Rock and the Pop Narcotic
Encyclopedia
Rock and the Pop Narcotic is a 1991 book of popular music criticism by Joe Carducci
. (Revised edition 1995.)
Rock and the Pop Narcotic is perhaps the only book of popular music
criticism that attempts to achieve a genuine aesthetic of rock music
. Other works, such as Richard Meltzer
's The Aesthetics of Rock
or Simon Frith
's Performing Rites: On the Value of Popular Music, either focus on lyrical content or on the sociology
of the music's listeners. Rock and the Pop Narcotic is both a critique of the sociological approach and a polemic
in favour of the music's artistic qualities.
from pop music
.
He regards the rock as an "artistic form" and the pop music as, if anything, a marketing
concept. Rock, in Carducci's view, is "rock and roll music made conscious of itself as a small band music".
Unlike many writers on pop music
, he has no truck with the idea that popularity is an index of quality; this attitude leads him to dismiss many major performers, such as U2
and Bruce Springsteen
, as artistically null. On the other hand, his obsessive search for music that displays the qualities he regards as intrinsic to rock music leads him to champion such relatively obscure bands as Saint Vitus
, Bloodrock
, Sproton Layer
and The Sylvia Juncosa Band.
R&tPN opens with The Riff which is divided into five chapters:
I The King of It & The King of Thing: Outlines the basic argument for the book and describes Carducci's theory of how rock music works.
II Television and Mutation: Documents what he sees as the profound negative impact of television on American culture.
III The Whole World's Switching the Channel: How mass media and other cultural forces have shaped the music business.
IV None Dare Call it Reason: How the music business has warped the music itself.
V Narcorockcritocracy!: The complicity of the rock criticism establishment in the decline of the music.
After a middle section of several band photographs the book continues with The Solo which contains one chapter:
I The Psychozoic Hymnal: A decade-by-decade evaluation of rock bands. Each subsection begins with a listing of and short comment on the best rock artists of the decade in Carducci's view. It then moves onto a more general discussion of the musical trends of the decade and more band evaluations.
The book closes with several appendices which include radio show playlists, catalogs from his time at Systematic, gig posters from Black Flag
, Saccharine Trust
, etc.
' 2.13.61
press.
The initial reaction from much of the mainstream rock press was largely a mixture of indifference and hostility. Carducci's tendency was directly counter to the politically progressive
and relatively mainstream
attitude of such writers as Dave Marsh
or Greil Marcus
, neither of whom answered the charges Carducci made against them (of ignoring quality music for political reasons).
Only Robert Christgau
in the Village Voice praised it in public, although his praise was tempered somewhat by his description of it as "important but not terribly good". Other reviewers took issue with what they perceived as Carducci's homophobia
and right-wing politics
.
During the rest of the 1990s the book gradually acquired cult status, with record producer
Simon Napier-Bell
citing it as one of his ten favourite music books in the UK's Guardian
newspaper in 2005. Clinton Heylin included two chapters in The Penguin Anthology of Rock and Roll Writing, with the remark, "Rock and the Pop Narcotic...may well be the most important critique on rock music written in the last 10 years."
Joe Carducci
Joe Carducci is an American writer, record producer, and former A&R executive, formerly most closely associated with the influential record label SST Records....
. (Revised edition 1995.)
Rock and the Pop Narcotic is perhaps the only book of popular music
Popular music
Popular music belongs to any of a number of musical genres "having wide appeal" and is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. It stands in contrast to both art music and traditional music, which are typically disseminated academically or orally to smaller, local...
criticism that attempts to achieve a genuine aesthetic of rock music
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
. Other works, such as Richard Meltzer
Richard Meltzer
Richard Meltzer was one of the earliest rock music critics. His first book, The Aesthetics of Rock, evolved out of his undergraduate studies in philosophy at the State University of New York at Stony Brook and graduate studies at Yale University...
's The Aesthetics of Rock
The Aesthetics of Rock
The Aesthetics of Rock is a book by Richard Meltzer . Written between 1965 and 1968, it was published in 1970. Da Capo Press in 1987 published an unabridged edition with a new foreword by Meltzer. It is one of the first major works of rock-music criticism and analysis...
or Simon Frith
Simon Frith
Simon Frith is a British sociologist, and former rock critic, who specializes in popular music culture. He is currently Tovey Chair of Music at University of Edinburgh.-Background:...
's Performing Rites: On the Value of Popular Music, either focus on lyrical content or on the sociology
Sociology
Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...
of the music's listeners. Rock and the Pop Narcotic is both a critique of the sociological approach and a polemic
Polemic
A polemic is a variety of arguments or controversies made against one opinion, doctrine, or person. Other variations of argument are debate and discussion...
in favour of the music's artistic qualities.
The Book's Argument
Carducci seeks to distinguish rock musicRock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
from pop music
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
.
He regards the rock as an "artistic form" and the pop music as, if anything, a marketing
Marketing
Marketing is the process used to determine what products or services may be of interest to customers, and the strategy to use in sales, communications and business development. It generates the strategy that underlies sales techniques, business communication, and business developments...
concept. Rock, in Carducci's view, is "rock and roll music made conscious of itself as a small band music".
Unlike many writers on pop music
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
, he has no truck with the idea that popularity is an index of quality; this attitude leads him to dismiss many major performers, such as U2
U2
U2 are an Irish rock band from Dublin. Formed in 1976, the group consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton , and Larry Mullen, Jr. . U2's early sound was rooted in post-punk but eventually grew to incorporate influences from many genres of popular music...
and Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen , nicknamed "The Boss," is an American singer-songwriter who records and tours with the E Street Band...
