Joseph Lanza

TOPIC-
Phallic Frenzy: Ken Russell and His Films (Cappella Books)

Joseph Lanza, who writes mostly about film and popular music, is perhaps best known for his pioneering and critically acclaimed book ELEVATOR MUSIC: A SURREAL HISTORY OF MUZAK, EASY-LISTENING, AND OTHER MOODSONG. “Snobby musicologists ignore this fascinating topic,” composer Wendy Carlos said, “but I learned a lot while being well entertained by Lanza’s delightful book.” He later savored the mystical delights of vanilla milkshakes and the dulcet pop songs they connote with VANILLA POP: SWEET SOUNDS FROM FRANKIE AVALON TO ABBA. Blender, an indie-rock magazine, noted that Lanza writes about such recording artists as The Lettermen, Claudine Longet, and The Carpenters with “contagious enthusiasm.” His latest book is the biographical thriller PHALLIC FRENZY: KEN RUSSELL AND HIS FILMS. Ken Russell himself lauded it in the London Times, observing that “Lanza has managed to disguise his masterful research as a near-neo novel with gothic and surreal overtones. I applaud the man, having done the same with my own biographies on composers.” Recently, Mr. Lanza told the following to Contemporary Authors: “On the surface, my subjects might seem quite eclectic, but all of my books are about a secular search for a creative spirit, whether it be through sweet music, rollercoasters, or obsessive cinema.”
Date Recorded:9/21/2013

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