The Republic of Rock uncovers the lost story of rock music and citizenship in the sixties counterculture. Tracing the way people in two key places--San Francisco and Vietnam--used rock to make sense of their lives and the world around them, the book helps us to understand more vividly how rock became a medium for participants in the counterculture to think about what it meant to be an American citizen, a world citizen, a citizen-consumer, or a citizen-soldier. The music became a resource for grappling with the nature of democracy in larger systems of American power both domestically and globally. From the Acid Tests of Ken Kesey and the Merry Pranksters to hippie disc jockeys on strike, from the airwaves of Vietnam to the forgotten tale of a South Vietnamese rock band, The Republic of Rock shows how the musical connections between the City of the Summer of Love to the country in which the United States waged war were crucial to the making of the sixties counterculture-and why the legacy of rock music in the sixties continues to matter to the meaning of citizenship in a global society today.

About the Author
Lecturer, History and American Studies, Northwestern University. Cultural critic who writes a blog about arts and culture at www.culturerover.com.

Reviews
[a] groundbreaking study ... Highly recommended. * R. D. Cohen, Choice *
captivating read. This book will undoubtedly appeal to students and scholars of music, history, and culture alike. * Roger Davis Gatchet, Oral History Review *



Book Information
ISBN 9780195384864
Author Michael J. Kramer
Format Hardback
Page Count 304
Imprint Oxford University Press Inc
Publisher Oxford University Press Inc
Weight(grams) 522g
Dimensions(mm) 236mm * 155mm * 31mm