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The Beatles’ politics
This article argues that the Beatles were instrumental in bringing together the hitherto divergent and mutually uncomprehending realms of politics and pop. Though not innovative political theorists, the Beatles were inventive political strategists who rehearsed virtually every technique subsequently...
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| Format: | Default Article |
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2014
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| Online Access: | https://hdl.handle.net/2134/12157 |
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| _version_ | 1818174080156696576 |
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| author | Marcus Collins |
| author_facet | Marcus Collins |
| author_sort | Marcus Collins (1252578) |
| collection | Figshare |
| description | This article argues that the Beatles were instrumental in bringing together the hitherto divergent and mutually uncomprehending realms of politics and pop. Though not innovative political theorists, the Beatles were inventive political strategists who rehearsed virtually every technique subsequently used by politicised musicians. They practised consciousness-raising, lobbying, patronage, abstentionism and civil disobedience. They founded utopian institutions and considered the relative merits of anarchy, democracy and revolutionary socialism. The multitude of political strategies adopted by the Beatles testified to their difficulties in finding one congruent with their outlook and temperament. Furthermore, the anti-authoritarianism which formed the one consistent aspect of their political worldview was simplistic and their solutions were correspondingly unrealistic. They nevertheless did much to legitimise pop music as a means of political expression, to devise organisational structures to support such political activity and to politicise those who produced and consumed pop. |
| format | Default Article |
| id | rr-article-9467432 |
| institution | Loughborough University |
| publishDate | 2014 |
| record_format | Figshare |
| spelling | rr-article-94674322014-01-01T00:00:00Z The Beatles’ politics Marcus Collins (1252578) Political science not elsewhere classified The Beatles Politics 1960s Popular music Political Science not elsewhere classified This article argues that the Beatles were instrumental in bringing together the hitherto divergent and mutually uncomprehending realms of politics and pop. Though not innovative political theorists, the Beatles were inventive political strategists who rehearsed virtually every technique subsequently used by politicised musicians. They practised consciousness-raising, lobbying, patronage, abstentionism and civil disobedience. They founded utopian institutions and considered the relative merits of anarchy, democracy and revolutionary socialism. The multitude of political strategies adopted by the Beatles testified to their difficulties in finding one congruent with their outlook and temperament. Furthermore, the anti-authoritarianism which formed the one consistent aspect of their political worldview was simplistic and their solutions were correspondingly unrealistic. They nevertheless did much to legitimise pop music as a means of political expression, to devise organisational structures to support such political activity and to politicise those who produced and consumed pop. 2014-01-01T00:00:00Z Text Journal contribution 2134/12157 https://figshare.com/articles/journal_contribution/The_Beatles_politics/9467432 CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 |
| spellingShingle | Political science not elsewhere classified The Beatles Politics 1960s Popular music Political Science not elsewhere classified Marcus Collins The Beatles’ politics |
| title | The Beatles’ politics |
| title_full | The Beatles’ politics |
| title_fullStr | The Beatles’ politics |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Beatles’ politics |
| title_short | The Beatles’ politics |
| title_sort | beatles’ politics |
| topic | Political science not elsewhere classified The Beatles Politics 1960s Popular music Political Science not elsewhere classified |
| url | https://hdl.handle.net/2134/12157 |