Responses
The book was originally published in a relatively small edition in 1991. In 1994, Carducci revised it and it was republished by Henry Rollins' 2.13.61 press.
The initial reaction from much of the mainstream rock press was largely a mixture of indifference and hostility. Carducci's tendency was directly counter to the politically progressive and relatively mainstream attitude of such writers as Dave Marsh or Greil Marcus, neither of whom answered the charges Carducci made against them (of ignoring quality music for political reasons).
Only Robert Christgau in the Village Voice praised it in public, although his praise was tempered somewhat by his description of it as "important but not terribly good". Other reviewers took issue with what they perceived as Carducci's homophobia and right-wing politics.
During the rest of the 1990s the book gradually acquired cult status, with record producer Simon Napier-Bell citing it as one of his ten favourite music books in the UK's Guardian newspaper in 2005. Clinton Heylin included two chapters in The Penguin Anthology of Rock and Roll Writing, with the remark, "Rock and the Pop Narcotic...may well be the most important critique on rock music written in the last 10 years."
Read more about this topic: Rock And The Pop Narcotic
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