The Endless Refrain

A Los Angeles Times “Most Anticipated Books” for Fall 2024

“David Rowell is the kind of music fan who scares us musicians. He really gets it, maybe even more than we do.” —Stewart Copeland, the Police

”… impassioned manifesto… Readers will be captivated by Rowell’s fine-grained music criticism and sharp analysis of the culture industry, rendered in evocative prose…The result is a provocative and entertaining critique of the music industry.” —Publishers Weekly

“Combining personal memoir and cultural critique, former Washington Post Magazine editor Rowell plays provocateur, arguing that the creation and sale of new music have been stymied by audiences who only want familiar tunes that spark nostalgic memories. It’s either three chords and the truth or a book readers will argue with from its opening notes.” —Los Angeles Times

”[The Endless Refrain] takes readers on a rollicking tour to show how a potent mixture of nostalgia, industry greed and the rise of streaming has shaped how we interact with music, with serious consequences for artists and fans alike.” —Washington Post

“A musical road trip with that friend who knows just about everything and has control of the radio. David Rowell’s deep knowledge of music—and sense of humor—make you feel at least some hope that somebody’s still listening. If Rowell didn’t write with such energy and humor, you might forget how depressing it is that that so many choose Bananarama over Beyoncé. And who else would call up McDonald’s management to find out why they pump endless ’80s songs into his local chain? David Rowell is the cultural anthropologist we need in a society that is forgetting how to listen.”
—Geoff Edgers, author of Walk This Way: Run-DMC, Aerosmith, and the Song that Changed American Music Forever.

“David Rowell’s quest to examine the relationship that some Americans have with popular music today lands him in a kind of cultural funhouse, in which tribute bands are more successful than original artists; middling songs from the MTV era have become evergreen; ‘hologram’ tours put dead rockers back on stage; and fans cop to not really wanting any new music. A wild ride indeed, fueled by deft reporting, genuine curiosity, and Rowell’s irrepressible belief in the power of music to transform our lives.” —Howard Fishman, author of To Anyone Who Ever Asks: The Life, Music, and Mystery of Connie Converse

David Rowell grew up in North Carolina and graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. For nearly 25 years, he was an editor at The Washington Post Magazine and has taught literary journalism in the MFA department at American University. He is currently a senior editor at the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists.

His previous books include the novel The Train of Small Mercies, and Wherever the Sound Takes You: Heroics and Heartbreak in Music Making. He lives just outside of Chapel Hill.

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