Premium Members Get 10% Off and Earn Rewards Find Out More
The Secret Public: How Music Moved Queer Culture From the Margins to the Mainstream
The legendary author of England’s Dreaming presents a monumental history of the queer influence on popular culture, from the rise of Little Richard to the collapse of disco in 1979.

In his kaleidoscopic new book, Jon Savage, the legendary author of England’s Dreaming, shows how music has been the key medium through which homosexuality was expressed for much of the last half century. Depicting nothing less than the birth of rock and roll, the narrative begins in the mid-1950s with Little Richard, whose music possessed secret codes of the gay underworld and whose magnetism attracted millions of white teenagers. As Savage engagingly proceeds through the late 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s with evocations of, among others, Elvis Presley, James Dean, Andy Warhol, David Bowie, Janis Joplin, Donna Summer, Sylvester, and the disco-era Bee Gees, he demonstrates that it was mostly music—with supporting roles from cinema, literature, and fashion—that broke the dam that led to the widespread acceptance of LGBTQ culture today. The Secret Public, with its “pancake and pompadour” descriptions of a generation in revolt, provides an electrifying look at the key moments in music and entertainment that changed pop culture forever.

1145603512
The Secret Public: How Music Moved Queer Culture From the Margins to the Mainstream
The legendary author of England’s Dreaming presents a monumental history of the queer influence on popular culture, from the rise of Little Richard to the collapse of disco in 1979.

In his kaleidoscopic new book, Jon Savage, the legendary author of England’s Dreaming, shows how music has been the key medium through which homosexuality was expressed for much of the last half century. Depicting nothing less than the birth of rock and roll, the narrative begins in the mid-1950s with Little Richard, whose music possessed secret codes of the gay underworld and whose magnetism attracted millions of white teenagers. As Savage engagingly proceeds through the late 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s with evocations of, among others, Elvis Presley, James Dean, Andy Warhol, David Bowie, Janis Joplin, Donna Summer, Sylvester, and the disco-era Bee Gees, he demonstrates that it was mostly music—with supporting roles from cinema, literature, and fashion—that broke the dam that led to the widespread acceptance of LGBTQ culture today. The Secret Public, with its “pancake and pompadour” descriptions of a generation in revolt, provides an electrifying look at the key moments in music and entertainment that changed pop culture forever.

35.0 Pre Order
The Secret Public: How Music Moved Queer Culture From the Margins to the Mainstream

The Secret Public: How Music Moved Queer Culture From the Margins to the Mainstream

by Jon Savage
The Secret Public: How Music Moved Queer Culture From the Margins to the Mainstream

The Secret Public: How Music Moved Queer Culture From the Margins to the Mainstream

by Jon Savage

Overview

The legendary author of England’s Dreaming presents a monumental history of the queer influence on popular culture, from the rise of Little Richard to the collapse of disco in 1979.

In his kaleidoscopic new book, Jon Savage, the legendary author of England’s Dreaming, shows how music has been the key medium through which homosexuality was expressed for much of the last half century. Depicting nothing less than the birth of rock and roll, the narrative begins in the mid-1950s with Little Richard, whose music possessed secret codes of the gay underworld and whose magnetism attracted millions of white teenagers. As Savage engagingly proceeds through the late 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s with evocations of, among others, Elvis Presley, James Dean, Andy Warhol, David Bowie, Janis Joplin, Donna Summer, Sylvester, and the disco-era Bee Gees, he demonstrates that it was mostly music—with supporting roles from cinema, literature, and fashion—that broke the dam that led to the widespread acceptance of LGBTQ culture today. The Secret Public, with its “pancake and pompadour” descriptions of a generation in revolt, provides an electrifying look at the key moments in music and entertainment that changed pop culture forever.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781324096108
Publisher: Liveright Publishing Corporation
Publication date: 02/04/2025
Pages: 768
Product dimensions: 6.12(w) x 9.25(h) x (d)

About the Author

Hailed by the New York Times Book Review as “the definitive history of the English punk movement,” England’s Dreaming established Jon Savage as one of the foremost pop culture historians of his generation. The winner of the Ralph J. Gleason prize, he lives in North Wales.
From the B&N Reads Blog
Page 1 of

Customer Reviews