Sex, drugs, Satan and rock and roll: re-thinking dark leisure, from theoretical framework to an exploration of pop-rock-metal music norms

ABSTRACT

In modern leisure spaces, nothing typifies dark leisure as a normative rule better than the supposed alternative, counter-cultural space of pop-rock-metal music. In the first half of this paper, I explore dark leisure theory: first, through an analysis of Rojek’s framework for abnormal leisure; then through and exploration of modifications to dark leisure theory in and from leisure studies and cultural studies. I show that the concept remains sadly neglected in both subject fields. Then in the second half of the paper, I construct a new theory of dark leisure for our times, out of a case study of the norms and values associated with the idea of the alternative in pop-rock-metal music. After this mapping of dark leisure through pop-rock-metal music I set out the challenge for leisure studies to embrace the dark side.

KEYWORDS:

• Sex
• drugs
• Satan
• pop-rock-metal music
• dark leisure

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes on contributor

Karl Spracklen is a Professor of Music, Leisure and Culture at Leeds Beckett University (UK). He has written over a hundred books, papers and book chapters. His latest book is The Palgrave Handbook of Leisure Theory (2017), co-edited with Brett Lashua, Erin Sharpe and Spencer Swain.

Notes

1 By this, I mean all forms of music known as electronic dance music.

2 For a leisure studies perspective, and for a useful introduction, see Blackshaw and Crabbe (2004).

3 Knowing of course that many people in these groups do not choose to be in them, but are coerced, bullied or co-opted into them (Blackshaw and Crabbe 2004).

4 For an example of a historical and philosophical exegesis of transgression see the discussion in the chapter on events, misrule and liminality in Spracklen and Lamond (2016).

5 For theories of the meaning of leisure and discussions of the definition of leisure see Rojek (2000, 2010) or Spracklen (2006, 2009, 2011).