Hardcore Punk in the Age of Reagan: The Lyrical Lashing of an American Presidency

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Robert Fitzgerald

Hardcore Punk in the Age of Reagan

The Lyrical Lashing of an American Presidency

Robert Fitzgerald

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Paperback

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English

The University of North Carolina Press
27 May 2025

Music; Theory of music & musicology; Punk, New Wave & Indie; History of the Americas; History: specific events & topics

Few politicians produced the musical reaction that Ronald Reagan did. His California-branded conservatism inspired countless young people to pick up guitars and thrash out their political angst. Punk bands across the United States took aim at the man, his presidency, and the idea of America he was selling to voters nationwide. Small yet vibrant scenes across the country emerged to challenge the communal norms and social values projected on them by the popular media and consumer culture. Punk enthusiast Robert Fitzgerald argues that these songs' lyrics aren't just catchy and fun to scream along with; they also reveal the thoughts and feelings of artists reacting to their political environment in real, forthright, and uncensored time.

In candid detail, Fitzgerald shows how these lyrics illustrated what young adults felt and how they reacted to one of the most influential and divisive leaders of the era. Punk lyrics are seemingly simple, the author argues, but they sketch out a complex, musically inspired countermovement that is as canonical in the American songbook as the folk and rock protest music that came before.

By: Robert Fitzgerald
Imprint: The University of North Carolina Press
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 235mm, Width: 155mm,
ISBN: 9781469685458
ISBN 10: 1469685450
Pages: 252
Publication Date: 27 May 2025
Audience: College/higher education , Further / Higher Education
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Robert Fitzgerald is assistant principal of the Thomas Metcalf Laboratory School, an admittedly un-punk position, and a lifelong punk fan.