Greil Marcus's Mythic Reading of American Popular Music

Christophe Kihm's review examines Greil Marcus's books "Mystery Train" (1975) and "The Invisible Republic" (1996), recently published in French by Allia and Denoël respectively. Marcus, a journalist turned academic, positions himself as a pioneer in providing serious critical literature for American popular music pioneers like Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan, Robert Johnson, and Sly Stone. Kihm critiques Marcus's method, which blends romantic nationalism and myth-making, treating musicians as embodiments of American destiny. Marcus argues that America is a land of myth rather than history, and that popular musicians are vectors of legend. Kihm finds Marcus's approach archaic and naïve, laden with Christian resonances and a cult of genius. He contrasts Marcus with more rigorous models like Paul Gilroy's work on black culture and Robert Palmer's on blues, which remain untranslated in French. The review highlights Marcus's tendency to elevate popular culture through a romantic lens, conflating historical and theological principles.