Summer Reading: Neil Young and the Poetics of Energy

This summer, Thrasher has been reading the new book "Neil Young and the Poetics of Energy" by William Echard.

Maybe a little heavier than our normal summer fare, what with chapter titles like "Popular Music and Musical Signification". But hey. Readers already know that we're into analysis here at Thrasher's Wheat.

Sharry sums it all up nicely in a posting on Rust recently:

"It looks like a very interesting Neil book and something a bit different than we Neil fans are used to reading.

After skimming through it quickly I discovered that it appears to be a mixture of academic and fannish writing. As in any reputable academic work there is an extensive bibliography, footnotes, references, discography, index, etc.

I know that William Echard is a long-time member of the Rust list and he's also an assistant professor in the Department of Music and the Institute for Comparative Studies in Literature, Art and Culture at Carleton University in Ottawa. The Rust list and Rusties are mentioned in the book and included in the index."

From the publisher's blurb:

"Echard roots his discussion in an extensive review of writings from the rock press as well as his own engagement as a fan and critical theorist. How is it that Neil Young is both a perpetual outsider and critic of rock culture, and also one of its most central icons? And what are the unique properties that have lent his work such expressive force? Echard delves into concepts of musical persona, space, and energy, and in the process illuminates the complex interplay between experience, musical sound, social actors, genres, styles, and traditions."

More on Neil Young and the Poetics of Energy and other Neil Young book reviews.