An all-American band: Or, how Van Halen (double-hand) tapped into American mythology and iconography for success

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dc.contributor.authorHarrison, Justin
dc.date.accessioned2014-09-16T23:17:48Z
dc.date.available2014-09-16T23:17:48Z
dc.date.copyright2008en_US
dc.date.issued2014-09-16
dc.descriptionPresentation at 2008 Joint Popular Culture Association/American Culture Association annual conference.en_US
dc.description.abstractVan Halen’s image and sound during the rock band’s prime years 1978-1984 can be seen as cultural artefacts informing our understanding of American mythology and self-image. Illustrated by reference to key images, this paper argues that American iconography, themes, and mythology were consciously appropriated by the band in its self-promotion. Along the road to achieving prominence, Van Halen deliberately styled itself as an all-American band, leveraging prevalent notions and imagery of stardom, nostalgia, American archetypes, sports, and US history already embedded in the American psyche. By associating themselves with icons and iconography that resonated so deeply with the American public, the band was able to capitalize on the natural musical abilities of the Van Halen brothers by taking advantage of lead singer David Lee Roth’s natural showmanship and penchant for promotion to elevate themselves to the top of the music charts and sell out arenas throughout North America. This paper situates within an American context themes such as the circus spectacle, the rags-to-riches narrative, the rebel outlaw, sports stardom, cowboys, pioneering ingenuity, and 1950s nostalgia, and discusses how Van Halen successfully incorporated them into the construction of their band’s brand. The paper concludes with some thoughts concerning VH’s continuing impact and legacy.en_US
dc.description.reviewstatusUnrevieweden_US
dc.description.scholarlevelFacultyen_US
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/1828/5685
dc.language.isoenen_US
dc.rights.tempAttribution-ShareAlike 2.5 Canada*
dc.rights.urihttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5/ca/*
dc.subjectVan Halenen_US
dc.subjectRock Musicen_US
dc.subjectMedia Literacyen_US
dc.subject.departmentUniversity of Victoria Libraries
dc.titleAn all-American band: Or, how Van Halen (double-hand) tapped into American mythology and iconography for successen_US
dc.typePresentationen_US

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