Yuval Taylor crafts insightful narratives that delve into the cultural impact of music. His work thoughtfully explores complex themes, grounding them in their social and historical contexts. Taylor's writing is recognized for its sharp perspective on how artistic expression shapes our understanding of the world. His prose is both accessible and thought-provoking, inviting readers to consider deeper questions.
The narratives in this volume include tales of Africa, pirate ships, wild animals, witches; a slave who had ten owners, and another who led a rebellion that killed fifty-five whites; the kidnapping of a white woman and her rescue by a slave; the nightmarish tortures of the infamous Mr. Gooch; the tragicomic experiences of a pair of "white slaves"; and the story of the "original Uncle Tom."--
In the last fifty years,the quest for authenticity, for the 'real,' has become a dominant factor in musical taste whether it be the folklorist's search for forgotten bluesmen, the rock critic's elevation of raw power over sophistication, or the importance of bullet wounds to the careers of hip-hop artists such as 50 Cent. Faking It explodes the myth of what it means to be 'real' and 'fake' in pop music. From 30s blues singer Leadbelly to Moby's use of his singing over half a century later, the appropriation of black music by a predominantly white musical fanbase, Pop Idol, the fact that no one in Cuba listens to Buena Vista Social Club and to Kurt Cobain's suicide note and the fear it expressed of 'faking it'.
Hurston and Hughes, two giants of the Harlem Renaissance and American literature, were best friends-until they weren't.