The book and its premise are eye-opening and give credibility to glitter rock’s birth, death, and afterlife… . Interesting and enlightening for those who are fascinated by the history and progression of rock ‘n roll. –Academic Library Book Review
Van M. Cagle’s singular achievement is his ability to find not only the moments at which people, ideas, and movements converge, but to find their melting points, that instant when a combination of energy and heat reshapes cultural forms. Reconstructing Pop/Subculture reconnects the work of Andy Warhol, Iggy Pop, David Bowie, and glitter rock to create a better understanding of the relationships between style, youth, art, and rebellion. By creating an account of the deep structures at the nexus that formed around Warhol, Cagle’s book does for the United States what Hebdige’s Subculture did for the United Kingdom. His use of cultural studies to interrogate notions of production and reception makes for a sterling history, analysis, and critique of the intertwining of subversion and popular culture.
–Steven G. Jones, Associate Professor and Chair, Faculty of Communication, University of Tulsa By exploring the phenomenon of Andy Warhol’s influence on glitter rock and pop art, author Van M. Cagle reconceptualizes and reevaluates many of the theoretical claims of subculture theory. Reconstructing Pop/Subculture proposes a theoretical framework that incorporates notions of productivity with reception and reexamines the critical relationships between style, youth culture, incorporation, hegemony, and resistance, focusing on the ways in which fans take up trends presented through mass media and adopt them through highly disingenuous practices. At the same time, this volume provides a historical account of the tensions that arose in Western culture during the 1960s and 1970s–both among and between various factions that were forced to engage in explicit confrontations. Cagle also illustrates the ways in which particular genres such as glitter rock and pop art came into being and how such genres were interpreted and used by audiences. And ideal supplement for popular culture and cultural studies courses, Reconstructing Pop/Subculture will also appeal to anyone interested in subcultures, youth culture, and cultural studies.
