Glam Rock. The very name conjures images of flamboyant costumes, heavy makeup, and theatrical performances. Emerging in the early 1970s, this genre didn’t just make waves; it capsized the prevailing norms of counterculture and psychedelic rock. Pioneered by unforgettable figures like Marc Bolan, David Bowie, Bryan Ferry, and Suzi Quatro, glam rock was a revolution in rock performance. These artists, adorned in glitter and extravagant attire, performing against elaborate sets, signaled a dramatic sea change in the landscape of rock music.
But to dismiss glam rock as mere spectacle would be a critical error. Beneath the shimmering surface, glam rock was deeply substantive. The genre served as a powerful vehicle for exploring evolving notions of identity, particularly around gender, sexuality, and performance itself. “Performing Glam Rock,” a compelling study by Philip Auslander, delves into these multifaceted dimensions of glam rock. Auslander meticulously positions glam rock within its historical context and dissects its performance strategies. He illuminates how glam rock, while undeniably celebrating the showmanship reminiscent of 1950s rock and roll, crucially began to dismantle rock’s rigid adherence to the ideology of authenticity that dominated the late 1960s.
In this insightful exploration of a frequently underestimated musical phenomenon, Auslander offers a fresh perspective on the brilliance of the glam rock movement. “Performing Glam Rock” serves not only as a vital resource for performance studies enthusiasts and academics but also as an engaging introduction to the genre for a new generation of music lovers. As Susan Fast, author of “In the Houses of the Holy: Led Zeppelin and the Power of Rock Music,” notes, it’s “a useful book on an undertheorized but important genre of popular music – glam rock.” And in the words of Suzi Quatro herself, “Somebody has finally got ‘me’ right, and in fact, the entire genre of glam rock.”
Philip Auslander, the author of this essential work, is a Professor at the School of Literature, Communication, and Culture at the Georgia Institute of Technology. His extensive scholarship includes notable books like “Liveness: Performance in a Mediatized Culture” and “Presence and Resistance: Postmodernism and Cultural Politics in Contemporary American Performance.” He also holds the esteemed position of editor for “Performance: Critical Concepts” and co-editor, alongside Carrie Sandahl, of “Bodies in Commotion: Disability and Performance.” For further insights into his work, visit his website at www.lcc.gatech.edu/~auslander/.
