The Psychic Soviet [Paperback]

Ian Svenonius (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 24, 2006

An anthology of both new and previously published essays and articles from one of the mainstays of the Washington, DC underground rock-and-roll scene, The Psychic Soviet is the most complete collection of writings by Ian Svenonius. The selections are written in a scholarly yet engaging style, filled with parody and biting humor that subvert capitalist culture, and cover such topics as the ascent of the DJ as a star, the “cosmic depression” that followed the defeat of the USSR, and the status of rock and roll as a religion. The pocket-sized book is bound with a durable bright-pink plastic cover, recalling the aesthetics of Mao’s The Little Red Book, and perfect for carrying into the fray of street battle, classroom, or lunch counter argument.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“The pocket-sized book—given Svenonius's communism infatuation, the parallel to Mao's Little Red Book is no mistake—contains well-thought out arguments on a variety of subjects from vampires to the origins of punk rock. It's often funny, but never in a self-consciously ironic way.”  —The Washington Post

“In a sense the book is Mr. Svenonius's love letter to the good old days of do-it-yourself punk concerts, though it's cleverly disguised as a series of Marxian essays.”  —New York Times

“Ian Svenonius has come a long way since Sassy Magazine first dubbed him the "Sassiest Boy in America" in 1991. The D.C. singer has never been anything less than political to the extreme.”  —The Village Voice

About the Author

Ian Svenonius has been lead singer of the bands Make Up, the Nation of Ulysses, Weird War, and Chain and the Gang, appearing on more than 15 albums. He is also a filmmaker, DJ, and host of Soft Focus on VBS.tv. He lives in Washington, DC.

Product Details

• Paperback: 270 pages
• Publisher: Drag City; 1 edition (July 24, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0965618390
• ISBN-13: 978-0965618397
• Product Dimensions: 5 x 3.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #221,159 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Urgent Read For Any And All Others, October 10, 2006

By 

plasto-electric-symphony "Trained Listener" (Kalamazoo, MI) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Psychic Soviet (Paperback)

The Psychic Soviet is the first book about art--and rock 'n' roll in particular--that challenges the typical, tiresome narrative of triumphalism and self-congratulation that surround the usual, often idiotic, discussions of the culture's officially elected art-expressions.

It consists of nineteen essays. The title essay ("The Psychic Soviet") sets the stage for the ones that follow and is the most provocative perhaps. Addressing the fall of the USSR as a major world power, the author sets up the Cold War face-off as a latent expression of gender conflict and misogyny in a kind of planetary divorce feud. It claims that the CIA's victory in that "war" has resulted in the dangerous, imbalanced state of things now and the "cosmic depression" of a world gone mad. After that rhe chapters careen from subject to subject, explaining this and that phenomena. Of special interest are the chapters exploring vampirism's rarely discussed racial dimensions and the (possibly) exploitative cultural significance of consuming coffee, vodka and other beverages.

Another chapter suggests that rock 'n' roll was exploded into paradigmatic status by the ruling class as a proxy religion, replacing Christianity in order to enforce consumerism. The case made for this new "religion"--rock n roll -- aping its predecessor/competitor is unsettling. Some of these essays have been published previously; the chapter about DJs as stock brokers--called 'Mix-Master Race'--I'd read before in another publication. Still, it fits in this collection perfectly.

The binding struck me as very nice; no simple glue job. It also has a durable plastic cover that seems weatherproof and is embossed.

In case the user is confused, the book comes with instructions on how to use it, and who to share/not to share it with.

The last essay is what seems to be a tone-poem of some sort and ends with a blank space for a personal inscription. That is nice in case one wants to present it as a gift.

The book is by Ian Svenonius of the Drag City group 'Weird War.'

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars rock stars are funny, December 1, 2006

By 

Mary Kosut (Brooklyn, NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Psychic Soviet (Paperback)

Vampirism, vodka and dialectical materialism are stimulating topics, but this set of essays reads like a half-baked dissertation written by a precocious over-medicated narcissist. Often verbose and incomprehensible--I highly recommend it. Notwithstanding, Mr. Svenonius' greatest work is executed on stage or in the format of an astrology column.

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A clever book for sexy rock nerds, November 4, 2006

By 

Captain McGlue (Hollywood, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Psychic Soviet (Paperback)

Yes, it can be read as a tract. But it's also high postmodernist satire with witty, well-informed writing about two subjects often taken far too seriously: politics and rock music. For instance, the essay on punk rock's origins in gay culture is dead on and very funny, refuting common myths about appropriation but also confronting the toxic effects of "popularity" on outsider music and outsider art -- without being boring.

Some of this reads like Chomsky if he had a sense of humor, and some of it so heavily ironic that it crosses over into profound truth, much as a karate black belt eventually fades into white. Of course, sometimes it's a short jump from Trotskyite to neoconservative (e.g. Christopher Hitchens), but Ian is his own construct, operating in a unique mental arena. There's a real purity of thought here that stays true to itself.

This is fun reading. Buy this book.