160,000+ Books, Games & Puzzles in-stock πŸ‡³πŸ‡Ώ 

Happy Sunday! Auckland Store open until 5pm today πŸ“š

Rock and Roll vs. Modern Life

Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Rock and Roll vs. Modern Life challenges the nostalgic celebration of rock music, offering instead a critical analysis of how rock and roll actively disrupts postwar values. Seth Kim-Cohen explores seminal artists like Iggy Pop, James Brown, Patti Smith, the Last Poets, and the Sex Pistols, showing how their work upends modernist assumptions and late-stage capitalism by revealing a raw, untamed sensibility beneath the polished surface of modern life. The book connects rock and roll with conceptual art, Black power, and poststructuralism to uncover its rebellious, chaotic core.
Read More
Format: Paperback / softback
$10400

International Supplier

This title is in-stock with overseas suppliers. While it is not available locally, we fly books in weekly from the US and UK to our Auckland warehouse for immediate dispatch.

AVAILABLE WITH SUPPLIER Ships from our Auckland warehouse within 2-3 weeks

Found a better price? Request a price match

Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This book is ideal for readers interested in cultural criticism, music history, and theory, particularly those curious about the intersections of rock music, politics, and art. It suits academics, students, and thoughtful fans of music seeking a deeper understanding of rock and roll’s socio-political significance.

Book Hero thinking about your next read

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

No Boomeresque celebration of the "music that defined an era," Rock and Roll vs. Modern Life is instead a deeply critical analysis of rock and roll as a chaotic, caterwauling project to upend the foundational presumptions of postwar values.

What we have here is the closest thing yet to a unified field theory of rock and roll. In seminal performances, films, and recordings, Iggy Pop, James Brown, Patti Smith, the Last Poets, and the Sex Pistols disrupt the implicit ontologies of modernism and late-stage capitalism.

With its comrades, conceptual art, Black power, and poststructuralism, rock and roll strips back the linoleum surface of modern life to reveal a feral sensibility unwilling to be boxed up for clean consumption.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Praised by American music critic Greil Marcus, the book is described as a clever, engaging work that pits figures like modernist critic Michael Fried and punk icon Iggy Pop in a metaphorical cage match, revealing unexpected connections between diverse artists and intellectual traditions. The writing is noted for its originality and delightfulness, offering readers a fresh perspective on rock and roll's cultural impact.

Book Hero reading reviews

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9798765101322

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 13 July 2023

Country: United States

Imprint: Bloomsbury Academic

Audience: Tertiary education, Professional and scholarly

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 16.0mm

Width: 148.0mm

Height: 226.0mm

Weight: 320g

Pages: 224

About the Author

Seth Kim-Cohen is Professor of Art History, Theory and Criticism at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, USA. He is the author of Against Ambience and Other Essays (Bloomsbury, 2013), In the Blink of an Ear: Toward A Non-Cochlear Sonic Art (Bloomsbury, 2009), and One Reason to Live: Conversations About Music (2006). With his bands (names_of_music, The Fire Show, Number One Cup), he has released more than a dozen albums and performed throughout North America, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. John Peel once bought him a beer.

