Page - 76 - in JRFM - Journal Religion Film Media, Volume 05/02

associated with Western classical music in the nineteenth century. In militant followers it involves a holistic cosmology of life and music and a deep sense of discipline, including hypercritical issues about society as a great lie stemming from globalizing and commercial interests. For this reason, rockers look back to the past (recent as it may be) in search of “lost” authenticity. That is why authenticity is closely related to nostalgia and revival, as well as to the modern reading of the apocalypse that implies a radical metamorphosis of the mecha- nisms of power, institutions, collective mentality, systems of government, and the like. As stated in the call for papers for the Apocalypse and Authenticity conference held at the University of Hull in July 2017: A number of media and film narratives propagate a sense of nostalgia and the idea that society needs to return to an (idealized) past if it wants to rediscover its authen- tic self and renew an authentic way of life. The popularity of such narratives seems to suggest that we long for things we experience as lost, and this experience might indeed drive apocalyptic imaginations: a desire for renewal and return to a nostalgic past that can only be achieved through an apocalyptic event and the collapse of es- tablished power structures and economic forces of oppression.38 Some celebrated rockers have empowered themselves as Messiahs by elevating their real or imagined authenticity to a transcendent dimension. That is the case for Cliff Richard,39 comparable to the massive adoration spectacle around Mi- chael Jackson,40 and the promise land myth in the lyrics of Bruce Springsteen.41 The Velvet Underground portrayed themselves as “the paragon of authenticity in rock music”,42 and “their nihilism and despair were coupled with a moralism that sought transcendence”, as can be appreciated in the Velvets’ most contro- versial song, “Heroin”.43 Neil Young’s “This Note’s for You” (This Note’s for You, 1988) is one of the most openly anti-consumer and pro-authenticity rock songs by such a celebrity, with direct critical allusions to Michael Jackson, Madonna, and several international brands. Young starts by claiming: “Ain’t singing for Pep- si / Ain’t singing for Coke … / This note’s for you”; and in the last verses states: “Don’t want no cash / Don’t need no money / … I’ve got the real thing / I got the 38 Apocalypse and Authenticity International Conference. 11–13 July 2017, University of Hull. Conference of the Theology, Religion and Popular Culture Network. 39 Löbert 2012. 40 Carby 2001. 41 McCarthy 2001. 42 Attias 2016, 131. See Burns 2014. 43 Attias 2016, 142, 138. As it frequently happens, personal life was reportedly different from the public discourse; Attias 2016, 136: “The 1980s saw [Lou Reed] selling scooters for Honda while ‘Walk on the Wild Side’ played; the 1990s saw ‘Venus in Furs’ used somewhat absurdly as the soundtrack for a Dunlop tire commercial; and the 2000s saw him designing a smart-phone app (Dombal).” 76 | Javier Campos Calvo-Sotelo www.jrfm.eu 2019, 5/2, 69–94