas Mystery
TrainthatthenotionofcommuAnd,sincethe
nityhas becomea centralimagein rock'n' rollwriting.
in the 1960softheheretofore
conflation
distinct
music-historical
tradiofthe"rockcommunity"
tionsofrock'n' rollandfolk,anydiscussion
mustconsidertheinfluence
oftheideologyoffolkon thecreationand
The literature
ofsuchcommunities.
on folkmusicis vast,
development
and doesnotalwaysintersect
withthaton rock'n' roll.Still,
however,
interactions
betweenthetwomusical
partlybecauseoftherealhistorical
of
the
and
because
offolkcommunity
styles partly
imaginedconceptions
on thepartofrockwriters,
somewriters
have nevertheless
foundituseful
to considertheroleofthe"folk"in thecreationofrock'n' rollhistory
and criticism.
In theinaugural
volumeofthejournalPopularMusic
on rock'n'
(1981), forinstance,SimonFrithchargedthatcertainwriters
rollhad (mis)understood
thismusicas a typeoffolkmusic.Such an equationwasanathemato Frith's"sociologicalpointofview."FortheMarxist
folkand rock'n' rollareverydifferent
forms
ofmusicmaking:
sociologist,
folkis createdvia "pre-capitalist
modesofmusicproduction,"
whilerock
'n' roll"is,withouta doubt,a mass-produced,
mass-consumed
commodof
issues
social
and patterns
ofleisure
Further,
class,generation,
ity."55
music-historical
activity
complicatethelikeningofsuchdisparate
phenomenaas folk,rock,and rock'n' roll.Still,Frith'slargerpointin exploringtheseaccountsofpopularculturewasto notethat"rockis usedbyits

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160 TheMusical
Quarterly
listenersas a folkmusic-it articulatescommunalvalues, commentson
sharedsocial problems."56
The writersto whom Frithwas referring,
those active in the late
1960s and early1970s, borrowedthe ideologyoffolkforthe purposesof
explainingrock 'n' roll,thusclaimingthat the rockcommunitywas in
essence synonymouswiththe folkcommunity.While Fritharguedthat
the foundationsforthismythicalrockcommunitywerenot based on any
sociological facts,he neverthelessunderstoodthe myth-making
processas
integralto an understandingofhow musicworkssocially:"The importance of the mythofrock communityis that it is a myth.The sociological
task is not to 'expose' thismythor to searchforits 'real' foundations,but
to explain whyit is so important.Justas the ideologyof folktellsus little
about how folkmusicwas actuallymade but much about the folkscholars'
own needs and fancies,so rockmyths'resolve'real contradictionsin class
experiencesofyouthand leisure."57In otherwords,accordingto Frith,
when these and othernarrativesabout rock 'n' roll'shistoryand significance appeared in the late 1960s and early1970s, claimingrock 'n' roll's
centralityin American culture,theyemployedan ideological argumentin
orderto legitimizetheirown social, political,and culturalagendas. And
while he foundthe sociological basis of theirclaims faultyto the core,
Frithclearlyfeltthat the functionand powerof these claims was attractive enough to meritdiscussion.
For Frith,the "rock ideologuesof the 1960s-musicians, criticsand
fansalike,"claimed that"rock'n' roll'sstatusas a folkmusicwas what differentiatedit fromroutinepop; it was as a folkmusicthatrock 'n' roll
could claim a distinctivepolitical and artisticedge."58Ironically,the antihistoricaland antisociologicalargumentmade by thesewritersalso downplayedthe necessityof confrontingthe specificallymusicalattributesof
the repertoriesin question. As Frithput it:
The culturalclaimsmadeforrockbytheendofthe 1960s... derivedfrom
thatthemusicwastheauthenticexperience
ofa youthcomtheassertion
had,
munity....The rockclaimwasthatifa songorrecordorperformance
in itself,
thenecessary
thenitcouldbe interpreted,
in
signsofauthenticity,
musicaljudgment
turn,as thesignofa realcommunity-the
guaranteed
thesociologicaljudgment
ratherthanviceversa.Therewasno needto prooftherock"community,"
videan independent,
non-musical
description
What
norto describehowsucha community
cameto makemusicforitself.
wasat issuewasa setofmusicalconventions.59
ofthesemusicalconvenFrithalso foundthe rockideologue'sunderstanding
tionswanting:the acceptanceor rejectionofanymusicalutterancewas based
on a "judgment"
thathad no realfoundation
beyondthatofthesound's
entirely
of
the
move
a
listener
the
values
to
to
ideologicalcommunity.
accept
ability

