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Greil MarcusAmerican writer, music journalist and critic, cultural critic
Date of Birth: 19.06.1945
Country:  USA |
Content:
Biography of Greil Marcus
Greil Marcus is an American writer, music journalist, and critic who is known for his research and literary essays that examine rock music in a much broader cultural and political context than is customary in popular music journalism.
Early Life
Greil Marcus was born on June 19, 1945, in San Francisco, California. His father, Greil Gerstley, was a 24-year-old assistant captain who died before his birth. On December 18, 1944, his father's destroyer, the USS Hull (DD-350), sank during a typhoon near Luzon Island in the Philippines. In 1948, his mother remarried, and Greil was raised under the surname of his adoptive father. He has very few childhood memories of his biological father, although he did visit his father's family and learned about the detailed history of his father's death, which was a profound shock to him.
Educational Background
Greil Marcus attended the University of California, Berkeley, where he earned a bachelor's degree in American Studies and later a degree in Political Science. During his time in Berkeley, he became a critic and reviewer for the music magazine Rolling Stone, where he eventually became the first reviews editor, earning $30 a week. He also wrote for other publications, including Creem, The Village Voice, and Artforum. From 1983 to 1989, Marcus served on the board of directors for the National Book Critics Circle.
Notable Works
One of Marcus's most renowned works is "Mystery Train," published in 1975. This book stands out from other similar works as it puts rock and roll into the context of American cultural archetypes, ranging from "Moby-Dick" and "The Great Gatsby" to Lee "Stagger" Shelton. Marcus's ability to recognize the existing elements in the American imagination inspired many other authors to create countless books on rock-themed topics. In August 2011, Time magazine included "Mystery Train" in its list of the 100 best non-fiction books since the magazine's inception in 1923. It was one of only five books on the list related to culture, and the only one dedicated to American music.
Marcus's next book, "Lipstick Traces: A Secret History of the 20th Century," published in 1989, takes a trans-historical approach to exploring a century of Western civilization. Viewing punk rock as a trans-historical cultural phenomenon, Marcus examines the philosophical connections between entities as diverse as medieval heretics, Dadaism, Situationists, and the Sex Pistols. In 1991, he released "Dead Elvis," a collection of works on Elvis Presley's influence on American culture, arguing that the negative image of Elvis emerged only after his death. In 1993, he published "Ranters and Crowd Pleasers," later reissued as "In the Fascist Bathroom: Punk in Pop Music," an exploration of punk's influence on post-punk musical movements. In 1997, using Bob Dylan's old underground recordings as a starting point, Marcus dissected American subconsciousness in "Invisible Republic: Bob Dylan's Basement Tapes."
Current Work
Greil Marcus continues to write a column called "Elephant Dancing" for Interview magazine and "Real Life Rock Top Ten" for The Believer. He occasionally teaches American Studies at his alma mater and at the New School University, where he offers a course titled "The Old Weird America: Music as Democratic Speech – from the Commonplace Song to Bob Dylan." In March 2010, his book "When That Rough God Goes Riding: Listening to Van Morrison" was released, followed by "Bob Dylan by Greil Marcus: Writings 1968–2010" and "The Doors: A Lifetime of Listening to Five Mean Years" in 2011.
