Empire of Dirt is the textbook you always wished your professor assigned you to read: rock ?n? roll, sex and the guest list are explored in detail through the observations and experiences of the Professor of Indie Rock. Dr. Wendy Fonarow took her Ph.D. in Cultural Anthropology from UCLA and dove deep into the UK?s indie scene for a provocative examination of its culture and rituals from the early 1990s to present, becoming the first employee of famed independent label Domino Records (home to Franz Ferdinand and Arctic Monkeys, among others), seeing thousands of shows ~from Reading to Radiohead at a school gym ~ and becoming so ingratiated with the artists themselves, that she got to name a band (Mojave 3)! Her insider knowledge is unlike any other, thanks to the unprecedented access and trust afforded to her in this scholastic journey, which she embarked on 13 years ago.
?I was not studying from a distance. The goal was to get inside and I couldn?t do that by being dispassionate,? said Fonarow. ?So many doors were opened with fans because I didn?t feel any vanity about being an academic. I was fascinated by being both an insider and an outsider.?
Wendy?s in-depth study of the British independent music scene explores how the behavior of fans, artists, and music industry professionals produce a community with an aesthetic based on moral values. She had incredible access to that entire community, and has created a book full of remarkable truths. It has the effect of the best pop song ? once you?ve read Fonarow on this, you think ?Of course,? and you can not imagine how you might have understood this in any other way. Even musicians who have lived the life she investigates are floored by her findings, which explore gigs as expressing the contemporary attitudes towards youth, the strategy behind guest pass placement, musicians as tricksters, guitar playing as symbolic sexual union and ? everyone?s favorite — ?groupies? as sin eaters.
Empire of Dirt is the ultimate guide to the practices and aesthetics of indie music and no one has written it the way Wendy has, an outspoken intellectual who can win over anyone with her compassionate insight and dedication to the community she is studying and an important part of.
Wendy Fonarow is a lecturer in the Department of Anthropology at the University of California Los Angeles. She has worked for music labels including Domino, Reprise, and MCA.
A Provocative Book on the Rituals of British Indie Music by ?Professor of Indie Rock? –Wendy Fonarow
This book taught me a lot about the business I thought I knew inside out. I loved the ?audience zones? and ?trickster? sections, and I?m looking forward to the next book?on lead singer syndrome! ? Peter Hook, bass player, Joy Division and New Order
A brilliantly provocative book with rigorous research and lucid analysis. It also provides a witty insight into the machinations of the British music industry, and the behavior of musicians and their fans. Essential. ? Lucy O’Brien, author of She Bop