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Trainas Rock'n' RollHistory


161
Mystery
Afterexaminingthe discrepanciesbetweenthe actual Americanfolk
movementand the ideologyof the rockcommunity,
Frithturnedhis attention to the issuesofclass and the conflatingofdistinctmusic-historical
"The mostinteresting
repertories:
questionabout rockis itsclass basis: how
did rock 'n' roll,the working-class
formof the 1950s,get institutionalized
as a featureof middle-classsuburbanyouthculture?"60
Frithansweredpartiallythat"the streetexperienceof leisure .., has been sentimentalised,
distanced,organisedinto the rock'n' roll experience.Rock 'n' roll,in
otherwords,has celebratedstreetcultureboth foritsparticipantsand for
itssuburbanobservers,and by the mid-1960ssuch a celebrationmeant
moreto the lattergroup."61A further
inquiry,one sensitiveto Marcus's
would addressthe manargumentand itssuccessin the rockcommunity,
ner by which the idea of the class- and generation-basedcommunitywas
transformed
into thatof the national community.
Understooddifferently,
withMarcus'sworkin mind,Frithasks
whetherthe meaningof "antiestablishment"in 1950s rock 'n' roll signifiedthe same thingthat it did afterthe studentprotestmovementbegan
in the early1960s. Or perhapsthe constructionof rock 'n' roll as chronically antiestablishmentand inevitablybound up withleftistpoliticsis a
manufacturedhistoricalimage,craftedout of a self-willedblindness
towardthe historicityof the terminology.
Frithdescribedthe historical
of rock 'n' roll into rock:
transformation
The rock'n' rollexperiencewasan experienceofcommunity-teenage
dance-hallfriendships-but
thiswasnotreallycentralto it.
community,
The musiccreateditscommunity
bykeepingotherpeopleout,and the
was
resulting
society transient-peoplegrewup,tasteschanged,realfriends
and relationswereeverywhere,
at homeand work.Rock'n' rollmadeculturalsensenotas an experiencein itself,
butin thecontextofa specific
experienceofworkandpower.Whenrock'n' rollbecamerockin the
1960sitwasremovedfromthesecontextsand drainedofitsoriginalsignificance.Consciousness
ofclassbecomesa matterofself-indulgence;
therock
roll
was
which
could
be
culture
experience
consumed;
'n'
something
becamecommodity....Whathas happenedis lessa changein theways
musicis madethanin thewaysthatitis usedand interpreted.62
Frith'sregardforthe social and historicalspecificity
of different
musical
repertoriesis exemplary.We maydisagreewithhis particularway of constructingthe disparateculturalmovements,but the importantthingis
that theyare treatedseparately,and that the social and political use of
musical repertories-in otherwords,rock 'n' roll'smediationthrough
these writings-becomes a necessaryhistoricalcomplementto the music
itself.

