Steve Turner

In the fifties, the movies had James Dean and Marlon Brando. Rock 'n' roll had Elvis Presley. The American novel had Jack Kerouac. Jack Kerouac was the father of the Beat Generation and the creator of a "spontaneous bop prose" style, which embodied the riffing and improvisation techniques that were used by jazz heroes such as Charlie Parker and Lester Young. In novels like The Subterraneans, On the Road, and The Dharma Bums, Kerouac portrayed characters hungry for experience and eager to discover a new vision of life. He made the life of a writer sound exciting and, along with his Beat contemporaries, helped liberate poetry from the page and took it to places more commonly associated with music or art or comedy: the jazz club, the coffee house, the art gallery, and the concert hall. Essentially a writer with spiritual preoccupations, he helped make the discussion of religion and spirituality hip by embracing the apparent paradox that it was often the wretched and despised, the "poor in spirit," who were most open to the things of heaven. The character Sal Paradise in On the Road, searching for soul in a world that seemed to be losing its soul, was a thinly disguised portrait of Kerouac himself. Today, forty years after the publication of On the Road, there is more discussion of Jack Kerouac and his work than ever before. In Angelheaded Hipster, Steve Turner examines the life and work of the pivotal figure of the fifties' countercultural revolution, and explores the reasons why Kerouac's unique prose and his search for the truth continues to inspire new readers.

There's no avoiding popular culture -- we've been enculturated into it. What does it mean to be faithful Christians in a pop culture world? How do we think Christianly about celebrity and leisure? Some Christians try to abstain from "worldly" pursuits, while others consume culture indiscriminately, assuming it has little effect on them. But if Christ is Lord of all of life, then there ought to be Christian ways to engage with and appreciate popular culture. Steve Turner has spent his career chronicling and interviewing people from the worlds of music, film, television, fashion, art and literature. Now he provides an insider's guide to a wide range of entertainment pursuits, with biblical frameworks for understanding pop culture genres and artifacts. Turner explores: how movies use redemptive narratives and parables; ways journalistic headlines convey worldview assumptions; differences between famous people in the past and celebrities today; what ideas are communicated through clothing and fashion design; how technology changes our sense of what is real; and much more. God entrusts culture to us and gives us the ability to critique it, enjoy it and create it. This book will help you become a better cultural critic, consumer and creator. - Publisher.

ix, 259 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm1280L Lexile

"Renowned British music journalist and author Steve Turner surveys the religious and spiritual influence of the Beatles, the band that changed the history of music forever. With new interviews, never-before-published material, and fresh insights, Turner helps the reader understand the religious and spiritual ideas and ideals that influenced the music and lives of the Beatles and helps us see how the Fab Four influenced our own lives and culture. Topics discussed include the religious upbringing of John, Paul, George, and Ringo; the backlash in the United States after John Lennon's "The Beatles are more popular than Jesus" comment; the dabbling in Eastern religion; the use of drugs to attempt to enter a higher level of consciousness; and the overall legacy that the Beatles and their music have left. While there is no religious system that permanently anchored the Beatles or their music, they did leave a gospel, Turner concludes: one of love, peace, personal freedom, and the search for transcendence."--Publisher's website. The spiritual journey of the Beatles from fun-loving agnostics to drug-inspired mystics.