Launch of Dan Graham’s Rock/Music Writings and screening of Rock my Religion

Saturday 26th September, 6.30 – 9pm
210 Unit 3 Cambridge Heath Road

Rock/Music Writings is the first English language collection devoted entirely to Dan Graham’s writings on music.

Having initially appeared in small journals like Extensions, magazines such as Fusion of REALLIFE, or the artist’s catalogues the publication titled Rock/Music Writings covers Graham’s most prolific period of writing on music and its relation to popular and visual culture: the late 60s to the late 80s. Most of these essays are out of print or available here for the first time in anthologized form.

While Dan Graham is known widely for visual art, he began writing about Rock n Roll in the late 60s and remains an active writer on music and popular culture, both of which remain major tenants of his work. In the late 70s, Graham became very influential to the now infamous New York no wave scene through his friendships with Glenn Branca, Lydia Lunch, and Kim Gordon, to name but a few. Through this influence, Graham became a touchstone for many musicians, and he was responsible for helping form and inspire many bands of that era, among them the Theoretical Girls (which he original named “Girls That Do Theory”) and Sonic Youth.

Graham gave back to this community with his seminal video and essay Rock My Religion, as well as New Wave Rock and the Feminine, and Punk as Propaganda. Other works on punk rock included in the book are The End of Liberalism, McLaren’s Children, Untitled, and Artist as Producer.

Primary Information publishes artists books, artists writings, out-of-print publications, editions and web resources.

Rock/Music Writings is available for £12.95 and is distributed by D.A.P. It contains 13 essays and 29 B&W images.

www.primaryinformation.org