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Empire of Dirt: The Aesthetics and Rituals of British Indie Music
Inside the culture of an artistically influential music community
Britain is widely considered the cradle of independent music culture. Bands like Radiohead and Belle and Sebastian, which epitomize indie music's sounds and attitudes, have spawned worldwide fanbases. This in-depth study of the British independent music scene explores how the behavior of fans, artists, and music industry professionals produce a community with a specific aesthetic based on moral values. Author Wendy Fonarow, a scholar with years of experience in the various sectors of the indie music scene, examines the indie music "gig" as a ritual in which all participants are actively involved. This ritual allows participants to play with cultural norms regarding appropriate behavior, especially in the domains of sex and creativity. Her investigation uncovers the motivations of audience members when they first enter the community and how their positions change over time so that the gig functions for most members as a rite of passage. Empire of Dirt sheds new light on music, gender roles, emotion, subjectivity, embodiment, and authenticity.
Britain is widely considered the cradle of independent music culture. Bands like Radiohead and Belle and Sebastian, which epitomize indie music's sounds and attitudes, have spawned worldwide fanbases. This in-depth study of the British independent music scene explores how the behavior of fans, artists, and music industry professionals produce a community with a specific aesthetic based on moral values. Author Wendy Fonarow, a scholar with years of experience in the various sectors of the indie music scene, examines the indie music "gig" as a ritual in which all participants are actively involved. This ritual allows participants to play with cultural norms regarding appropriate behavior, especially in the domains of sex and creativity. Her investigation uncovers the motivations of audience members when they first enter the community and how their positions change over time so that the gig functions for most members as a rite of passage. Empire of Dirt sheds new light on music, gender roles, emotion, subjectivity, embodiment, and authenticity.
336 pages, Paperback
First published July 10, 2006
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About the author
Wendy Fonarow
5 books2 followersWendy Fonarow aka "the indie professor" is an anthropology professor at Glendale College, writer and music industry professional. She is best known for the book Empire of Dirt, and for her column Ask the Indie Professor in The Guardian.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
June 23, 2025
very insightful book about the influences and impacts of British indie (my favorite genre ever). i just wish it had been written a decade later to include The 1975, arguably the most important British band of the 2000s-present.
January 4, 2011
After the initial off-putting introduction where the author works really hard to show how clever she is by continuously using unessecary huge words, the rest of the book was very insightful and rewarding.
It definitely leans towards the academia style of writing throughout, but luckily the content was of strong enough interest for me to continue slogging on. I learnt a lot from reading this, about the indie scene, and my own believes in this field of music!
It definitely leans towards the academia style of writing throughout, but luckily the content was of strong enough interest for me to continue slogging on. I learnt a lot from reading this, about the indie scene, and my own believes in this field of music!
April 10, 2009
Seriously. YUM! tooo loaded to say too much about this. It's my new bible.Met the author at SXSW conference! Wickedly on it.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews