Description
Rock My Religion is a provocative thesis on the relation between religion and rock music in contemporary culture. Graham formulates a history that begins with the Shakers, an early religious community who practiced self-denial and ecstatic trance dances. With the "reeling and rocking" of religious revivals as his point of departure, Graham analyzes the emergence of rock music as religion with the teenage consumer in the isolated suburban milieu of the 1950s, locating rock's sexual and ideological context in post-World War II America. The music and philosophies of Patti Smith, who made explicit the trope that rock is religion, are his focus. This complex collage of text, film footage and performance forms a compelling theoretical essay on the ideological codes and historical contexts that inform the cultural phenomenon of rock 'n' roll music.
Major Funding: Modern Museet, Stockholm, Sweden. Other Funding: NYSCA, CAPS Grant, Women's Interart Center, New York. Rough Editing: Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, Halifax, Nova Scotia; Young Filmmakers, New York. Post-Production: Electronic Arts Intermix, New York City; Charles Street Video, Toronto, Canada; Number Seventeen Video Facility, New York City. Sound: Wharton Tiers, Ian Murray. Editors: Matt Danowski, Derek Graham, Ian Murray, Tony Oursler. Music composed for "Rock My Religion": Glenn Branca, "Theme for a Drive Through Suburbia"; Sonic Youth, "Shaking Hell" & "Brother James. Narrators: Johanna Cypis, Dan Graham. Special Effects: Ian Murray. Audio Editing: Ian Murray. Editing Assistance: Tony Oursler. Important Ideas: Kim Gordon, Kirstin Lovejoy, Thurston Moore. Special Thanks: Ian Murray. Co-Production: Dan Graham and the Moderna Museet, 1983-84.
Exhibition & Distribution Conditions
In exhibition, this title should be projected in an enclosed gallery, with excellent stereo sound. For further information, please contact the EAI office.