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162 TheMusical
Quarterly

ofthenewinstitutionalized
In the 1970stheproponents
narrativerockfans,nowturnedolder-asserted
adolescents,
mainlymiddle-class
ofdemocracy
leftin
thatrockwaskeepingalivetheonlyrepresentation
whentheestablishment's
democratic
ideal
the"silentseventies,"
warped
At thesametime,theseprint-culture
washoldingthenationhypnotized.
and thesupport
ofa
foundnewvitality,
historical
intellectuals
sanctuary,
It
backward.
glimpses
ideologyin theirownliterature's
pseudo-nationalist
thatthisconstruction
ofauthenticrock'n' rollas
wouldappear,however,
could
antiestablishment
an unassimilable,
phenomenon
quintessentially
thisresponse
flourish
institutionally
onlyafterthe 1970shad triggered
from
Writers
in searchofitsownculturallegitimacy.
froma generation
thisgeneration
capitalizedon an ideologyoffolkmusicin orderto explain
American
rock'n' rollas a musicwithdirecttiesto a fundamental
be
mustthemselves
suchmotivations
essence.Forthehistoriographer,
ofthemusicaltradition's
as significant
history.
components
regarded
ofrock'n' roll,theseideasconstitute
Beyondthescopeofthehistory
involvedin themakingofcounterculone ofthemostcommonstrategies
thestrange
on rock'n' rollilluminates
Historicalwriting
turalnarratives.
an
on theone handasserting
paradoxoftheAmericancounterculture:
while
and politicalmatters,
antiestablishment
positionon social,cultural,
fora totalizing
in itshistorical
on theotherarguing,
constructions,
thepurposes
ofwritessence.
For
American
of
a
characteristic
description
fromthisperspective,
then,theonlyauthentic
ingrock'n' rollhistory
itsassociationwiththefolk
rock'n' rollwouldbe thatwhich,through
In thisway,thework
nationalcharacter.
identifies
thisspecific
movement,
as EmersonandWhitmancan be relatedto
ofsuchAmericanthinkers
rock'n' roll:thata
ofantiestablishment
themessageofthehistorians
ofartistic
materialderiving
societyis bestservedbya constantinfusion
ofitsfolk.63
character
fromthefundamental
ofrock'n' rollandfolkin the 1960s,
Becauseofthefortuitous
merger
fromthegroundup.A familcould
constructed
be
thisnationalcharacter
thusarises:a nation'ssoulis in itsfolk;rock'n' rollmusicis
iarsyllogism
oftheuniquelyAmerirock'n' rollis thediscourse
folkmusic;therefore,
theardentappealsoftherock'n' rollfan-who
can experience.
Further,
is able to tapintothisnationalessencevia themusic'svisceralpowerand criticaltools.Buttherock'n'
historical
intopowerful
aretransformed
rollhistory
proposedbyMarcusand hiscolleaguesin the"silentsevenin the
afterthefolk-rock
movement
ties"couldonlyhave beenwritten
claims.It is theinclusionof
thatmusic'ssociohistorical
1960sredefined
of
and thewidespread
1950srock'n' rollintothisnarrative
disparagement
did
ofrock)that
of"inauthentic"
otherforms
pop (and evensomeforms
claimsthatbecometheconcernof
to theantiestablishment
notconform

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Trainas Rock'n' RollHistory


163
Mystery

Stateddifferently,
thehistoriographical
today'shistorian.
problemis the
ofmusic-historical
conflation
epochs-the mannerbywhichthehistory
ofone period(and musicalstyle)is toldaccordingto thetermsofanother,
The messageis simple:thecomplexhistory
ofthis
vastlydifferent,
system.
musicaltradition
cannotbe adequatelyaddressed
witha paradigm
thatis
ahistorical.
Notes
version
ofthispaperwaspresented
An earlier
attheannualmeeting
oftheAmerican
inNewYorkinNovember
1995.I wishtoacknowledge
theassisMusicological
Society
tanceandsupport
ofJames
and
Tick,DavidGrayson,
Hepokoski,
RalphLocke,Judith
Graham
Wood.
accurate
inthestudy
(andmeaningful)
ofpopular
music
hasbeen
Finding
terminology
On theonehand,wecandifferentiate
between
suchstyles
asfolk,
problematic.
rock,and
rock'n'rollonthebasisofmusical,
andsociological
criteria.
On theother,
the
historical,
hasbeensolooseas tohavewarranted
a dilemma.
popular
usageoftheseandotherterms
Thewishtodifferentiate
between
"rock'n'roll"and"rock,"
forinstance,
ismadetroublesomebythemany
sources
andpublications,
suchasRolling
Stone
whichin
magazine,
to"rock'n'roll"as theentire
movement
sincethemid-1950s.
Inanother
placesrefer
famous
ofmusicfrom
thisperiod,
theauthor,
CharlieGillett,
evenargued
fora dishistory
tinction
"rock'n'roll"-which
between
outaround
1958"-and"rockand
"petered
"isa posthumous
roll"-which
classification
formusicthatshared
similar
of'rock
qualities
'n' roll.'"See CharlieGillett,
TheSound
oftheCity:TheRiseofRock'n' Roll,rev.ed.(London:Souvenir
inthesources,
inthisessayI
Press,
1982),3. Becauseofsuchdiscrepancies
refer
totheentire
movement
as"rock'n'roll."
will,witha fewpointed
exceptions,
1. GreilMarcus,
Train:
inRock'n'RollMusic(NewYork:
E. P.
Mystery
Images
ofAmerica
Marcus
haswritten
Dutton,
1975;rev.1982,1990,1997).SinceMystery
Train,
prolifically
onAmerican
musicandculture.
becausemyconcern
inthisessayiswiththe
However,
wasconstructed
theearly
tomid-1970s,
thisother
wayinwhichrock'n'rollhistory
during
whileitretains
several
ofhismostcharacteristic
andsoon,isnot
work,
metaphors,
ploys,
ofrelevance
here.
2. Somedetails
ofMarcus's
education
andcareer
canbefound
intheauthor's
notein
Train.
See alsoRobert
Stone
TheUncensored
Mystery
Draper,
Rolling
Magazine:
History
toDraper,
as anundergradu(NewYork:
1991),40-42,109-11.According
HarperCollins,
ateatBerkeley
in 1964,Marcus
"fashioned
hisownmajor,
American
thenbecame
studies,
a political
sciencegraduate
student
Stone's
(109).By1970,hewasoneofRolling
[there]"
"most
music
critics"
(41).
respected
3. Marcus,
4.
choices
wereindicative
4. Marcus's
ofhistime:hewrote
Train
between
fall1972
Mystery
andlatesummer
wereactiveandpopular
1974,whentheseartists
notein
(seetheauthor's
Inrevised
he includes
anintroductory
notethatdescribes
Train).
versions,
theidioMystery
ofthesechoicesandnotesthefailure
ofcertain
oftheseartists
tomakeasgreat
syncrasies
an impact
onthehistory
ofrock'n'rollashehadoriginally
Marcus
didnotcall
prophesied.
hisbooka history,
nordidhisreviewers
takeitassuchspecifically.
Butitsmoves
toward
the
ofa canon-beitpersonal,
orheuristic-is
unmistakable.
Thus
manufacturing
subjective,

