Masarykova Univerzita Filozofická Fakulta Katedra
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Masarykova univerzita Filozofická fakulta Katedra anglistiky a amerikanistiky Bakalářská diplomová práce 2020 Anežka Schreibová Masaryk University Faculty of Arts Department of English and American Studies English Language and Literature Anežka Schreibová The Influence of the 1960s Counterculture on Bobby Darin's Artistic Transformation and Political Activism Bachelor's Diploma Thesis Supervisor: Jeffrey Alan Smith, M.A., Ph.D. 2020 / declare that I have worked on this thesis independently, using only the primary and secondary sources listed in the bibliography. Author's signature Acknowledgment I would like to thank my supervisor Dr. Jeff Smith for his guidance and valuable advice. I am also grateful to my family and friends for their patience and support. Table of Contents Introduction 1 1. Counterculture of the 1960s 4 2. Music as a Tool of Social Criticism 6 2.1. Protest Song 6 2.2. Music as a Means of Mobilization and Collective Action Framing 9 3. Early Darin 10 3.1. Bobby Darin: The Early Influences 10 3.2. Walden Robert Cassotto Becomes Bobby Darin 13 4. Bobby Darin Becomes Bob Darin: Darin's Protest Period 16 4.1. Personal Transformation 17 4.2. Professional Transformation 21 4.3. Analysis of Selected Songs (1968 - 1969) 25 4.3.1. "Jingle Jangle Jungle" 26 4.3.2. "The Proper Gander" 30 4.3.3. "Me & Mr. Hohner" 36 4.3.4. "Simple Song of Freedom" 41 5. Fake vs. Authentic: The Compromise 45 Conclusion 50 Appendix 53 Works Cited 58 Summary 64 Resume 66 Introduction The 1960s was a turbulent decade for the United States. It was an era of great historical events and changes that very much affected many levels of political, social and cultural life and many of which still resonate today. As a result of a deep disagreement with mainstream materialistic society, the counterculture emerged and quickly spread mainly to white, middle-class young people. Members of the counterculture used various social channels to convey their frustration with the older generation's conformist way of life, be it literary works, fashion, overall appearance or lifestyle. One of the most powerful means of expressions, however, was music. Music and musicians contributed to social mobilization, helped create collective identity and spread the message inside as well as outside the youth movement. The relationship was reciprocal. Not only did music play an important part in the form of expression of these people, but the counterculture itself had a fundamental and extensive influence on many, if not all, areas of popular culture. One of the artists whose varied career and personal life were heavily affected by the events and protest atmosphere of the 1960s was all-around performer Bobby Darin. The aim of this thesis is to trace and examine how and to what extent the counterculture was reflected in Darin's artistic shift, performance style and political activism. Cursed by ever-failing health, Darin was condemned to an untimely death, yet rocketed to stardom, was constantly changing shapes and covered all the show business bases he possibly could. As a successful, award-winning singer, actor, composer, musician, songwriter, bandleader, entertainer, record producer, publisher and businessman he also tried his hand at dancing, directing and screenwriting. In this thesis, however, the main focus is put on his music career. Darin's versatility made it impossible to classify him professionally, he defied categories and in his short life, he managed to redefine himself many times. Still, none of his transformations had 1 ever been so shocking and apparent both in his professional and personal life as the one following the assassination of his friend and idol Robert F. Kennedy in 1968. The theoretical part of this thesis starts with a brief insight into the key concepts of the counterculture and comments on the clash of two generations amidst a changing society. The next chapter puts a special focus on the music scene in general, and theory and power of protest songs in particular. As a non-violent form of opinion statement, music played a crucial role in the expression of disapproval with the values of mainstream society characterized by social conventions, materialism and discrimination. The next part of this thesis gives a comprehensive overview of Darin's participation not only in the music industry, but in show business as a whole. To be able to emphasize the contrast between his former and latter persona and workstyle, it is necessary to provide a broader context. Tracing key events in his life that have proven influential and shaped his way of thinking allows to gain a better understanding of the motives for Darin's career steps and his sudden change of mindset. The first subchapter of this section summarizes the most critical aspects of Darin's childhood, and looks for what formed him both as a person and an aspiring artist. The next subchapter observes Bobby Darin at the peak of his