The year history died

Crazy things happened in 1989: the fall of the Berlin Wall, the Cold War ended, I started eating playground dirt in kindergarten. Amid these historical transformations—yes, kindergarten is part of that category—pop music experienced its own changes. UC Davis associate professor of English Joshua Clover discusses the connection of pop music to those historic events in his latest book, 1989: Bob Dylan Didn’t Have This to Sing About. He uses a variety of artists, including Public Enemy, Nine Inch Nails, Nirvana, U2 and Madonna, to examine how pop music emerged from the craziness of that year—or because of the craziness. It’s less of a historical account and more of a breakdown of pop culture and political upheavals during a year many thought was “the end of history.” The presentation will be followed by a Q-and-A session and a book signing.