Greil Marcus
Encyclopedia
Greil Marcus is an American
author
, music journalist
and cultural critic
. He is notable for producing scholarly and literary essays that place rock music
in a much broader framework of culture and politics than is customary in pop music journalism.
, where he also did graduate work in political science
. He has been a rock critic and columnist for Rolling Stone
(where he was the first reviews editor, at $30 a week) and other publications, including Creem
, The Village Voice
, and Artforum
. From 1983 to 1989, Marcus was on the Board of Directors for the National Book Critics Circle
.
His 1975 book, Mystery Train, re-defined the parameters of rock music criticism. The book places rock and roll
within the context of American cultural archetypes, from Moby-Dick
to The Great Gatsby
to Stagger Lee. Marcus's "recognition of the unities in the American imagination that already exist" inspired countless rock scribes. On 30th August, 2011, TIME magazine published a list of what they consider the 100 best non fiction books since 1923, when the magazine was first published and included "Mystery Train" on the list, one of only five dealing with culture, and the only one dealing on the subject of American music.
His next book, Lipstick Traces: A Secret History of the 20th Century
(1989), stretched his trademark riffing across a century of Western civilization. Positing punk rock
as a transhistorical cultural phenomenon, Marcus examined philosophical connections between entities as diverse as medieval heretics, Dada
, the Situationists, and the Sex Pistols
.
In 1991, Marcus published Dead Elvis
, a collection of writings about Elvis Presley
, and in 1993 published Ranters and Crowd Pleasers (reissued as In the Fascist Bathroom: Punk in Pop Music), an examination of post-punk
political pop. In 1997, using old Bob Dylan
bootlegs as a starting point, Marcus dissected the American subconscious with Invisible Republic: Bob Dylan's Basement Tapes
.
He currently writes the "Elephant Dancing" column for Interview, "Real Life Rock Top Ten" for The Believer
, and occasionally teaches graduate courses in American Studies
at the University of California, Berkeley
. He also teaches a lecture class at the New School University called "The Old Weird America: Music as Democratic Speech – from the Commonplace Song to Bob Dylan."
His next book, When That Rough God Goes Riding: Listening to Van Morrison, was published in March 2010. It focuses on "Marcus's quest to understand Van Morrison
's particular genius through the extraordinary and unclassifiable moments in his long career." The title is derived from Morrison's 1997 song, "Rough God Goes Riding
".
His most recent books are Bob Dylan by Greil Marcus: Writings 1968–2010 (Public Affairs, 2010) and The Doors: A Lifetime of Listening to Five Mean Years (Public Affairs, 2011).
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
, music journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
and cultural critic
Critic
A critic is anyone who expresses a value judgement. Informally, criticism is a common aspect of all human expression and need not necessarily imply skilled or accurate expressions of judgement. Critical judgements, good or bad, may be positive , negative , or balanced...
. He is notable for producing scholarly and literary essays that place rock music
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
in a much broader framework of culture and politics than is customary in pop music journalism.
Life and career
Marcus was born in San Francisco and earned an undergraduate degree in American Studies from the University of California, BerkeleyUniversity of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
, where he also did graduate work in political science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
. He has been a rock critic and columnist for Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
(where he was the first reviews editor, at $30 a week) and other publications, including Creem
Creem
Creem , "America's Only Rock 'n' Roll Magazine," was a monthly rock 'n' roll publication first published in March 1969 by Barry Kramer and founding editor Tony Reay. It suspended production in 1989 but received a short-lived renaissance in the early 1990s as a glossy tabloid...
, The Village Voice
The Village Voice
The Village Voice is a free weekly newspaper and news and features website in New York City that features investigative articles, analysis of current affairs and culture, arts and music coverage, and events listings for New York City...
, and Artforum
Artforum
Artforum is an international monthly magazine specializing in contemporary art.-Publication:The magazine is published ten times a year, September through May, along with an annual summer issue...
