“Mixing Pop and Politics: A Marxist History of Popular Music” with Toby Manning

Toby Manning joins the Coming From Left Field Podcast to discuss his book, “Mixing Pop and Politics: A Marxist History of Popular Music,” a sweeping, theory-driven history of commercial popular music from the 1950s to today.

Dr. Manning traces how popular music doesn’t float above politics but is shaped by – and responds to – capitalism, class struggle, race, empire, and changing economic regimes from Fordism/New Deal social democracy to neoliberalism and austerity.

Rather than a narrow history of “protest songs,” he reads big-selling hits and major genres (rock and roll, Motown, soul, reggae, punk, post-punk, hip-hop, grunge, electronic dance music, contemporary pop) as expressions of dominant ideology, resistance, and contradiction inside a profit-driven culture industry. Drawing on Marxist concepts such as alienation, ideology, and dialectics, he shows how music both reflects the world and helps people imagine alternatives.

Toby Manning is a British writer, journalist, critic, and educator based in London. He describes himself as a “professional music geek.” Dr. Manning was born and grew up in North Wales and lived in various parts of the UK before settling in London. He holds a PhD in English and Creative Writing from The Open University, completed in 2015, and much of his later work has developed from his doctoral research. He has written for major UK music and cultural publications such as NME, Q, Mojo, The Word, The Guardian, The Quietus, New Statesman, Red Pepper, and The Big Issue. He has also contributed to journals and essay collections, including work on The Velvet Underground and Talking Heads.

 

Resources:

Order the book: https://www.amazon.com/Mixing-Pop-Politics-Marxist-History/dp/1913462676

Twitter/X: @TobyManning

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TobyLManning/

Spotify Playlists:

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6SzgjiHOtNowpny0zqkixQ?si=a0f8a7ad38f642a2

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7As7CSf79iXtQ6p8SCNODL?si=e2bebc6ec514442d

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0mki0qN9TeIxiTn8kfZH1Z?si=923e5c9ee6154dc7

 

Greg’s Blog: http://zzs-blg.blogspot.com/

Greg’s Article on Coltrane: https://mltoday.com/coltrane-s-revolutionary-musical-journey/

Pat’s Substack: https://patcummings.substack.com/

 

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