Girls in the Back

Where's the best place to stick a backstage pass? Which of the three audience zones are you most comfortable in? What's the link between the Protestant Reformation and a My Bloody Valentine gig? When did our lives become so artificial that we expected music to be real? The Professor of Indie, aka Wendy Fonarow, anthropology professor at UCLA, ponders these questions in Empire of the Dirt: The Aesthetics and Rituals of British Indie Music.



Today, The Guardians asks the burning question, Are gender stereotypes still present in indie music?

It's true that I would never consider crowd-surfing, not because I lack spunk and enthusiasm but because I know some, please forgive the obvious stereotypical euphemism, dick would grope me. So, I stand back and appreciate the music aesthetically and reserve raucous dancing for more open spaces or let's face it alone in my apartment. This seems like a really interesting read as it combines my love of anthropology and music so I'm definitely adding this to my goodreads list.

As long as there are stereotypes amongst people, they will inherently exist within music or any other form of creation. Humans seem only capable of creating wraiths or frankensteins of truth and freedom.