Strange Stars

Description

A Hugo Award-winner explores the massive influence that science fiction has had on popular music, particularly on David Bowie and the heady, experimental 1970s scene. In the 1960s and 70s old mores and lingering repressions were falling away, replaced with a new kind of hedonistic freedom that included sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll. Although it didn't factor into the stereotype, it also included science fiction. Strange Stars tells the story of how incredibly well read artists--David Bowie, Jimi Hendrix, Pink Floyd, and many more--brought Sci Fi's cosmic flare to their lyrics, sounds, and styles, and changed pop music forever.

Jason Heller has written for publications including the New Yorker, Rolling Stone, Pitchfork, NPR, and The AV Club. His latest book was Taft 2012.

"Strange Stars is an ultra-engaging dive into science fiction's impact on the rock and pop music we know and love. Heller's exploration of where these fandoms intersect and become one is gloriously nerdy delight that expands far beyond Bowie. It connects the essential dots between the transportive work of J.G. Ballard, Jimi Hendrix, P-Funk, British New Wave, and Phillip K. Dick."--Jessica Hopper, author of The First Collection of Criticism by a Living Female Rock Critic "Strange Stars is full of cosmic wisdom that will open your mind to alien melodies, and also make you hear your favorite classic rock and funk in a whole new way. This book taught me so much about the science fiction influences of some of my favorite albums, but also a ton of surprising stuff about how music shaped the worlds of science fiction. A totally indispensible guide."--Charlie Jane Anders, author of All the Birds in the Sky "There's never been anything like Strange Stars before--a fantastic voyage through rock & roll history, decoding the sci-fi inspiration that's always lurked at the heart of it. Jason Heller finds the interstellar connections between visionaries from Sun Ra to Kraftwerk to P-Funk to Bowie, from The Left Hand of Darkness to The Dark Side of the Moon. This brilliant book makes you hear whole new strains of weirdness in music you thought you already knew."--Rob Sheffield, author of On Bowie