Chuck Klosterman Rewrites Rock History: What If the Velvet Underground Ruled the World?
What if the Beatles became a cult band, the Velvet Underground ruled the world, and Led Zeppelin were admired by critics but never became arena-rock superstars? In his new book, Rock: A Mainstream Alternative History of Alternative Mainstream Music, Chuck Klosterman takes everything we think we know about popular music and rearranges it into an alternate reality. In this episode of Booked On Rock, Chuck Klosterman rewrites rock history and explores how timing, luck, critics, commercial success, and cultural consensus determine which artists become legends—and which ones disappear.
Klosterman also explains why KISS is his favorite band to think about, imagines T. Rex taking Led Zeppelin's place as a massive commercial force, turns Lenny Kravitz into rock's ultimate icon, and considers whether the greatness we hear in artists such as Van Halen and Jimi Hendrix exists independently of their reputations. It's a funny and thought-provoking discussion about the Beatles, Velvet Underground, Led Zeppelin, KISS, Van Halen, Bruce Springsteen and more—and about how differently we might hear the exact same music if history had told us a different story. Watch the full video interview above or listen to the complete audio episode of Booked On Rock below.
