We explore how the singer Morrissey has represented the struggles of the proletariat in creative and provocative ways, inviting a deep textual reading that reveals a complex counter-hegemonic stance on the issue of social class. A champion of the âOtherâ in a variety of guises, Morrissey is revealed in this article as a raconteur of the marginalized working class. We illustrate this through a detailed semiotic, musical and contextual reading of one particular song; âInteresting Drugâ. We reveal tensions in Morrissey's representations of the proletariat. Specifically, Morrissey's romantic, nostalgia-laden, oversimplification of the working-class hero of an earlier era seems some distance from the ârealâ proletariat struggle for representation in the places that count. However, in providing both collective places and intimate spaces in which to reflect, his music becomes counter-hegemonic as he hands power back to the individual to make the music meaningful in whatever way he or she wishes.View full textDownload full textKeywordsMorrissey, neo-liberalism, personal responsibility, class stigmatisation, counter-hegemonic discoursesRelated var addthis_config = { ui_cobrand: "Taylor & Francis Online", services_compact: "citeulike,netvibes,twitter,technorati,delicious,linkedin,facebook,stumbleupon,digg,google,more", pubid: "ra-4dff56cd6bb1830b" }; Add to shortlist Link Permalink http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/17405904.2012.713207
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