Sex, Rock & History

Rock’n’roll mirrors society’s changing attitudes about sex. The women who fainted at the concerts of Little Richard, Elvis Presley’s provocative (for their time) pelvic thrusts, Sid and Nancy Vicious embodying the self-destructive nihilism of punk-rock with their troubled relationship, and the influential Riot Grrrl movement transformed sexual mores. Historian Edward Shorter (author of the acclaimed Written on the Flesh: A History of Desire) explores the connection between sex and the musical genre that defined 20th century culture in this funny, illuminating short account.