professional and personal life, focusing on all the branches of the "business of show" he covered. Attention is paid especially to his breakthrough and rise to stardom, his most notable achievements, performance style and portrayal in the media. The theoretical part is followed by a reflection on Bobby Darin's transformation from a teenage heartthrob to a top nightclub attraction to a folk/protest singer-songwriter and an avid social activist. It depicts his soul-searching journey accompanied by an abrupt and dramatic change of appearance, lifestyle and name, and looks for the way these changes further manifested themselves in Darin's work and activism. Since Darin's views are very much reflected in his own lyrics, the next subchapter comprises an in-depth analysis of 2 selected Darin songs, self-penned during his protest period between 1968 and 1969 and published predominantly by his own record label created specifically for this purpose. They were chosen for their clear emotional charge and the candid commentary on the tumultuous events of the 1960s they provide. Darin was confusing the public, one moment setting a Guinness World Record by driving the most expensive custom-made car in the world, the next insightfully attacking materialism and war. The analysis focuses not only on the social and political issues the singer tackles but also on topical connections to his personal life, lyrical controversy at the time of release and the overall structure, style and literary devices used to express discontent, rebellion and the need for change. Emphasis is also put on how the musical elements and album cover support the overall tone of the text, and how the songs and albums were received by critics. The last chapter concentrates on Darin's decision to take the middle way, allowing him to separate his political and social activism from his nightclub and TV appearances. Apart from looking into representative song lyrics, the author also makes use of biographies dealing with Bobby Darin's life and work, and of audiovisual recordings of his public performances. Books and articles on cultural and sociopolitical background of the time period concerned are also a relevant source of data, as well as newspaper and magazine articles, reviews, letters, photographs and interviews with the singer himself, his colleagues, friends and family. All these sources combined can provide a complex image of both the person and the performer and subsequently of the actual protest as it was intended by Darin, thus enabling to fully understand all motives and reasons for making the music he did. An in- depth analysis of protest songs can be valuable for both cultural and political studies, as they capture not only an artistic viewpoint but also authentic opinions of a representative of a particular subculture. 3 1. Counterculture of the 1960s The American counterculture of the 1960s was comprised predominantly of white, middle-class, well-off young people who, disillusioned with the American dream, condemned mainstream society for being conformist and uptight, and turned their backs on the traditional value system, social conventions and pursuit of material wealth as the ultimate goal. Goffman and Joy summarize counterculturalists as people who "represented a synthesis of the hippie movement - dedicated to mind-expanding drug experimentation and going with the flow, and the New Left/peace movement - dedicated to challenging authority, ending imperialism and war, and an ill-defined communalism" (26). Among the various groups that made up the 1960s counterculture, hippies and the New Left stood out the most. The New Left represented mainly political opposition to the dominant culture, while hippies exemplified more of a cultural opposition. Although their ideals and views intertwined and complemented each other in some ways, they were nonetheless distinct groups with different goals and different tactics to achieve them. In his book The Making of a Counter Culture, Theodore Roszak describes the relationship between hippies and New Leftists as one where hippies "seek to invent a cultural base for New Left politics" (66). Hippies felt alienated from mainstream materialist society, embraced the sexual revolution and new styles of clothing as a form of self-expression. They listened to psychedelic music and used psychedelic drugs to explore altered states of consciousness. In times of the Cold War, technocratic Establishment and environmental pollution, hippies wanted to create a society based on principles such as peace, harmony, love and equality. Flower children sought radical social change in the form of a return to nature, and mystical and intuitive kind of thinking that Western society had abandoned. Roszak goes on to characterize hippies as "young bohemians" who want "to discover new types of community, new family patterns, new sexual mores, new kinds of livelihood, new esthetic forms, new 4 personal identities on the far side of power politics, the bourgeois home, and the consumer society" (66).