Episode Description
Hugh Hodges, originally from Sussex, is the Chair of Cultural Studies and Associate Professor of Cultural Studies and English at Trent University, Ontario. In the past he has written extensively on African and West Indian music and literature. His newest book, “The Fascist Groove Thing: A History of Thatcher’s Britain in 21 Mixtapes” is the late 1970s and ’80s as explained through the urgent and still-relevant songs of the Clash, the Specials, the Au Pairs, the Style Council, the Pet Shop Boys, and nearly four hundred other bands and solo artists. Each chapter presents a mixtape (or playlist) of songs related to an alarming feature of Thatcher’s Britain, followed by an analysis of the dialogue these artists created with the Thatcherite vision of British society. It’s a furious and sardonic account of dark times when pop music raised a dissenting fist against Thatcher’s fascist groove thing and made a glorious, boredom-smashing noise.
Here he gives an insightful and in-depth interview on Corner of Hunter and George, the arts and culture podcast of Peterborough, Ontario, Canada.
