Rocking the Closet

Rocking the Closet
Author: Vincent L Stephens
Publisher: University of Illinois Press
Total Pages: 343
Release: 2019-10-16
Genre: Music
ISBN: 0252051661


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The all-embracing, "whaddya got?" nature of rebellion in Fifties America included pop music's unlikely challenge to entrenched notions of masculinity. Within that upheaval, four prominent artists dared to behave in ways that let the public assume—but not see—their queerness. That these artists cultivated ambiguous sexual personas often reflected an understandable fear, but also a struggle to fulfill personal and professional expectations.Vincent L. Stephens confronts notions of the closet—both coming out and staying in—by analyzing the careers of Liberace, Johnny Mathis, Johnnie Ray, and Little Richard. Appealing to audiences hungry for novelty and exoticism, the four pop icons used performance and queering techniques that ran the gamut. Liberace's flamboyance shared a spectrum with Mathis's intimate sensitivity while Ray's overwrought displays as "Mr. Emotion" seemed worlds apart from Little Richard's raise-the-roof joyousness. As Stephens shows, the quartet not only thrived in an era of gray flannel manhood, they pioneered the ways generations of later musicians would consciously adopt sexual mystery as an appealing and proven route to success.


Rocking the Closet
Language: en
Pages: 343
Authors: Vincent L Stephens
Categories: Music
Type: BOOK - Published: 2019-10-16 - Publisher: University of Illinois Press

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The all-embracing, "whaddya got?" nature of rebellion in Fifties America included pop music's unlikely challenge to entrenched notions of masculinity. Within th
Rocking the Closet
Language: en
Pages: 0
Authors: Vincent L Stephens
Categories: Music
Type: BOOK - Published: 2019-10-14 - Publisher: University of Illinois Press

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The all-embracing, "whaddya got?" nature of rebellion in Fifties America included pop music's unlikely challenge to entrenched notions of masculinity. Within th
Tales From My Closet
Language: en
Pages: 272
Authors: Jennifer Anne Moses
Categories: Young Adult Fiction
Type: BOOK - Published: 2014-01-28 - Publisher: Scholastic Inc.

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Five girls. A paper dress. Tons of shoes. One unforgettable raincoat. White Jeans. Secrets. Drama. Friends? For Justine, Bianca, Becka, Polly, and Anne, living
How to Rock Your Life
Language: en
Pages: 310
Authors: Taraleigh Weathers
Categories: Self-Help
Type: BOOK - Published: 2018-01-18 - Publisher:

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How to Rock Your Life is the book the author wished existed when she was suffering from a chronic case of post-show blues. Beating them with a rainstick, a hack
Disney Minnie: My Colorful Closet
Language: en
Pages: 0
Authors: Disney Minnie
Categories: Juvenile Fiction
Type: BOOK - Published: 2014-06-17 - Publisher: Studio Fun International

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Everyone knows that Minnie loves fashion. And one of her favorite things to do is create new looks with her bows and dresses. Kids can help with this adorable b