Böcker av Bob Batchelor

“Smart, engaging...”—PopMatters“Fascinating, informative, extraordinary, and essential reading for the legions of Jim Morrison fans.”—Midwest Book ReviewShrouded in mystery and the swirling psychedelic sounds of the Sixties, the Doors have captivated listeners across seven decades. Jim Morrison—haunted, beautiful, and ultimately doomed—transformed from rock god to American icon. With each successive generation of fans, the Doors become more popular and transcendent. Yet the band’s full significance is buried beneath layers of mythology and folklore.In Roadhouse Blues, Bob Batchelor presents an epic tale of one of rock’s (and America’s) most significant periods, as the Age of Aquarius gave way to a new age of mayhem, presidential misdeeds, and murder. Batchelor combines cultural history, musical and lyrical analysis, and a broad stroke of pop-culture mythos to give fresh perspective on a pivotal time.Candid, authoritative, and utterly absorbing, Roadhouse Blues is a biography of a man, a band, and an era that set the tone for the contemporary world. Beyond the mythology, the hype, and the mystique around Morrison’s untimely death, this book takes readers on a roller-coaster ride, examining the impact the band had on America as the nation veered from decadence to debauchery.“We’re gonna have a real good time!”

This first true biography of Stan Lee is an eye-opening look at a pop culture visionary. This book traces Lee's life-from his Depression-era childhood to his years as a teen editor and ultimately to his triumphs as the genius behind some of the most beloved characters in pop culture history, including Spider-Man, Iron Man, Hulk, and Thor.

On the 100th anniversary of The Volstead Act comes the deeply researched, epic, definitive story of George Remus, the man who cracked the Prohibition system, turned it on its ear, became one of the world's richest criminal masterminds, and inspired THE GREAT GATSBY.

This book examines the essence of Updike's writing, propelling our understanding of his award-winning fiction, prose, and poetry.Widely considered "America's Man of Letters," John Updike is a prolific novelist and critic with an unprecedented range of work across more than 50 years.

Bob Dylan transcends music. He has established himself as one of the most important figures in entertainment history. This biography examines the life and work of the iconic artist, including his groundbreaking achievements of the last two decades.

One of the bestselling novels of all time, The Great Gatsby is also considered one of the most significant achievements in twentieth-century fiction. In Gatsby: The Cultural History of the Great American Novel, Bob Batchelor explores the birth, life, and enduring influence of The Great Gatsby

Welcome to Pop Culture 2.0. In the 2000s, Generation eXposure, emerged from the marriage of new technology and the nation's obsession with celebrity. Social media technology, such as MySpace, YouTube, Facebook, and countless blogs, gave everyman a voice and a public persona that they could share with friends across the street or around the world. Suddenly, it was not enough to imitate Britney Spears or Paris Hilton, technology gave everyone a platform to launch their own 15 minutes of fame. The fixation on self and celebrity acted as a diversion from more serious challenges the nation faced, including President George W. Bush's War on Terror. The wars overseas sharply divided the country, after a moment of national unity after the terrorist attacks on 9/11, which took away one of the world's most recognizable buildings. The era witnessed interest rates dropping to historic lows, but later subprime became one of the most searched terms on Google as the nation teetered on recession. Big was in like never before and suddenly people nationwide could buy or build their own McMansion-a slice of the American dream. While supersized homes and fast food meals became commonplace, the electronics and transportation advances proved that good things came in increasingly smaller packages. Apple's iPod reinvented how people interacted with music, hybrids changed thoughts on fuel efficiency as a gallon of gas topped $3. Cell phones usage ballooned in our always on society, while physically shrinking to the size of a deck of cards. Yes, me-centric Pop Culture 2.0, which the pundits predicted would some day arrive, burst onto the scene and ultimately transformed the way we interact with one another and the world around us.Chapters inside the latest volume in the American Popular Culture Through History series explore various aspects of popular culture, including advertising, literature, leisure activities, music visual arts, and travel. Supplemental resources include a timeline of important events, cost comparisons, and an extensive bibliography for further reading.

The years 1900-1910 have been thought of as the "quiet decade", but as this examination of the culture of the decade shows, they were anything but quiet. Spurred on by President Roosevelt and the explosive population growth, the decade wrought cultural and technological changes in American life.

Popular culture is defined as the culture of the people, and this volume examines the entertainments, diversions, icons, and rituals that show how American attitudes, behavior, beliefs, customs, and tastes have changed from decade to decade and from era to era. It also helps you learn how elements of popular culture changed the American people.