, as artistically null. On the other hand, his obsessive search for music that displays the qualities he regards as intrinsic to rock music leads him to champion such relatively obscure bands as Saint Vitus
Saint Vitus (band)
Saint Vitus is an American doom metal band from Los Angeles, formed in 1978. They consist of founding members Dave Chandler and Mark Adams , alongside sporadic singer Scott Weinrich and recently added drummer Henry Vasquez...
, Bloodrock
Bloodrock
Bloodrock was an American hard rock band, based in Fort Worth, Texas, that had considerable success in the 1970s, and was one of the earliest of a number of significant bands to emerge from the Fort Worth club and music scene during the early to mid 1970s and on into the new century.-Early...
, Sproton Layer
Sproton Layer
Sproton Layer was a rock and roll group formed in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the late 1960s. Their music was mostly hard rock with psychedelic touches....
and The Sylvia Juncosa Band.
The Book's Structure
Though the book has grown in length since the first edition the essential structure remains the same. The book is divided into two parts, The Riff and The Solo followed by several appendices that gather miscellaneous pieces and ephemera.R&tPN opens with The Riff which is divided into five chapters:
I The King of It & The King of Thing: Outlines the basic argument for the book and describes Carducci's theory of how rock music works.
II Television and Mutation: Documents what he sees as the profound negative impact of television on American culture.
III The Whole World's Switching the Channel: How mass media and other cultural forces have shaped the music business.
IV None Dare Call it Reason: How the music business has warped the music itself.
V Narcorockcritocracy!: The complicity of the rock criticism establishment in the decline of the music.
After a middle section of several band photographs the book continues with The Solo which contains one chapter:
I The Psychozoic Hymnal: A decade-by-decade evaluation of rock bands. Each subsection begins with a listing of and short comment on the best rock artists of the decade in Carducci's view. It then moves onto a more general discussion of the musical trends of the decade and more band evaluations.
The book closes with several appendices which include radio show playlists, catalogs from his time at Systematic, gig posters from Black Flag
Black Flag (band)
Black Flag was an American punk rock band formed in 1976 in Hermosa Beach, California. The band was established by Greg Ginn, the guitarist, primary songwriter and sole continuous member through multiple personnel changes in the band...
, Saccharine Trust
Saccharine Trust
Saccharine Trust is a post-hardcore band from California that was started in 1980 by singer Jack Brewer and guitarist Joe Baiza.The band would frequently perform with SST labelmates Minutemen and Black Flag. Drummer Rob Holzman appeared on their 1981 debut Paganicons but left the band to play in...
, etc.
Responses
The book was originally published in a relatively small edition in 1991. In 1994, Carducci revised it and it was republished by Henry RollinsHenry Rollins
Henry Rollins is an American singer-songwriter, spoken word artist, writer, comedian, publisher, actor, and radio DJ....
' 2.13.61
2.13.61
2.13.61, Inc. is a publisher and record company founded by musician Henry Rollins and named after his birthday . The company has released albums by the Rollins Band, all of Rollins's spoken-word work, and numerous books....
press.
The initial reaction from much of the mainstream rock press was largely a mixture of indifference and hostility. Carducci's tendency was directly counter to the politically progressive
Progressivism
Progressivism is an umbrella term for a political ideology advocating or favoring social, political, and economic reform or changes. Progressivism is often viewed by some conservatives, constitutionalists, and libertarians to be in opposition to conservative or reactionary ideologies.The...
and relatively mainstream
Mainstream
Mainstream is, generally, the common current thought of the majority. However, the mainstream is far from cohesive; rather the concept is often considered a cultural construct....
attitude of such writers as Dave Marsh
Dave Marsh
Dave Marsh is an American music critic, author, editor and radio talk show host. He was a formative editor of Creem magazine, has written for various publications such as Newsday, The Village Voice, and Rolling Stone, and has published numerous books about music and musicians, mostly focused on...
or Greil Marcus
Greil Marcus
Greil Marcus is an American author, music journalist and cultural critic. He is notable for producing scholarly and literary essays that place rock music in a much broader framework of culture and politics than is customary in pop music journalism.-Life and career:Marcus was born in San Francisco...
, neither of whom answered the charges Carducci made against them (of ignoring quality music for political reasons).
Only Robert Christgau
Robert Christgau
Robert Christgau is an American essayist, music journalist, and self-proclaimed "Dean of American Rock Critics".One of the earliest professional rock critics, Christgau is known for his terse capsule reviews, published since 1969 in his Consumer Guide columns...
in the Village Voice praised it in public, although his praise was tempered somewhat by his description of it as "important but not terribly good". Other reviewers took issue with what they perceived as Carducci's homophobia
Homophobia
Homophobia is a term used to refer to a range of negative attitudes and feelings towards lesbian, gay and in some cases bisexual, transgender people and behavior, although these are usually covered under other terms such as biphobia and transphobia. Definitions refer to irrational fear, with the...
and right-wing politics
Right-wing politics
In politics, Right, right-wing and rightist generally refer to support for a hierarchical society justified on the basis of an appeal to natural law or tradition. To varying degrees, the Right rejects the egalitarian objectives of left-wing politics, claiming that the imposition of equality is...
.
During the rest of the 1990s the book gradually acquired cult status, with record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
Simon Napier-Bell
Simon Napier-Bell
Simon Napier-Bell has undertaken many jobs in the music industry, including bandboy, manager, producer, songwriter, journalist and author and gourmet...
citing it as one of his ten favourite music books in the UK's Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
newspaper in 2005. Clinton Heylin included two chapters in The Penguin Anthology of Rock and Roll Writing, with the remark, "Rock and the Pop Narcotic...may well be the most important critique on rock music written in the last 10 years."