About

I am Programme Leader for BA Liberal Arts; and Subject Leader for American Studies and Popular Music in Society.

Research interests

I have published extensively on American popular culture, with particular reference to its transatlantic "flow."  My book British Invasion: The Crosscurrents of Musical Influence was published in November 2014; and my journal article "Not Sucking in the Seventies: The Rolling Stones and the Myth of Decline" was published in Rock Music Studies in October 2015.  My resume also features book chapters and articles on ska, punk, MTV, Pop art, youth TV, and The Simpsons at the BBC.  My latest book, Glam Rock: Music in Sound and Vision, will be published in late 2018.

Recent publications

• British Invasion: The Crosscurrents of Musical Influence (Rowman & Littlefield, 2014)
• '"They Got to Go": SKA versus America', in R. Browne & B. Urish eds. The Dynamics of Interconnections in Popular Culture(s) (Newcastle: Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2014), pp.76-94.
• 'Biff! Bang! Pow! The Transatlantic Pop Aesthetic, 1956-66', in N. Campbell, J. Davies & G. McKay eds. Issues in Americanisation and Culture (Edinburgh: EUP, 2004), pp.278-294
• '"Be Childish, Be Irresponsible, Be Disrespectful, Be Everything This Society Hates": Punk, Youth & Protest', in N. Campbell ed. American Youth Cultures (Edinburgh: EUP, 2004), pp.209-236
• 'The Simpsons, "Light Entertainment" and the Ghost of Lord Reith', in Polemics: Essays in American Literary and Cultural Criticism, vol.1 (Sheffield: Black Rock Press, 2004), pp.119-133
• 'Cinema', in W. Kaufman & H. MacPherson eds. Britain and the Americas: Culture, Politics & History, Vol.1 (Santa Barbara CA: ABC-Clio, 2005), pp.221-226

Membership of professional bodies

I am a member of the British Association of American Studies (BAAS), and of the International Association for the Study of Popular Music (IASPM).

Qualifications

• BA (Hons) English & American Studies, University of Nottingham
• PhD by Published Works, University of Derby (forthcoming, 2019)
• Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA)

Recent conferences

In the last few years, I have given guest lectures at the Universities of Loughborough, Nottingham and Northumbria.

International experience

I am the department of Humanities' Study Abroad Coordinator for Europe, overseeing student and staff mobility between ourselves and our various European partners.

Teaching responsibilities

I currently teach on the following modules:

• American Screen Cultures
• The Making of Modern America
• Pop Life 1
• Pop Life 2
• Audible Republic: American Music & Society
• Thought & Culture 2
• Image Music Sound
• It Says Here: Popular Music and the Written Word
• Contesting Cultures: American Popular Culture in the Contemporary World
• New Hollywood & Beyond

Additional interests and activities

I DJ retro-pop music events; I am also a keen cyclist.