Western Rock Artists, Madame Butterfly, and the Allure of Japan: Dancing in an Eastern Dream

(Paperback)

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Description

Using the framework of Edward Saids Orientalism, this work examines how Western rock and pop artistsparticularly during the age of album rock from the 1970s through the 1990sperpetuated long-held stereotypes of Japan in their direct encounters with the country and in songs and music videos with Japanese content.

Reviews

Taking his readers on a rock 'n roll tour of Japan from the 1960s through the 1990s, Christopher Keaveney reveals the Orientalist dreams influencing many Western musicians from their kimono-clad album covers and geisha-inspired lyrics to their reflections on their Japanese fandom. Informative, erudite, and wonderfully fun to read, Keaveney's study compels rethinking the legacy of Madame Butterfly, samurai masculinity, and discovery of the Western self in the exotic East.

-- Rebecca Copeland, Washington University in St. Louis

Christopher T. Keaveney shifts our focus from the impact of rock music on Japan to the impact of Japan on rock music. He places rock and roll in the long history of japonisme, demonstrating how both explicitly gendered imaginaries and real experiences of Japan influenced the economic and cultural development of AOR and rock video. Throughout the book, Keaveneys passion for the music comes through.

-- E. Taylor Atkins, Northern Illinois University

This 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 (1960s1990s) 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

Author Bio

Christopher T. Keaveney is assistant professor at Rikkyo University.