. From 1983 to 1989, Marcus was on the Board of Directors for the National Book Critics Circle
National Book Critics Circle
The National Book Critics Circle is an American tax-exempt organization for active book reviewers. Its flagship is the National Book Critics Circle Award....
.
His 1975 book, Mystery Train, re-defined the parameters of rock music criticism. The book places rock and roll
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
within the context of American cultural archetypes, from Moby-Dick
Moby-Dick
Moby-Dick; or, The Whale, was written by American author Herman Melville and first published in 1851. It is considered by some to be a Great American Novel and a treasure of world literature. The story tells the adventures of wandering sailor Ishmael, and his voyage on the whaleship Pequod,...
to The Great Gatsby
The Great Gatsby
The Great Gatsby is a novel by the American author F. Scott Fitzgerald. First published in1925, it is set on Long Island's North Shore and in New York City from spring to autumn of 1922....
to Stagger Lee. Marcus's "recognition of the unities in the American imagination that already exist" inspired countless rock scribes. On 30th August, 2011, TIME magazine published a list of what they consider the 100 best non fiction books since 1923, when the magazine was first published and included "Mystery Train" on the list, one of only five dealing with culture, and the only one dealing on the subject of American music.
His next book, Lipstick Traces: A Secret History of the 20th Century
Lipstick Traces: A Secret History of the 20th Century
Lipstick Traces: A Secret History of the 20th Century is a non-fiction book by American rock-music critic Greil Marcus that examines popular music and art as a social critique of Western culture....
(1989), stretched his trademark riffing across a century of Western civilization. Positing punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
as a transhistorical cultural phenomenon, Marcus examined philosophical connections between entities as diverse as medieval heretics, Dada
Dada
Dada or Dadaism is a cultural movement that began in Zurich, Switzerland, during World War I and peaked from 1916 to 1922. The movement primarily involved visual arts, literature—poetry, art manifestoes, art theory—theatre, and graphic design, and concentrated its anti-war politics through a...
, the Situationists, and the Sex Pistols
Sex Pistols
The Sex Pistols were an English punk rock band that formed in London in 1975. They were responsible for initiating the punk movement in the United Kingdom and inspiring many later punk and alternative rock musicians...
.
In 1991, Marcus published Dead Elvis
Dead Elvis (book)
Dead Elvis: A Chronicle of a Cultural Obsession is a non-fiction book by American rock-music critic Greil Marcus that examines the influence of Elvis Presley on United States culture in the latter half of the 1970s....
, a collection of writings about Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
, and in 1993 published Ranters and Crowd Pleasers (reissued as In the Fascist Bathroom: Punk in Pop Music), an examination of post-punk
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
political pop. In 1997, using old Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
bootlegs as a starting point, Marcus dissected the American subconscious with Invisible Republic: Bob Dylan's Basement Tapes
Invisible Republic
Invisible Republic: Bob Dylan's Basement Tapes is a book by music critic Greil Marcus about the creation and cultural importance of The Basement Tapes, a series of recordings made by Bob Dylan in 1967 in collaboration with The Hawks, who would subsequently become known as The Band...
.
He currently writes the "Elephant Dancing" column for Interview, "Real Life Rock Top Ten" for The Believer
The Believer (magazine)
The Believer is a United States literary magazine that also covers other arts and general culture. Founded and designed in 2003 by the writer and publisher Dave Eggers, it is edited by Vendela Vida, Heidi Julavits and Ed Park...
, and occasionally teaches graduate courses in American Studies
American studies
American studies or American civilization is an interdisciplinary field dealing with the study of the United States. It traditionally incorporates the study of history, literature, and critical theory, but also includes fields as diverse as law, art, the media, film, religious studies, urban...
at the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
. He also teaches a lecture class at the New School University called "The Old Weird America: Music as Democratic Speech – from the Commonplace Song to Bob Dylan."
