Description
Book SynopsisUsing the framework of Edward Said’s Orientalism, this work examines how Western rock and pop artists—particularly during the age of album rock from the 1970s through the 1990s—perpetuated long-held stereotypes of Japan in their direct encounters with the country and in songs and music videos with Japanese content.
Trade ReviewThis knowledgeable, lovingly-written, accessible book records the many ways orientalist stereotypes of Japan have influenced American and British rock musicians during the “Age of Album Rock” (1960s–1990s) and beyond, as heard in their songs, seen on their album covers, enacted on their concerts at the Budokan, performed in photographs and music videos, and reported by journalists. -- Alisa Freedman, University of Oregon
Table of ContentsIntroduction: I Want You to Want Me: Western Rock Artists and Japan
Chapter 1: You Say You Want a Revolution: The Ventures, the Beatles, Group Sounds, and the Soundtrack for a Miracle
Chapter 2: Japan’s Temple of Rock: Budokan and the Golden Age of Live in Japan
Chapter 3: Unleashed in the East: Negotiating Western Imaginaries of Japan
Chapter 4: Big in Japan: The Western Gaze in Rock Songs About Japan
Chapter 5: I Think I’m Turning Japanese: Orientalism in Rock Videos and Images
Chapter 6: Pinkerton’s Apology: The Maturing of the Western Rocker’s Gaze
Epilogue: Rockin’ On: The Continuing Appeal of Japan to Western Artists
