Bloomsbury Rancid Aphrodisiac: Subjectivity, Desire, and Rock 'n' Roll

Product Description Rancid Aphrodisiac explores the possibilities of inaugurating a social psychoanalytic critique of musical media and the constitution of subjectivity. Mickey Vallee uses the emergence of 1950s Rock 'n' Roll to introduce a uniquely socio-musical Lacanian psychoanalytic model that explains the constitution of modern subjectivity and the inherent loss at the center of contemporary human experience, and how such an experience is encapsulated in musical culture. The result is a uniquely approachable and informative guide to Lacanian psychoanalysis and its applicability to music and a vital, fresh interpretation of music in this most crucial turning point in the history of popular music. Review In Rancid Aphrodisiac, Mickey Vallee completely overturns everything that we thought we knew about rock music. With a thorough grounding in Lacanian theory, Vallee’s book shows how rock functions as a site of excessive enjoyment that disturbs our symbolic economy. Despite the typical association of Lacan with language and speech, Vallee makes clear that Lacanian psychoanalysis can unlock the affect of rock music in a way that no other theory can. To understand rock, Rancid Aphrodisiac is a must. ― Todd McGowan, Associate Professor, University of Vermont, US About the Author Mickey Vallee is an assistant professor of sociology at the University of Lethbridge, Canada. He is the author of several articles on music, media, and subjectivity and is co-editor of Demystifying Deleuze: An Introductory Assemblage of Crucial Concepts.