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164 TheMusical
Quarterly
as a history
at leastin thesensethatittoldone music-historical
Trainfunctioned
Mystery
cerand eventsoverothers.The book,however,
certainparticipants
talebyemphasizing
in thesensewithwhichthisterm
seekorclaimto be canonforming
tainlydidnotovertly
of
in thecurrent
culturewars.Also at issuehereis themultiplicity
has beencharacterized
on the
I do notsuggest
thatMarcus(or anyotherwriter
explanations.
potentialhistorical
subject)claimedthathisstorywastheonlyone available.Butsincehisaccountand many
ofrock'n' roll'shistory
and
in thepopularunderstanding
othershave remainedinfluential
thediscursive
one wouldwishat leastto understand
sociocultural
power
significance,
that"real"or"true"
assertion
It maybe a commonplace
inherent
in suchconstructions.
themechais to understand
The historian's
arean impossibility.
histories
task,however,
nismsbehindthecreationofthemultipleaccounts,and it is sucha projectthatconcerns
mehere.
5. Marcus,4.
6. Marcus,4.
of
tradition
on theinfluential
havefocusedchiefly
theseinvestigations
7. In particular,
ofthenineteenth
Germanmusiccriticism
See, forexample,StephenRumph,"A
century.
Beethoven
KingdomNot ofThisWorld:The PoliticalContextofE. T. A. Hoffmann's
"A. B. Marx,
Music19 (Summer1995): 50-67; Sanna Pederson,
19thCentury
Criticism,"
Music18 (Fall 1994):
19thCentury
BerlinConcertLife,andGermanNationalIdentity,"
Hero(Princeton,
Beethoven
Press,
University
N.J.:Princeton
87-107; andScottBurnham,
concerns
thekindofhistoriographical
1995). Myworkhereis meantto represent
in theseand othersources.
expressed
in the
8. The polarpositionson thistopichave beenvoicedperhapsmoststrongly
recentpolemicaldebatebetweenthemusicologists
GaryTomlinsonand LawrenceKramer.
1 (1992): 5-18, and theinteroftheFuture,"
"The Musicology
See Kramer,
repercussions
A Response
"MusicalPastsand Postmodern
Musicologies:
changethatensued:Tomlinson,
Turn:In Contrary
and thePostmodernist
"MusicCriticism
to LawrenceKramer";
Kramer,
53
Current
and "GaryTomlinsonResponds,"
MotionwithGaryTomlinson";
Musicology
(1994): 18-24,25-35,36-40.
"The
is PeterBirgerandChristaBuirger,
9. One centraltextfor"institution
theory"
Towarda Theoryofthe
ofArtas a CategoryoftheSociologyofLiterature:
Institution
TheInstioftheSocial FunctionofArt,"in Birgerand Buirger,
HistoricalTransformation
ofNebraskaPress,1992). By"institutions
ofArt,trans.LorenKruger(Lincoln:University
suchas
tutionofart,"theauthorsdo notmean,in a mundanesense,"socialformations
theideaof
and museums"
(4). Rather,theyunderstand
theatres,
bookstores,
publishers,
in thesocial
transformation
ofthehistorical
theirsis "a theory
theinstitution
conceptually;
ofartoranycultural
ofart"(5). The theoretical
function
claim,then,is thatthefunction
at leastin partin thenarratives
propractice(in thiscase,rock'n' roll)can be discerned
theexistenceof
Of course,we can acknowledge
communities.
ducedbyitssurrounding
at anygiventime,whichmayindeeddisagreewithone another.My
severalnarratives
ofrock'n' roll"is
hereshouldnotimplythat"theinstitution
focuson a certainnarrative
ambiso one encounters
spheres,
manyseparatebutinterrelated
monological;itcomprises
thatI discuss
as itmakestruthclaims,thenarrative
But,insofar
guitiesin itsmessages.
whoseworkinvestigates
force.FortheBirgers,
herenevertheless
operatesas an influential
isnot
narratives
ofinstitutionalized
thespecific
art,a multiplicity
sphereofautonomous
ofoneconcepthehegemony
ofart'highlights
term'institution
"thesingular
problematic:
claimsofalternative
theinstitutional
conceptions.
tionofart.... Thisdoesnotpreempt
...