His next book, When That Rough God Goes Riding: Listening to Van Morrison, was published in March 2010. It focuses on "Marcus's quest to understand Van Morrison
Van Morrison
Van Morrison, OBE is a Northern Irish singer-songwriter and musician. His live performances at their best are regarded as transcendental and inspired; while some of his recordings, such as the studio albums Astral Weeks and Moondance, and the live album It's Too Late to Stop Now, are widely...
's particular genius through the extraordinary and unclassifiable moments in his long career." The title is derived from Morrison's 1997 song, "Rough God Goes Riding
Rough God Goes Riding
"Rough God Goes Riding" is the opening song on the album, The Healing Game by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison. The song reached #168 on the UK charts. One of the B-sides of the single, the alternative version of "The Healing Game", appears on all three editions of Morrison's 2007...
".
His most recent books are Bob Dylan by Greil Marcus: Writings 1968–2010 (Public Affairs, 2010) and The Doors: A Lifetime of Listening to Five Mean Years (Public Affairs, 2011).
Works
- Rock & Roll Will Stand (1969), edited anthology
- Double Feature: Movies & Politics (1972), co-authored with Michael Goodwin
- Mystery Train: Images of America in Rock 'n' Roll Music (1975, fifth revision March 25, 2008)
- Stranded: Rock and Roll for a Desert Island (1979, editor and contributor)
- Lipstick Traces: A Secret History of the 20th CenturyLipstick Traces: A Secret History of the 20th CenturyLipstick Traces: A Secret History of the 20th Century is a non-fiction book by American rock-music critic Greil Marcus that examines popular music and art as a social critique of Western culture....
(1989) - Dead Elvis: A Chronicle of a Cultural ObsessionDead Elvis (book)Dead Elvis: A Chronicle of a Cultural Obsession is a non-fiction book by American rock-music critic Greil Marcus that examines the influence of Elvis Presley on United States culture in the latter half of the 1970s....
(1991) - In the Fascist Bathroom: Punk in Pop Music, 1977-1992 (1993, originally published as Ranters & Crowd Pleasers)
- The Dustbin of History (1995)
- Invisible Republic: Bob Dylan's Basement Tapes (1997; also published as The Old, Weird America: Bob Dylan's Basement Tapes, 2001)
- Double Trouble: Bill Clinton and Elvis Presley in a Land of No Alternatives (2001)
- The Manchurian Candidate: BFI Film Classics, 68 (2002)
- The Rose & the Briar: Death, Love and Liberty in the American Ballad (2004, co-edited with Sean Wilentz)
- Like a Rolling Stone: Bob Dylan at the Crossroads (2005)
- The Shape of Things to Come: Prophecy in the American Voice (2006)
- A New Literary History of AmericaA New Literary History of AmericaA New Literary History of Americais a collection of essays edited by Greil Marcus and Werner Sollors. Its roughly 200 essays span a range of topics that the editors selected as a sample of the different voices and perspectives on North America since the genesis of the European concept of a New World....
(2009), co-edited with Werner Sollors - Best Music Writing 2009, 10th anniversary edition (2009), guest editor with Daphne Carr (series editor)
- When That Rough God Goes Riding: Listening to Van Morrison (2010)
- Bob Dylan by Greil Marcus: Writings 1968-2010 (2011)
- The Old, Weird America: The World of Bob Dylan's Basement Tapes (2011)
- The Doors: A Lifetime of Listening to Five Mean Years (2011)
External links
- Video interview with Greil Marcus on "The Shape of Things to Come" on The Alcove with Mark Molaro
- "Obsessive Memories," essay on memory and his father, Greil Gerstley, who died in World War II.
- Exchange with Greil Marcus at rockcritics.com
- "The Shape of Things to Come" at fora.TV
- Author Interview: Greil Marcus by Dave Welch @ powells.com
- Blackface: Then and Now - A presentation at the Institute of Advanced Study, University of Minnesota, November 10, 2008