Scott and Bob dive into Richard Meltzer’s Aesthetics of Rock, analyzing the “death of rock” in the late 1960s, cultural exhaustion, and McLuhan’s chemical vs. electronic body concepts. They discuss the Beatles, Dylan, Zappa, and the era’s nihilism and media-driven shifts.
Bob Dobbs is a Zappa researcher and McLuhan scholar.
Scott Woods is a critic based in Toronto who manages the websites RockCritics.com and GreilMarcus.net.
Recorded May 16, 2010
0:01 – Introduction
1:29 – The Concept of Rock’s Demise and Cultural Exhaustion
8:42 – Death and Nihilism in Late 1960s Rock Music
19:59 – Bob Dylan and the Broader Death Motif in Music
27:38 – Frank Zappa’s Unique Position in the Rock Landscape
33:40 – The Beatles and the Electronic Eternal Present
44:57 – Fluid Knowledge and the Rejection of Certainty
50:22 – The Psychedelic Explosion and Multiplicity of New Bands
58:14 – Nostalgia, Continuity, and the Beatles’ Cultural Role
1:04:34 – Conclusion and Reflections on Meltzer’s Insights
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