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Trainas Rock'n'RollHistory
165
Mystery
oftheautonomous
we mayassumethatthehegemony
Nevertheless,
conceptionofart
task,then,
againstit"(6-7). One further
compelsrivalconceptionsto definethemselves
of
wouldbe to discernthediscursive
bythe"institution
poweroftheclaimsformulated
takeplaceundertheauspicesofrecepmustinitially
rock'n' roll."Such an investigation
tionhistory.
careeras a writer
on rock'n' rollbeganin thelate1960s,whenhe workedin
10. Marcus's
fortheunderground
He beganworking
atRolling
San Francisco
newspaper
Express-Times.
thesecondmostinfluenthisperiodatCreem,probably
Stonein 1969andalsoworked
during
at thistime.See Marcus,xv-xvii.
tialrock'n' rollpublication
in thecountry
11. Popularhistories
in themid-1970salso
ofAmericancultureand societywritten
thispoliticalsituation.
Forinstance,thehistorian
MartyJezerbeganwriting
highlighted
hisTheDarkAges:LifeintheUnitedStates1945-1960(Boston:SouthEnd Press,1982) in
1973,"at a timewhenAmericansociety,
polarizedbytheVietnamWar,seemedto be
comingapart"(1). His maindesirein explainingtheperiodbetween1945and 1960,in
ofthemid-1970s
fact,was"toexplorethecausesofthesocialandpoliticaldisintegration"
ofrock'n' roll,TheSoundoftheCity(cited
histories
(1). In one ofthemostcelebrated
above),CharlieGillettdiscussesat lengthan earliercrisisofrock'n' roll's"authenticity"waveofrock'n' rollbeganto
thatwhichtookplace at theendofthe 1950s,whenthefirst
Ofcourse,it is
losesteamas itwasco-optedbythecapitalistforcesofthemusicindustry.
theareaofpoliticsthatdifferentiates
thecrisisofthe 1970sfromthisearlierone,when
thediscourse
centeredmainlyaroundits
rock'n' roll'swaning"authenticity"
surrounding
musicalattributes.
12. JimMiller,ed.,TheRolling
StoneIllustrated
History
ofRock& Roll(New York:Rolling
StonePress,1976). Duringthissameperiod,themagazinethatmostclearlyrivaledRolling
versionofrock'shistory:
RockRevolution
Stone,Creem,also publisheditsownbook-form
(New York:PopularLibrary,
1976). The editorialgroupofthissmallervolumeshared
to theRolling
StoneIllustrated
LesterBangs,Dave Marsh,
manyofthecontributors
History:
Ed Ward,and GregShaw.
13. Draper,286.
roleofthebluesin thehistory
ofrock'n' rollis not,however,
14. The significant
to be
discounted.
theprojectbywhichtheeditorsofRolling
Stone
Mypointhereis to emphasize
ofAmericanpopularmusic-subgenres,
conflated
varioustraditions
so to speak-into a sinsociohistorical
web.Forone ofthemostrecentdiscussions
ofthesevarious
glemonolithic
streams
theirinterconnectedness
and theircontrariety,
see PhilipEnnis,
(i.e.,subgenres),
TheSeventh
Stream:
TheEmergence
inAmerican
Music(Hanover,N.H.:
ofRocknroll
Popular
oftherock
Press,1992). Ennis'sworkisusefulto theinvestigation
WesleyanUniversity
in thathe defines
institution
a "musicalstream"
as "a palpablepartofsocialreality,
madeup
ofseveralelements:an artistic
an economicframework,
anda socialmovement"
system,
he arguesthateach ofthevarioushistorical
streams
thattogether
form
(21). Accordingly,
thesphereofAmericanpopularmusicneedsto be explainedin itstotality-thatis,with
to whatdistinguishes
each in terms
ofitsproduction,
andreception.
distribution,
sensitivity
15. GregShaw,"The Teen Idols,"in TheRolling
StoneIllustrated
112.
History,
16. GregShaw,"The Instrumental
StoneIllustrated
124.
Groups,"in TheRolling
History,
17. Shaw,"The Instrumental
StoneIllustrated
124-25.This
Groups,"in TheRolling
History,
sameargument
wasusedelsewhere
in thevolumebyMarcustocriticize
thepost-Rubber
Soul

