Music, Memory and Memoir

Music, Memory and Memoirprovides a unique look at the contemporary cultural phenomenon of the music memoir and, leading from this, the way that music is used to construct memory. Via analyses of memoirs that consider punk and pop, indie and dance, this text examines the nature of memory for musicians and the function of music in creating personal and cultural narratives. This book includes innovative and multidisciplinary approaches from a range of contributors consisting of academics, critics and musicians, evaluating this phenomenon from multiple academic and creative practices, and examines the contemporary music memoir in its cultural and literary contexts.

Robert Edgar is Associate Professor in the York Centre for Writing at York St. John University, UK. His publications include Screenwriting (2009), The Language of Film (2015), The Music Documentary: Acid Rock to Electropop (co-editor, 2013) and The Arena Concert (co-editor, 2015). Fraser Mann is Senior Lecturer in English Literature at York St. John University, UK. He is a specialist in war literature and memoir with particular interests in testimony, gender and trauma. Helen Pleasance is Senior Lecturer in Creative Writing and English Literature at York St. John University, UK. Her research interests include contemporary fiction and creative non-fiction in all its forms, especially memoir, biography, true crime and hybrid forms.

Introduction - Robert Edgar, Fraser Mann and Helen Pleasance Part One: Readings 1. Hiatus: Music, Memory and Liminal Authenticity Robert Edgar, York St John University, UK 2. Paying More Close Anxious Attention to Joy Division Helen Pleasance, York St John University, UK 3. Portrait of the Artist as an Indie Star: Kristin Hersh and the Memoir of Process Fraser Mann, York St John University, UK 4. Poet Is Priest: Julian H Cope's Subversive Biography Nathan Wiseman-Trowse, University of Northampton, UK 5. Grace Jones: Cyborg Memoirist Janine Bradbury, York St John University, UK 6. "Walking the Dead": Memory and Self-Reflexive Intertextuality in Late-Style David Bowie Kevin Holm-Hudson, University of Kentucky, USA 7. Memory, Graffiti and The Libertines: A Walk Down "Up the Bracket Alley" Ben Halligan, University of Wolverhampton, UK 8. Reading Lyrics, Hearing Prose: Morrissey's Autobiography Laura Watson, University of Maynooth, Ireland 9. 'Glory Days': Memory-Related Processes and the Performance of Memory in the Work of Bruce Springsteen Nicola Spelman, University of Salford, UK Part Two: Recollections 10. Time Machines Barbara Frost, Independent Scholar, UK 11. Meeting Your Idols 1: Growing Up Addicted in York Karen Woodall, Independent Scholar, UK 12. Meeting Your Idols 2: Teenage Dreams Steve Leedale, Independent Scholar, UK 13. Meeting your Idols 3: The Soldier in the Box Kate Ramsay, Independent Scholar, UK 14. Meeting your Idols 4: Culture Clash Peter Cook, Independent Scholar, UK 15. Meeting Your Idols 5: Goodbye Tupac Jerry Ibbotson, Independent Scholar, UK 16. "What do I do now?": Encountering Ourselves in Music Memoirs Jon Stewart, BIMM, UK, Benjamin Halligan, University of Wolverhampton, UK, and Louise Wener, Musician 17. The Sacred Scrolls of Pop Henry Priestman, Independent Artist, UK 18. Exploding the Myth Tom Hingley, Independent Artist, UK 19. Remembrance Sunday Bill Drummond, Independent Artist, UK 20. Confessions of Metal and Folk: Remembering and Contextualizing the Creative Process Kimi Karki, University of Turku, Finland Notes on Contributors References Index