So for Cobain, as for most rock stars and fans today, real rock’n'roll must be shackled to the kind of primitivism that accompanied Leadbelly’s career, an idealization of “savage” simplicity. If Cobain had broadcast the facts of his own painful life in the wordy, sophisticated tradition of Loudon Wainwright III rather than the barebones tradition of Leadbelly, he would have been a role model for next to nobody.

From Faking It: The Quest for Authenticity in Popular Music

I’m reading this book after hearing an interview with one of the author’s on The Sound of Young America. The authors makes some interesting points about the “theatre” and what is real and fake in modern music. On a related note, I’m watching School of Rock.

I’ve been thinking a lot about how the concept of authenticity applies to fans. Nick Hornby’s Songbook makes me wonder if I even understand the music I love, or if I even love the music I love… Have you ever doubted the authenticity of your fandom?

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