Scary Monsters: Monstrosity, Masculinity and Popular Music - Paperback

by Mark Duffett (Author), Jon Hackett (Author)

Popular music and masculinity have rarely been examined through the lens of research into monstrosity. The discourses associated with rock and pop, however, actually include more 'monsters' than might at first be imagined. Attention to such individuals and cultures can say things about the operation of genre and gender, myth and meaning. Indeed, monstrosity has recently become a growing focus of cultural theory. This is in part because monsters raise shared concerns about transgression, subjectivity, agency, and community. Attention to monstrosity evokes both the spectre of projection (which invokes familial trauma and psychoanalysis) and shared anxieties (that in turn reflect ideologies and beliefs). By pursuing a series of insightful case studies, Scary Monsters considers different aspects of the connection between music, gender and monstrosity. Its argument is that attention to monstrosity provides a unique perspective on the study of masculinity in popular music culture.

Author Biography

Mark Duffett is Associate Professor in Media and Cultural Studies at the University of Chester. He is known for the book Understanding Fandom (2013).

Jon Hackett is Associate Professor in Film and Communications and Head of Communications, Media and Marketing at St Mary's University, Twickenham, UK. His research and teaching interests include critical theory, film studies and popular music studies.