Johnny Cash International
How and Why Fans Love the Man in Black
by Michael Hinds; Jonathan Silverman
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Pub Date Jun 01 2020 | Archive Date Jun 01 2020
University of Iowa Press | University Of Iowa Press
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Description
2023 Peggy O'Brien Book Prize, winner
Across all imaginable borders, Johnny Cash fans show the appeal of a thoroughly American performer who simultaneously inspires people worldwide. A young Norwegian shows off his Johnny Cash tattoo. A Canadian vlogger sings “I Walk the Line” to camel herders in Egypt’s White Desert. A shopkeeper in Northern Ireland plays Cash as his constant soundtrack. A Dutchwoman coordinates the activities of Cash fans worldwide and is subsequently offered the privilege of sleeping in Johnny’s bedroom. And on a more global scale, millions of people watch Cash’s videos online, then express themselves through commentary and debate.
In Johnny Cash International, Hinds and Silverman examine digital and real-world fan communities and the individuals who comprise them, profiling their relationships to Cash and each other. Studying Johnny Cash’s international fans and their love for the man reveals new insights about music, fandom, and the United States.
Advance Praise
“Johnny Cash International gives us a vibrant window into a fandom that is transnational and translocal, one that Silverman and Hinds beautifully analyze as a text just as they provide deeper contexts for the ongoing legacy of the Man in Black around the world. Their fascinating book shows how fans create community, whether digitally or in person, with their own exuberant creativity and meaning.”—Leigh H. Edwards, author, Johnny Cash and the Paradox of American Identity
“Where is Cashland? The answer: nearly everywhere. Michael Hinds and Jonathan Silverman survey Johnny Cash fandom from YouTube comments to tattoos, from pilgrimages in the American South to a classroom in Portugal. Blending documentary, ethnography, and fieldwork, the authors discover an international ‘signifier of sanity’ whose iconicity transcends race, class, geography, and politics. ‘Life and love go on, let the music play,’ the Man in Black once said. In this unique and insightful book, Hinds and Silverman discover just how far that music goes.”—Joe Bonomo, author, Field Recordings from the Inside: Essays
“In Johnny Cash International, Michael Hinds and Jonathan Silverman show how Johnny Cash fans, through their creative use of technology, formation of tribute bands, globetrotting tourism, and whatever the next thing coming might be, built international cultures through the sounds and images created of Johnny Cash.”—Barbara Ching, author, Wrong’s What I Do Best: Hard Country Music and Contemporary Culture
Available Editions
| EDITION | Other Format |
| ISBN | 9781609387013 |
| PRICE | $27.50 (USD) |
Available on NetGalley
Featured Reviews
Dee A, Reviewer
BUYER BEWARE: Your brain may be put to work when you read this book. 😊
The concept of this book is different than others that feature a well-known name in the title. While readers will learn about the iconic artist, the book’s focus is on the fans of Johnny Cash and the relationship each feels they have with the man and his music. Rather than focus on who Johnny Cash thought he was, as most books do when writing about a famous person, “Johnny Cash International” examines who he was when viewed through the eyes of other people. When you think about it, although we each have a personal knowledge of ourselves, it is that conglomeration of what other people think that truly fosters a public image.
The international reference in the book’s title reflects on the research of authors Hinds and Silverman. Both communicated with Cash fans from around the world, gathering intimate knowledge of their feelings and reactions to Johnny Cash and his music. The authors split these interviews and conversations into different chapters, separating the data into themes and thus making it easier to attain reader understanding. They first address the history of international fandom and then move on to spend a year examining the lives of Cash fans worldwide. I found myself jumping on websites to gain a closer look at the people mentioned as well as viewing performers on Youtube.
Heavily researched and detailed, this book ranges from interesting to just plain fun to read. A must for Cash fans as well as for those who are not sure what all the fuss is about. Five stars.
My thanks to NetGalley and University of Iowa Press for a complimentary electronic copy of this title.
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