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Glitter Up the Dark
Glitter Up the Dark: How Pop Music Broke the Binary | Sasha Geffen
10 posts | 5 read | 11 to read
Why has music so often served as an accomplice to transcendent expressions of gender? Why did the query "is he musical?" become code, in the twentieth century, for "is he gay?" Why is music so inherently queer? For Sasha Geffen, the answers lie, in part, in musics intrinsic quality of subliminal expression, which, through paradox and contradiction, allows rigid gender roles to fall away in a sensual and ambiguous exchange between performer and listener. Glitter Up the Dark traces the history of this gender fluidity in pop music from the early twentieth century to the present day. Starting with early blues and the Beatles and continuing with performers such as David Bowie, Prince, Missy Elliot, and Frank Ocean, Geffen explores how artists have used music, fashion, language, and technology to break out of the confines mandated by gender essentialism and establish the voice as the primary expression of gender transgression. From glam rock and punk to disco, techno, and hip-hop, music helped set the stage for todays conversations about trans rights and recognition of nonbinary and third-gender identities. Glitter Up the Dark takes a long look back at the path that led here.
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review
REPollock
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Pickpick

Smart analytical music criticism, love stuff like this and voices other than cishet male are rare.

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daniwithtea
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Thank you for returning my book with these AMAZING Prince-inspired coasters, @BarbaraTheBibliophage ! I‘m excited to use them once we get to the new place.

@Riveted_Reader_Melissa I am still working on The Death of Expertise - I‘m sorry that I‘m running so far behind! If you need it back quickly let me know and I will finish it on Kindle.

Thanks for another great nonfiction Summer!

cc: @tjwill

BarbaraTheBibliophage You‘re welcome! Enjoy them in good health—and with tea, right?💜 3y
Riveted_Reader_Melissa Take all the time you need, no rush at all! And don‘t feel bad, I‘m still working on mine to return to @tjwill too (I figure we can‘t be late, because we are the last on the list and just returning them when we finish 🤷‍♀️ 😉). 3y
Riveted_Reader_Melissa @BarbaraTheBibliophage Great color! Purple perfection! 3y
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BarbaraTheBibliophage @Riveted_Reader_Melissa I love me a nice deep purple!! 💜 3y
daniwithtea @BarbaraTheBibliophage yes, with lots of tea (cinnamon this time of year!) ❤️ 3y
15 likes1 stack add6 comments
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BarbaraTheBibliophage
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Pickpick

I couldn‘t possible love this book more! The topic is both timely and relevant, even though the book covers decades of music and social history. And Geffen does an amazing job of analyzing musical styles and musicians‘ personal experiences and choices. Their writing has some truly luminous moments as well. Thank you @daniwithtea for adding it to our #nfornonfiction #groupread !

Full review http://www.TheBibliophage.com #thebibliophage2021

alisiakae This sounds really good! 3y
TrishB Sounds good 👍🏻 3y
BarbaraTheBibliophage @4thhouseontheleft @TrishB I think you both would really enjoy it! 3y
61 likes4 stack adds3 comments
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tjwill
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Pickpick

This book discusses how popular music has been an influence in breaking gender norms in recent culture. There were many artists I had anticipated, and some surprises as well. I learned a lot, and I enjoyed listening to the music and artists mentioned while I was reading!

Riveted_Reader_Melissa I found myself pulling out music too with this one. 3y
BarbaraTheBibliophage I‘m super excited to read this one!! 3y
tjwill @BarbaraTheBibliophage Sorry I didn‘t mention before, but it is on the way to you! They told me it would be there on Monday. 3y
BarbaraTheBibliophage @tjwill Perfect - thanks! 3y
43 likes1 stack add4 comments
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Riveted_Reader_Melissa
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There was a Prince section in this book that briefly talked about his break with his record company when he changed his name to the symbol. The rift was about the fact that he was putting out music too fast, they didn‘t want him saturating the market, they wanted to make fans wait & clammed for the next release, but Prince didn‘t want to be held back. ⤵️

#NForNonfiction

Riveted_Reader_Melissa ↪️ I saw this and was floored at just how much unreleased music he had backlogged in his vaults. He was truly prolific, no wonder he felt stifled by industry execs! There is literally enough material for a new album, every year, for the rest of the Millennium.

#NForNonfiction

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/prince-welcome-2-america-60-minutes-2021-07-25/
3y
ChaoticMissAdventures Amazing 💜💜💜 3y
TheBookHippie 💜💜💜💜 I remember right after he died I was out for drinks and someone started singing purple rain and the whole bar sang along it was just amazing. ☂️☔️ 3y
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BarbaraTheBibliophage He was a stellar talent. 😢💜 3y
Riveted_Reader_Melissa @TheBookHippie That is amazing, I get chills just reading that, I can‘t imagine being there. 3y
tjwill Wow! I‘ve also heard Dolly Parton say that she has so much unreleased music that it will continue to be released even after she is gone. 3y
Riveted_Reader_Melissa @tjwill And isn‘t that crazy, I can see why artists chafe at that. When they create something they worked hard on and liked, of course they want to share it. 3y
GingerAntics That would be awesome!!! 3y
43 likes8 comments
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tjwill
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This arrived today! I‘m looking forward to starting it!

Riveted_Reader_Melissa I‘m so glad it arrived safely! 3y
33 likes1 comment
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Riveted_Reader_Melissa
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1. Glitter Up The Dark (tagged)
2. 👍👍👍
3. Science Fiction, Fantasy, Nonfiction, Urban Fantasy

#WonderousWednesday. @Eggs

Eggs 👍🏼📖👍🏼 3y
38 likes1 comment
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Riveted_Reader_Melissa
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Pickpick

This was a good one @daniwithtea ,& it hit me at the right time too (June is Pride Month). I blew through it in just a few days, plus it made me keep wanting to stop and pull out old albums, play favorites, and google new songs. I liked that the analysis was both deeply personal, but also analytical at times, and how it explored rule breakers, and how some of those broken rules became subsumed into the next iteration of acceptable masculinity.

Riveted_Reader_Melissa #NisForNonfiction #NforNonfiction #Nonfiction2021 I‘ll get this one off to the post office and in it‘s way to you tomorrow @tjwill 3y
BarbaraTheBibliophage I‘m sooo excited for this one! 3y
tjwill @Riveted_Reader_Melissa Sounds amazing! 3y
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daniwithtea
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Pickpick

This was *so good*, I blew threw it a lot quicker than I expected to. @Riveted_Reader_Melissa I might ship it out this week if you don‘t mind getting it early. I don‘t want to mess up the pipeline to @BarbaraTheBibliophage and @tjwill :)

Riveted_Reader_Melissa That‘s fine by me, my address is the same, if you don‘t have it anymore I‘ll email it to you. 3y
daniwithtea Awesome! I‘m pretty sure I still have it, will let you know if I don‘t :) 3y
Riveted_Reader_Melissa Your book arrived safe and sound! (edited) 3y
18 likes1 stack add4 comments
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daniwithtea
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The first page is sure starting off with a bang! #nfornonfiction #assumingwearestilltaggingthings #tumblrhabitsdiehard