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166 TheMusical
Quarterly
work
oftheBeatles,
hadsacrificed
thatcrucial
linkwiththeir
fansas
who,itwasargued,
moreandgaveupthenightly
liveperformances
thathadcharacterized
their
theyrecorded
"TheBeatles,"
inTheRolling
See Marcus,
Stone
Illustrated
years.
early
History.
18. MarkCrispin
"Where
AlltheFlowers
NewYork
Review
3
Miller,
Went,"
ofBooks,
Feb.1977,31.Miller's
titlerefers
notonlytothefolksongmadepopular
byPeteSeeger
their
butalsototheagingofrock's
intomainstream
andtheir
followers,
absorption
society,
from
shifts
countercultural
demonstrators
tomoregeneral,
andinsomecases
ideological
Relevant
isHansRobert
cultural
commentators.
tothisdiscussion
view
academic,
Jauss's
ofthe"authentic
ofanyartform
arealways
formulated
under
the
thathistories
period"
hadalready
reached
itspeak.See HansRobert
thatthe"authentic
enterprise"
assumption
toLiterary
inToward
anAesthetic
as a Challenge
Jauss,
"Literary
History
Theory,"
ofReceptrans.
andHistory
UniverBahti,vol.2 ofTheory
tion,
Timothy
ofLiterature
(Minneapolis:
Press,
1982),3-45.
sityofMinnesota
Millerdiscussed
thefollowing
textsinhisreview
19. AlongwithMystery
Train,
essay:
Illustrated
Stone
ed.,TheRolling
JimMiller,
History
ofRock& Roll(NewYork:
Rolling
AllYouNeedIs Love:TheStory
Music(New
StonePress,
1976);TonyPalmer,
ofPopular
York:
Rock,
Roll,andRemember
(NewYork:
Cromwell,
1976);
1976);DickClark,
Penguin,
TheRolling
Stones:
AnIllustrated
Record
(NewYork:
Books,1976);
Harmony
RoyCarr,
ThatSound?
N.Y.:Anchor
BenFong-Torres,
(Garden
ed.,What's
Press,
1976);and
City,
GrovePress,
Lennon:
OneDayata Time(NewYork:
John
1976).
Fawcett,
Anthony
a parabecharacterized
withtheterm
20. Thistypeofcriticism
"fan-as-critic,"
might
ontheproblems
indistinguishing
ofsomeofTheodor
Adorno's
comments
between
phrase
orcritic.
his"Perennial
thejazzfanandthejazz"expert"
See,forinstance,
Fashion-Jazz,"
MA:MIT Press,
Weber(Cambridge,
inPrisms,
trans.
SamuelandShierry
1981),119-32.
isproblematic
intoday's
academic
withcompeting
Ofcourse,
sucha formulation
climate,
ownsystem.
I
socialandpolitical
fortheir
critical
claiming
legitimacy
methodologies
thatdistance
from
one's
butstandwiththosewhomaintain
thisproblem
acknowledge
Fora sharp
historical-critical
observations.
toyieldsignificant
isnecessary
ofstudy
subject
incultural
studies
toremain
infanmode
criticism
ofthetrend
andespecially
insightful
Read
"CantheDisempowered
seeJochen
whilewriting
cultural
Schulte-Sasse,
criticism,
Cultural
inTheirOwnVoice?"
Narratives
Mass-Produced
(fall1988):171-99.
Critique
26May1975,41.
asMobyDick,"Village
21. Frank
Voice,
Rich,"ElvisPresley
xvii.
22. Marcus,
intheAgeofEmerson
and
ArtandExpression
American
Renaissance:
23. F.O. Matthiessen,
Oxford
Whitman
1941),xv.
Press,
(London:
University
24. Rich,41.
xiv.
25. Matthiessen,
26. Marcus,xv.
Harvester
D. H. Lawrence
27. See TonyPinkney,
Wheatsheaf,
1990).
(London:
American
Literature
inClassic
Studies
28. D. H. Lawrence,
(NewYork:
Press,
Viking
whowasobsessively
hadtakenhiscuefrom
Hawthorne,
1923),2. Itseemsas ifLawrence
toTheHouseoftheSeven
withtheideaofa moralinthepreface
concerned
Gables.
moral
stress
hadwritten:
Hawthorne
puruponsomedefinite
layvery
great
"Manywriters
inthisparticular,
the
Nottobedeficient
works.
toaimtheir
pose,atwhichtheyprofess

