Graeme Turner Interview
Graeme Turner is Emeritus Professor of Cultural Studies at the University of Queensland. He’s the founding director of the Centre for Critical and Cultural Studies, and one of the leading figures in cultural and media studies in Australia. His new book is a 33 1/3 about John Farnham’s Whispering Jack. It’s the inaugural edition of the “Oceania” list, which aims to publish work about music from Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific.
How did you get to where you are today, professionally?
I started as an academic working in English literature, before moving into media and cultural studies during the late 1970s. I was a working musician as well for a couple of decades, playing solo acoustic mainly, and setting up an independent record company in Perth called HomeGrown, with a couple of like minded friends. I produced a couple of albums in the early 80s on that label. When I finally committed to full time academic work, I spent quite a bit of time writing about Australian popular music, but over the 1990s and beyond I moved more into media. My most recent work has been on television and new media so this book is a return to an early interest.
Can you please briefly describe the book?