Sound targets [electronic resource] : American soldiers and music in the Iraq war / Jonathan Pieslak.

ISBN:

9780253220875

9780253353238

9780253003003

Title:

Sound targets [electronic resource] : American soldiers and music in the Iraq war / Jonathan Pieslak.

Author:

Pieslak, Jonathan R.

Personal Author:

Pieslak, Jonathan R.

Publication Information:

Physical Description:

1 online resource (x, 226 pages) : illustrations, music

Contents:

Music and contemporary military recruiting -- Music as an inspiration for combat -- Looking at the opposing forces -- Music as a psychological tactic -- Music as a form of soldier expression -- Metal and rap ideologies in the Iraq War.

Local Note:

eBooks on EBSCOhost

Subject Term:

Iraq War, 2003-2011 -- Music and the war.

Popular music -- Social aspects.

Soldiers -- United States -- Social conditions.

Geographic Term:

United States.

Format:

Electronic Resources

Electronic Access:

Click here to view

Publication Date:

2009

Publication Information:

Available:*

Shelf Number	Material Type	Copy	Shelf Location	Status
956.704438 22	1:E-BOOK	1	1:ONLINE	Searching... Unknown

Bound With These Titles

On Order

Summary

Though a part of American soldiers' lives since the Revolutionary War, by World War II music could be broadcast to the front. Today it accompanies soldiers from the recruiting office to the battlefield. For this book, Jonathan Pieslak interviewed returning veterans to learn about the place of music in the Iraq War and in contemporary American military culture in general. Pieslak describes how American soldiers hear, share, use, and produce music both on and off duty. He studies the role of music from recruitment campaigns and basic training to its use "in country" before and during missions. Pieslak explores themes of power, chaos, violence, and survival in the metal and hip-hop music so popular among the troops, and offers insight into the daily lives of American soldiers in the Middle East.

Author Notes

Jonathan Pieslak is Associate Professor of Music at the City College of New York and Graduate Center, CUNY. His research interests include critical theory, rhythm in metal music, and music and war. He is also a composer and a recipient of a Goddard Lieberson Fellowship from the American Academy of Arts and Letters (2006).

Reviews (1)

Choice Review

Pieslak (City College and Graduate Center, CUNY) provides a nimble examination of the influence and life of music in the Iraq war. Using interviews from soldiers returning from Iraq, the author approaches the practice of music in war through numerous lenses. He looks at music both on the battlefield and off--for example, in recruitment, as inspiration for combat, as a means of expression for soldiers, and as a psychological tactic (one of the cases he looks at is use of songs from PBS's Barney and Friends in the interrogation room). He also discusses the use of music by opposing forces and its function under those circumstances. Pieslak concentrates on rap and metal--by far the most common musical forms for soldiers, as they deal with their violent day-to-day existence in Iraq--looking not only at the sonic qualities but also at ideological messages and structures. Summing Up: Recommended. All levels. M. J. Bartkowiak University of Wisconsin-Marshfield

Map of Iraq	p. xii
Introduction	p. 1
1 Music and Contemporary Military Recruiting	p. 16
2 Music as an Inspiration for Combat	p. 46
3 Looking at the Opposing Forces	p. 58
4 Music as a Psychological Tactic	p. 78
5 Music as a Form of Soldier Expression	p. 100
6 Metal and Rap Ideologies in the Iraq War	p. 135
Postscript	p. 185
Appendix 1 Soldier E-mail and Sample Questions from Soldier Interviews	p. 189
Glossary of Military Ranks	p. 191
Notes	p. 192
Bibliography	p. 209
Index	p. 216

Available:*

Bound With These Titles

On Order

Summary

Summary

Author Notes

Reviews (1)

Choice Review

Table of Contents