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Trainas Rock'n' RollHistory


167
Mystery
author
hasprovided
himself
witha moral-thetruth,
thatthewrong-doing
ofone
namely,
livesintothesuccessive
itself
ofevery
advanones,and,divesting
generation
temporary
a pureanduncontrollable
mischief."
See Nathaniel
TheHouse
Hawthorne,
tage,becomes
1935),xvi.
Press,
oftheSevenGables(NewYork:
Heritage
29. Thetendency
tosingularize
a position
theAmerican
attribexperience,
commonly
utedtothefield
ofAmerican
Studies
forobvious
isasoldasthenationitself.
Often
reasons,
hostile
toEuropean
intervention
inmatters
ofcultural
criticism
(onemanifestation,
peranxious
defensiveness
their
deference
toEuropean
culture
in
haps,ofAmericans'
regarding
critics
maintain
thattheAmerican
modelisuniqueandtherefore
general),
exceptionalist
misunderstood
whoespouse
Intheyears
after
World
WarI, for
bycritics
foreign
paradigms.
American
intellectuals
toforeign
forthegarinstance,
responded
ideological
explanations
world
crisis
thedemocratic
andegalitarian
ofAmerican
nature
culgantuan
bythematizing
ture.
On thispoint,
seeDavidNoble,"TheReconstruction
ofProgress:
Charles
Beard,
Richard
andPostwar
Historical
inRecasting
America:
Culture
and
Hofstadter,
Thought,"
intheAgeofColdWar,ed.LaryMay(Chicago:
Politics
ofChicagoPress,
1989),
University
61-75.American
alsothrived
theColdWar,whenliberal
exceptionalist
scholarship
during
theanxieties
ofanincreasingly
internationalist
thinkers,
confronting
governmental
policy,
thispolitical
countered
witha narrative
thatconstructed
thepeopleofour
maneuvering
nationasdistinct
from
thoseEuropeans
whohadsuccumbed
totheforces
offascism
and
Stalinism.
SeeThomasHillSchaub,
TheLiberal
"Introduction:
inAmerican
Narrative,"
Fiction
intheColdWar(Madison:
ofWisconsin
Press,
1991).Eventoday,
University
excepisthriving.
tionalism
Ina recent
studies,
essayonAmerican
literary
PhilipFisher,
professor
ofEnglish
atHarvard
that"ideology,"
inthestrict
senseoftheword,
is
University,
suggests
an impossibility
inAmerican
Fisher
claims
thatthe"speculative
fostered
society.
society"
by
advanced
American
isa force
sodeeply
inourtradicapitalism
strong
enough-androoted
tion-todispelanysingle
modelofdomination
andpower,
suchasthoseoffered
bythe
Frankfurt
Schoolcritics
MichelFoucault.
He finds
intheabsence
ofa centralized
and,later,
American
statea system
ofmultiple
"rhetorics"
thatfunction
moreorlessindependently
andlocally
inthecreation
andmaintenance
ofAmerica's
See PhilipFisher,
uniqueculture.
"American
andCultural
Studies
SincetheCivilWar,"
inRedrawing
theBoundaries:
Literary
TheTransformation
andAmerican
ed.Stephen
Greenblatt
and
Studies,
ofEnglish
Literary
GilesGunn(NewYork:
Association
ofAmerica,
1992),232-50.
Language
Modemrn
30. Lawrence,
146.
31. Marcus,
6.
32. Marcus,
163.Lawrence's
inStudies
inClassic
American
Literature.
essayappears
33. Lawrence,
viii.
34. Lawrence,
146--47.
35. In lamenting
theabsenceinthe1970softhe"grander
dimensions"
ofrock'n'
mythic
rollofthe1950sand1960s,Marcus
that"somuchoftherock'n' rollofthepostargued
Beatleseraisclosed-off
andonedimensional,
likethepolitics
itserenades
andreinforces
ofsolipsism
isfreezing
theimagination
andourability
torespond
[and]theaesthetic
ofrock'n' rollinthe1970s-particularly
(107).The"problem"
or
openly"
progressive
artrock-isa vastone.Compare
thisproblem
withtheanalogous
situation
attheendof
the1950s,whencritics
bemoaned
ElvisPresley's
"decline
toward
melodramatic
popular
Gillett's
discussion
ofthisperiodinTheSound
See,forinstance,
songs."
oftheCity,55.

