French Frenzies: A Social History of Pop Music in France Book

"French Frenzies" is a lively history of French popular music that responds to a real need: how to understand the cultural differences between France and the English speaking countries of Britain and North America? The book is unique in showing how French forms of cultural expression are rooted in social and political tensions that, although shared by other countries, are not generally commented upon in songs with the same degree of clarity. In France, the persistence of strong literary and political traditions continues to nurture an exceptional current of criticism in songs and musical expression.

About the Author:
Larry Portis was born in the USA, in Bremerton, Washington. He grew up in Seattle (Washington) and Billings (Montana). Having emigrated to France in 1977, he is currently Professor of American Studies at the University of Montpellier, France. He has doctorates from Northern Illinois University and the University of Paris, and previously held teaching positions at the American University of Paris, the University of Paris (Jussieu), and the University of Clermont-Ferrand.

He has published widely in the fields of European and US history and in sociology. His books include Georges Sorel (1980), Georges Sorel, présentation et textes choisis (1982), IWW et syndicalisme révolutionnaire aux Etats-Unis (1985), Les Classes sociales en France. Un débat inachèvé (1789-1989) (1988), La Main de fer en Palestine. Histoire et actualité de la lutte dans les territoires occupés (1992), Dictionnaire Black (1995), La politique étrangère des tats-Unis depuis 1945. De la Guerre Mondiale à mondialisation (2000).