Jesse Jarnow

Since the eighteenth century, socialism has evolved alongside increasingly industrial societies in which workers and the government keep the wealthy few from exploiting the masses. Socialism has been shaped by Communism and Democracy both, and has undergone changes in the twentieth century alongside the turmoil of World Wars and the Cold War. The birth of Socialism is examined as well as major figures in its development and practice in government and labor unions. This comprehensive volume intersperses historical context with photographs, artwork, publications and more to help readers comprehend this important and evolving movement.

Set against the current climate of political unrest gripping the nation and the world, Jesse Jarnow's Wasn't That a Time sheds new light on the contributions of folk group the Weavers to the battle against the blacklist efforts of the '50s and '60s as well as their invaluable additions to popular American music. Although it most noticeably affected the pop culture icons of Hollywood, the McCarthy era blacklists infiltrated the folk scene, as well, even forcing the Weavers to break up for a time once they could no longer find work. But this ostracizing by the government led to the group galvanizing their efforts and returning with a fury. Now often reduced to the concept of "protest music," the songs that the Weavers championed aimed to be a more systemic critique of culture through parable and community-building, tools more powerful than any finger-pointing lyrics could ever be. A half-century later, the language, policies, and fears of the blacklist era are seeping back into public discourse, making this reexamination of an era of oft-forgotten cultural change even more crucial. Author Jesse Jarnow uses his skill for weaving together seemingly disparate strands of counterculture history to craft an exciting rethink of the Weavers' role in American popular music and to examine the strong link shared between art and activism. With tightly paced plot lines, crisp historical details, and a fact-rich background, Wasn't That a Time paints the Weavers as the modern American heroes they are, pioneers in the still-raging battles for Civil Rights, class equality, freedom of expression, and the very makings of popular music.

Heads: A Biography of Psychedelic America uncovers a hidden history of the biggest psychedelic distribution and belief system the world has ever known. Through a collection of fast-paced interlocking narratives, it animates the tale of an alternate America and its wide-eyed citizens: the LSD-slinging graffiti writers of Central Park, the Dead-loving AI scientists of Stanford, utopian Whole Earth homesteaders, black market chemists, government-wanted Anonymous hackers, rogue explorers, East Village bluegrass pickers, spiritual seekers, Internet pioneers, entrepreneurs, pranksters, pioneering DJs, and a nation of Deadheads. WFMU DJ and veteran music writer Jesse Jarnow draws on extensive new firsthand accounts from many never-before-interviewed subjects and a wealth of deep archival research to create a comic-book-colored and panoramic American landscape, taking readers for a guided tour of the hippie highway filled with lit-up explorers, peak trips, big busts, and scenic vistas, from Vermont to the Pacific Northwest, from the old world head capitals of San Francisco and New York to the geodesic dome-dotted valleys of Colorado and New Mexico. And with the psychedelic research moving into the mainstream for the first time in decades, Heads also recounts the story of the quiet entheogenic revolution that for years has been brewing resiliently in the Dead's Technicolor shadow. Featuring over four dozen images, many never before seen--including pop artist Keith Haring's first publicly sold work--Heads weaves one of the 20th and 21st centuries' most misunderstood subcultures into the fabric of the nation's history. Written for anyone who wondered what happened to the heads after the Acid Tests, through the '70s, during the Drug War, and on to the psychedelic present, Heads collects the essential history of how LSD, Deadheads, tie-dye, and the occasional bad trip have become familiar features of the American experience.

The first biography of Yo La Tengo, the massively influential band who all but defined indie music. Yo La Tengo has lit up the indie scene for three decades, part of an underground revolution that defied corporate music conglomerates, eschewed pop radio, and found a third way. Going behind the scenes of one of the most remarkable eras in American music history, Big Day Coming traces the patient rise of husband-and-wife team Ira Kaplan and Georgia Hubley, who--over three decades--helped forge a spandex-and-hairspray-free path to the global stage, selling millions of records along the way and influencing countless bands. Using the continuously vital Yo La Tengo as a springboard, Big Day Coming uncovers the history of the legendary clubs, bands, zines, labels, record stores, college radio stations, fans, and pivotal figures that built the infrastructure of the now-prevalent indie rock world. Journalist and freeform radio DJ Jesse Jarnow draws on all-access interviews and archives for mesmerizing trip through contemporary music history told through one of its most creative and singular acts.

Groundbreaking Developments in American Communications