The book explores the establishment and operations of Interdoc, a multinational initiative formed in 1963 by Western intelligence agencies to combat communism. It delves into the campaign's strategies, the individuals involved, and the ideological foundations that fueled this network. Through exclusive sources and firsthand accounts, it provides an in-depth look at the rise and eventual decline of Interdoc during the Cold War, highlighting its significance in the geopolitical landscape of the era.
Focusing on a pivotal moment in the cultural Cold War, the book explores the establishment of the Congress for Cultural Freedom. It integrates archival research with cultural history and Gramscian political economy theory, offering a comprehensive analysis of the interplay between culture and politics during this era. Through this lens, the study reveals how cultural initiatives were used as tools in the ideological struggle of the Cold War.
'In the Spring of 1989, shortly after my twenty-seventh birthday, as I stood in the sleet at a bus stop in Colchester, it dawned on me that I had probably, all things considered, failed in my mission to become Sting. At least, for the time being.' Lost in Music is about growing up with pop music - about hearing it, buying it, loving it, and attempting to play it in public for money. A brilliant combination of the confessional and the unapologetic, this is a book for anyone who has ever treasured vinyl, or sung into a roll-on deodorant in front of the bedroom mirror and dreamed of playing Wembley. Praise for Lost in Music 'Very, very funny . . . Giles Smith is a wonderful writer' Nick Hornby 'A wonderfully funny pop-music memoir . . . You don't have to know who Nik Kershaw is to laugh out loud at the chapter about him' Sebastian Faulks, Spectator 'One of the best books about music that you will ever read . . . It is impossible to read Lost in Music without laughing out loud' Daily Telegraph
On the fiftieth anniversary of Waterloo the song, not the battle - one super-
fan sits down to listen to the ABBA Gold album from start to finish, and looks
back over the half-century he has spent in the company of ABBA's music, and
attempting to unlock the secrets of its hold on him, and on all of us.
