Peak music experiences: A new perspective on popular music, identity and scenes Author Green, Ben Published 2017-08 Thesis Type Thesis (PhD Doctorate) School School of Hum, Lang & Soc Sc DOI https://doi.org/10.25904/1912/3456 Copyright Statement The author owns the copyright in this thesis, unless stated otherwise. Downloaded from http://hdl.handle.net/10072/372598 Griffith Research Online https://research-repository.griffith.edu.au Peak music experiences: A new perspective on popular music, identity and scenes Ben Green Bachelor of Laws (Hons) School of Humanities Arts, Education and Law Group Griffith University Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy August 2017 Abstract Peak music experiences are those experiences involving music that stand out as especially affecting, meaningful and memorable for the individuals involved. They are a common topic in discussions of popular music, including in journalism, biography and fan culture, where they are often credited as pivotal in people’s relationships with music and their lives more generally. Examples of peak music experiences are apparent in some previous scholarly studies of popular music cultures, however, this is the first dedicated investigation of the phenomenon. By analysing this way of thinking and talking about music, this thesis contributes to understandings of how music’s meaning and effects are constructed, the role of musical experience in identity and sociality, and the discursive structuring of individual and collective experience in music scenes. The thesis draws on ethnographic research conducted in 2015 in the local music scene of Brisbane, Australia, including participant observation in activities of music consumption and production, reviews of secondary data sources including popular music media, and in-depth interviews. Interviews were conducted with 44 women and men between the ages of 23 and 58 who participated in Brisbane’s dance, hip hop, indie and rock ‘n’ roll music scenes. This research provides the basis for a grounded exploration of peak music experiences, as well as a contemporary ethnographic study of these scenes, demonstrating the methodological value of peak music experiences for music scene research. The findings are broadly divided into themes of identity and belonging. In the first part, peak music experiences are shown to be epiphanies through which self-narratives are constructed. This involves common tropes including first encounters, gateway experiences and conversion experiences, which offer discursive shape for the construction of identity through popular music and highlight common and divergent priorities between popular music cultures. In particular, these narratives enable and 2 encourage people to present their relationship to music as personal, authentic, and aligned with specific cultural values. It is common for music scene participants to credit peak music experiences with inspiration and influence on their musical activities as well as other aspects of their lives. Analysing these claims highlights the crucial importance of affect in people’s responses to music and therefore its social agency. This analysis also responds to the important but under-explored question of why some people grant music a central status in their lives, as musicians, fans and in other roles, investing considerable resources and organising their social lives around it. Peak music experiences provide motivation to sustain social commitments and activities, as embodied experiences, memories and sought-after ideals. The second part considers the role of peak music experiences in belonging and collective identity. At the micro-social level, peak music experiences can both reflect and inform relationships between family, friends and romantic partners. At a larger scale, the music scene participants interviewed attributed peak music experiences most often to live and collective music events, reflecting the status accorded to these in both popular culture and scholarly research. These specifically celebrated instances of live music reveal what people value most in that context and how this differs between groups. Most notably, live music enables the exploration and celebration of individual and collective identity, including uncommon expressions of the self, resulting in especially affecting, memorable and meaningful musical experiences. Thus peak music experiences help to account for the special status of live music. Finally, the role of peak music experiences in music scenes is considered. Individuals’ peak music experiences contribute to and are shaped by collective memory in the Brisbane dance, hip hop, indie and rock ‘n’ roll music scenes. This informs ongoing practices in the scenes, which are defined partly by the shared priorities and ideals that are apparent in and reproduced by the peak music experiences of participants. 