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Breaking the Shell: Masculinity in Rock and Metal Music in America, 1990-1995

Garrett, Ryan D.
http://orcid.org/0009-0000-6873-0139
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1679494855216868

Abstract Details

2023, Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Ohio University, Interdisciplinary Arts (Fine Arts).
Breaking the Shell investigates entanglements between masculinity and musical genres that rose to popularity in America in the early 1990s. I explore how three different genre-defining bands expressed masculinity in three different ways. Nirvana’s founder Kurt Cobain—representing grunge—shaped his lyrics to be more personable, therefore affecting Generation X, in opposition to lyrics from 1980s metal bands that exhibited confidence, sexual fantasies, and political commentary. I suggest that Tool, a band that helped establish a genre known as alternative metal, diverted expectations of the gaze established by 1980s hair metal videos by refusing to show the band members in their videos. Finally, Korn established nu-metal, and by choosing to forgo the studio perfection of 1980s metal albums that showcased power, recorded a cathartic, visceral performance with the help of producer Ross Robinson that granted listeners the assumption of access into the authentic life of the band. I argue that the members of these influential bands not only challenged the popularity of mainstream rock and metal from the 1980s, but they also sought to redefine masculinity in relation to their predecessors of the 1980s.
Garrett Field (Advisor)
Andre Gribou (Committee Member)
Erin Shevaugn-Schlumpf (Committee Member)
Roger Braun (Committee Member)
196 p.
Music
rock; metal; masculinity; Nirvana; Tool; Korn; grunge; nu-metal; hair metal

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Garrett, R. D. (2023). Breaking the Shell: Masculinity in Rock and Metal Music in America, 1990-1995 [Doctoral dissertation, Ohio University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1679494855216868

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Garrett, Ryan. Breaking the Shell: Masculinity in Rock and Metal Music in America, 1990-1995. 2023. Ohio University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1679494855216868.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Garrett, Ryan. "Breaking the Shell: Masculinity in Rock and Metal Music in America, 1990-1995." Doctoral dissertation, Ohio University, 2023. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1679494855216868

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

ohiou1679494855216868
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© 2023, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by Ohio University and OhioLINK.