"The EMP papers are a text radio, spilling out evidence of so many strange brilliant forays into the starry night of our common culture. Here's where my American history--and yours--goes to find itself."--Jonathan Lethem, author of "You Don't Love Me Yet"

Introduction / Eric Wesibard 11. Whittling on Dynamite: The Difference Bert Williams Makes / W.T. Lhamon, Jr. 72. Searching for the Blues: James McKune, Collectors, and a Different Crossroads / Marybeth Hamilton 263. Abie the Fishman: On Masks, Birthmarks, and Hunchbacks / Josh Kun 504. The Kingsmen and the Cha-Cha-Cha / Ned Sublette 695. Ghoulardi: Lessons in Mayhem from the First Age of Punk / David Thomas 956. Magic Moments, the Ghost of Folk-Rock, and the Ring of E Major / David Brackett 1037. Mystery Girl: The Forgotten Artistry of Bobbie Gentry / Holly George-Warren 1208. “Is That All There Is?” and the Uses of Disenchantment / Franklin Bruno 1379. Ghetto Brother Power: The Bronx Gangs, the Beatles, the Aguinaldo, and Pre-history of Hip-Hop / Benjamin Melendez, as told to Henry Chalfant and Jeff Chang 15010. Grand Funk Live! Staging Rock in the Age of the Arena / Steve Waksman 15711. The Sound of Velvet Melting: The Power of “Vibe” in the Music of Roberta Flack / Jason King 17212. All Roads Lead to “Apache” / Michaelangelo Matos 20013. On Punk Rock and Not Being a Girl / Lavinia Greenlaw 21014. The Buddy Holocaust Story: A Necromusicology / Eric Weisbard 21915. ORCH5, or the Classical Ghost in the Hip-Hop Machine / Robert Fink 23116. White Chocolate Soul: Teena Marie and Lewis Taylor / Marc Anthony Neal 25617. Dancing, Democracy, and Kitsch: Poland’s Disco Polo / Daphne Carr 27218. How to Act Like Darby Crash / Drew Daniel 28619. Death Letters / Greil Marcus 296Acknowledgments 307Contributors 309Index 313