More from Education & Reference

View all
  • Revenge of the Tipping Point
    Twenty-five years after the publication of his groundbreaking first book, Malcolm Gladwell returns with a brand new volume that reframes the lessons of The Tipping Point in a startling and revealing light. What does the heartbreaking fate of the cheetah tell us about the way we raise our children? Why do elite universities care so much about sports? What is...
    Paperback
    $2999
    Elsewhere:
    $3999
    (1)
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • The Body Keeps the Score
    The Body Keeps the Score by Dr Bessel van der Kolk is a compelling and compassionate exploration of the deep-seated impact of trauma on the human body and mind. This groundbreaking work delves into the complex causes of trauma and paints a vivid picture of the revolutionary treatments that are enabling countless individuals to reclaim their lives filled with purpose...
    Paperback
    $2400
    Elsewhere:
    $3000
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • On Sale
    12% off
    One Last Question, Prime Minister
    From Muldoon to Luxon, untold stories from the House of Parliament Barry Soper has spent close to five decades questioning New Zealand's prime ministers.From the imposing, larger-than-life characters of Rob Muldoon and David Lange, to the golden age of Helen Clark and John Key, and the post-Covid era of Jacinda Ardern and the 'Chrises', Soper's insight and nose for a...
    Paperback
    $2800
    Elsewhere:
    $3999
    (6)
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • New Release
    Song of the Birds
    A stunning and panoramic history of native birds in Aotearoa, from the bestselling author of The Meaning of Trees For millions of years, the song of the birds echoed throughout Aotearoa, with no one around to hear it. While the arrival of humans would transform their story forever - birds may have changed us even more. In this beautiful and...
    Hardback
    $4499
    Elsewhere:
    $5500
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Lucky You're Tough
    New Release
    Lucky You're Tough
    Lucky You're Tough chronicles the early life of helicopter pilot and NZSAS soldier Mark Law, from growing up in the rural wilds of Whangamōmona through to surviving a series of life-threatening events that would shape his life and career. After a career as a badged soldier in the NZSAS that led to an intriguing stint with the British SAS and...
    Paperback
    $3199
    Elsewhere:
    $3999
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Hormone Health is Mental Health
    New Release
    Hormone Health is Mental Health
    Hormone Health is Mental Health is a lifechanging guide to understanding perimenopause and midlife women's mental health - and how understanding your hormones is the first step to feeling like yourself again. This book is for women in their thirties, forties, and fifties who feel like they're falling apart. Women who feel like their brains and bodies are betraying them,...
    Paperback
    $3299
    Elsewhere:
    $4000
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • New Release
    American Hagwon
    β€˜Profoundly generous and humane’ DOUGLAS STUARTβ€˜Engrossing … brilliantly imagined’ COLM TΓ“IBÍNβ€˜Breathtaking … I adored it’ ELIF SHAFAKβ€˜Extraordinary’ TARA WESTOVERMin Jin Lee, the acclaimed author of Pachinko, returns with a breathtaking contemporary epic that follows one family as they reckon with personal dreams and familial duty. John and Helen Koh and their three children – Bo, DH and Mido – are...
    Paperback
    $3199
    Elsewhere:
    $3999
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • The Age Code
    What if the food you eat could rewind your biological clock? 'Clear and compelling' β€” Chris van Tulleken 'Really interesting and insightful' β€” Joe Wicks 'Fascinating' β€” Tim Spector From the rising incidence of cancer in the under-50s to increased infertility rates, there are signs everywhere that growing numbers of us are ageing too quickly. Why? Many believe there’s one...
    Paperback
    $2999
    Elsewhere:
    $3799
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Kitchen Confidential
    The classic bestseller from the star of Parts Unknown and No Reservations: 25th Anniversary edition, with a new introduction by Irvine Welsh. BEFORE THERE WAS THE BEAR, THERE WAS BOURDAIN. β€˜Elizabeth David written by Quentin Tarantino’ β€” A.A. Gill β€˜Fantastic: as lip-smackingly seductive as a bowl of fat chips and pungent aioli’ β€” Daily Telegraph After twenty-five years of sex,...
    Paperback
    $2500
    Elsewhere:
    $2799
    (2)
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • New Release
    The Cauldron
    How did an elderly cleric overthrow the Shah of Iran and change the world?Why did Bin Laden attack the USA - and why did the USA destroy Saddam?How did Britain and France carve up the Middle East - and why did the Kurds never get their own state? THE ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO THE MAKING OF TODAY'S MIDDLE EAST: A SPELLBINDING...
    Hardback
    $4999
    Elsewhere:
    $6000
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • The 48 Laws Of Power
    The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene is a modern classic that delves into the complexities of power dynamics and strategies for gaining and maintaining power. Greene meticulously examines the principles that have driven those who wield power, from ancient rulers and military leaders to modern-day figures. The book unfolds through historical anecdotes, examining the tactics, victories, and mistakes...
    Paperback
    $3400
    Elsewhere:
    $4500
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Fungi of Aotearoa
    The complete introduction to finding, identifying and using mushrooms and other fungi in New Zealand. Enter and explore the fascinating world of fungi. In this practical and up-to-date guide, forager and fungus enthusiast Liv Sisson shares her top tips and takes the reader on a journey to discover the unique and diverse fungi Aotearoa has to offer. Discover how to...
    Paperback
    $3200
    Elsewhere:
    $4500
    (2)
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow

Why buy from us?

Book Hero is not a chain store or big box retailer. We're an independent 100% NZ-owned business on a mission to help more Kiwis rediscover a love of books and reading!

Service & Delivery

Service & Delivery

Our warehouse in Auckland holds over 160,000 books, toys, board games and puzzles in-stock so you're not waiting for your order to arrive from overseas.

Auckland Bookstore

Auckland Bookstore

We're primarily an online store, but for your convenience you can pick up your order for free from our bookstore, which is right next door to our warehouse in Hobsonville.

Our Gifting Service

Our Gifting Service

Books make wonderful thoughtful gifts and we're here to help with gift-wrapping and cards. We can even send your gift directly to your loved one.