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168 TheMusical
Quarterly
36. LeslieFiedler,
LoveandDeathintheAmerican
Novel(NewYork:
Criterion
Books,
1960),xi.
xvii.
37. Marcus,
38. Fiedler,
xxii.
39. Marcus,
22.
21.
40. Marcus,
vii.
41. Fiedler,
58.Again,Lawrence
42. Lawrence,
isdrawing
onHawthorne.
Inthesamepreface
to
TheHouseoftheSevenGables,
Hawthorne
hadwritten:
"Whenromances
doreally
teach
orproduce
itisusually
a farmoresubtle
anything,
anyeffective
operation,
through
process
thantheostensible
one.Theauthor
hasconsidered
ithardly
worth
hiswhile,
therefore,
toimpale
thestory
withitsmoral,
aswithanironrod-or,rather,
asbystickrelentlessly
a butterfly-thus
atoncedepriving
itoflife,andcausing
ittostiffen
in
inga pinthrough
anungainly
andunnatural
A hightruth,
attitude.
andskillfully
indeed,
fairly,
finely,
atevery
thefinaldevelopment
ofa work
of
out,brightening
wrought
step,andcrowning
butisneveranytruer,
andseldom
fiction,
at
mayaddanartistic
glory,
anymoreevident,
thelastpagethanatthefirst."
TheHouseoftheSeven
xvii.
Hawthorne,
Gables,
43. Richard
Anti-Intellectualism
inAmerican
Hofstadter,
1963).
Life(NewYork:
Knopf,
44. Hofstadter,
21,7.
27.
45. Marcus,
128.
46. Marcus,
TheAmerican
47. SacvanBerkovich,
ofWisconsin
(Madison:
Press,
Jeremiad
University
1978),xii,xiv.
11.
48. Berkovich,
11.
49. Berkovich,
50. Marcus,
20.
51. Berkovich,
xi.
52. Berkovich,
xiv.
53. See Benedict
Communities:
ontheOrigin
andSpread
Anderson,
Imagined
Reflections
of
rev.ed.(London:
Nationalism,
1991).
Verso,
6.
54. Marcus,
" 'TheMagicThatCanSetYouFree':TheIdeology
55. SimonFrith,
ofFolkandthe
Music1 (1981):159.
MythoftheRockCommunity,"
Popular
56. Frith,
159.
168.
57. Frith,
58. Frith,
159.
59. Frith,
159-60.
60. Frith,
167.

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Trainas Rock'n' RollHistory


169
Mystery
61. Frith,
168.
62. Frith,
166.
63. Foranexcellent
discussion
ofthesources
ofthisintellectual
seeGene
position,
TheVoiceoftheFolk:Folklore
andAmerican
Bluestein,
(Boston:
Literary
Theory
University
ofMassachusetts
workismostilluminating
initstracing
ofthe
Press,
1972).Bluestein's
folkloristic
from
Herder
theAmericanists
discussed
here.Hisdiscussion
position
through
concerns
theliterary
folklore
tradition.
Buthisarguments
withequalsigprimarily
pertain
nificance
tothemusical
Forinstance,
Bluestein
that"a majortendency
to
sphere.
argues
thefolklore
ofa supposed
outcast
andlowly
ofourpeopleas thelocusof
identify
segment
thehighest
andesthetic
values.. . , first
affirmed
andWhitman,
was
spiritual
byEmerson
reinforced
andexpanded
andAlanLomax"(116).Thepertinence
of
bytheworkofJohn
thispassage
forthehistory
ofrock'n'rollbecomes
clearwhenonerecalls
thatthevery
first
inthefirst
ofTheRolling
Stone
Illustrated
paragraphs
chapter
History
ofRock& Roll"RockBegins,"
Palmer-detail
thevery
samework
that
byRobert
bytheLomaxes
Bluestein
discusses
here.

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