"the guitar's turned off, the gas tank's empty:"
Issues in American independent rock

Duke University house course, Spring 2003
marc faris, instructor

Tuesdays, 5:00-6:30 PM, Mary Lou Williams Center

For at least a decade prior to the emergence of “alternative rock” as a viable major-label marketing category, a thriving underground network of independent bands, labels, zines, venues and distributors offered a true alternative to the conservative mainstream music business. Participants in this network drew inspiration both from punk and from the revolutionary ideologies of the late 60s counterculture, and worked throughout the 1980s with little hope of greater visibility or monetary compensation. Yet it is inaccurate to frame the indie underground’s relationship to mainstream musical practice as mere opposition, and its internal organization is extraordinarily complex. And given that since the early 1990s, “indie rock” has shifted from meaning nothing more than “rock music released by independent labels,” to being a description of widely accepted, genre-specific stylistic and discursive practices, the time is ripe to reexamine the field.
This course seeks to familiarize students with the prehistory and evolution of independent rock in the United States, with special attention on the decade from 1981 to 1991. We will explore the backgrounds and logics of this important addition to rock ideologies through a variety of critical frameworks. Because a primary trope of indie rock discourse is the importance of local scenes, the course is structured around individual explorations of historically significant cities and regions (including our own!), but with an eye toward larger threads of interconnectivity. Among the many topics to be addressed include: the meanings of subcultures; the construction of local identity; performance practices, musical style and influence; issues of class, race and gender; the economy of indie rock; the role of radio and print media in the field; theory vs. practice in indie social relations and reactions to capitalism; and much more.
Weekly reading and listening assignments provide the background for each session’s main points of focus. To the extent possible, classes will adhere to a seminar dynamic, emphasizing open but productive discussion of the assignments and related topics. Students will also attend at least three shows; at least one of the written assignments will involve live show analysis.