3 Statement of Originality This work has not previously been submitted for a degree or diploma in any university. To the best of my knowledge and belief, the thesis contains no material previously published or written by another person except where due reference is made in the thesis itself. (Signed)_ ___ Ben Green Ethical clearance The research for this thesis was authorised by the Griffith University Ethics Committee under protocol number 2014/762. 4 Contents Abstract 2 Statement of Originality 4 Ethical clearance 4 Contents 5 Tables 8 Acknowledgements 9 PART I - INTRODUCTION Chapter 1 - Introducing peak music experiences 11 Defining peak music experiences 15 Scope and methods 20 Outline of chapters 25 Conclusion 29 Chapter 2 - Theoretical framework: Situating the study of peak music experiences 31 Defining ‘an experience’ 32 Experience in popular music studies 35 Mass culture and subcultures 35 Scenes and fan cultures 39 Technologies of the self 41 Sociological perspectives on experience 46 Epiphanies 46 Affective encounters 50 Peak and flow experiences 53 Conclusion 56 Chapter 3 - Studying peak music experiences: Research methodology 59 Contextualising experiences: Brisbane music scenes 59 An experienced researcher: Motives and insider status 61 Experience-near: An ethnographic and interpretive approach 63 The research process 69 Pilot study 69 In-depth interviews 69 Sampling and recruitment process 73 Participant observation 77 Review of secondary data sources 79 5 Data analysis and presentation 81 Limitations 83 PART II - IDENTITY Chapter 4 - Histories of listening: First encounters, gateways and conversion experiences 87 Common tropes 90 Theorising first encounters, gateway experiences and conversion experiences 95 First encounters: An experience of something new 99 Chance and expectations 101 Immediacy and growth 104 Gateway experiences: An experience of something more 105 An invitation 106 Passing through the gateway 108 Conversion experiences: An experience of change 109 Memorably different 110 The context of listening 111 Conclusion 113 Chapter 5 - Life-changing moments: Peak music experiences as inspiration and influence 115 The study of music’s effects 116 Peak music experiences as inspiration 122 Becoming a musician or a fan 124 Seeing, doing and feeling 129 The influence of peak music experiences 133 Influence on musical practice 133 Influence outside musical practice 135 Conclusion 140 Chapter 6 - Why music? Peak music experiences as motivation 143 Understanding investments in music 145 Findings: ‘Why I keep doing it’ 147 Self-awareness and connection 149 Therapy and addiction 151 Satisfaction and fulfilment 155 6 Success and vindication 158 Better than success 164 PART III - BELONGING Chapter 7 - Listening together: The role of peak music experiences in personal relationships 171 Popular music and relationships 172 Constructing and remembering family 176 Epiphanies about relationships 180 Sharing music experiences 184 Conclusion 190 Chapter 8 - Live music experiences: Presence and affective space 191 What is live music and why is it special? 193 Live music venues 198 Sound and physicality 201 Performance and presence 203 Identity and fandom 211 ‘Surrounded by people’: Crowds and collective affect 214 ‘In the moment’: Experiencing and expressing feelings with live music 222 Conclusion 226 Chapter 9 - Scenes and peak music experiences: Collective memories and aesthetics 228 Music scenes, collective memory and the ethic of the aesthetic 230 Brisbane scenes and styles 233 Scenes as peak music experiences 237 Dance 238 Hip hop 242 Indie 247 Rock ‘n’ Roll 253 Conclusion 258 PART IV - CONCLUSION Chapter 10 - Themes and conclusions 263 Music: why, what and how? 264 Affective sociality and reflexive individualisation 270 Collective memory and the scene aesthetic 273 Broader implications and further research 276 7 Scenes and everyday listening 276 Structure and experience 277 Valuing music 278 Conclusion 280 Appendix 1 281 Appendix 2 283 References 284 Tables Table 1: Interview participants 74 Table 2: Activities 75 8 Acknowledgements Thanks to my principal supervisor, Professor Andy Bennett, and my associate supervisor, Dr Christine Feldman-Barrett, for their critical engagement, practical mentorship and generous encouragement during my research and the writing of this thesis. Thanks again to Andy for welcoming me so warmly into the academic world and nurturing the idea that reaches fruition here. I thank the Griffith Centre for Social and Cultural Research and the Griffith University School of Humanities, Languages and Social Science for institutional support. My sincere thanks