Arts Monday 29 August 2011

Get laid or die trying: Why rock stars die at 27 or end up damaged and on reality TV (image: Flickr/Chalocuaz courtesy Rob Brooks)

ArtiFacts Eastside on Sex, Genes & Rock ‘n’ Roll.

Yup, that’s right, ‘Genes’. Join me, Jane Raffan, for a program about the nexus between evolutionary biology and Rock ‘n’ Roll!

I’ll be interviewing Rob Brooks, UNSW evolutionary biologist, about his fabulous book “Sex, Genes & Rock ‘n’ Roll”, in which he makes the case for evolutionary factors shaping the modern world, including answers to such questions as: “Why do so many rock stars end up dead at 27?”; Amy Winehouse being the most recent case in point.

As Rob’s very engaging and often funny book tells it: “Rock is really just life, amplified, and turned up to 11”.

We’ll be chatting about Rock ‘n’ Roll as a form of sexual display and lots more. Apparently there are corollaries in the animal world. It’s all in the Genes you know…

As Rob sees it, Rock epitomises “raw human cultural biology”…Even the term ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll’ is a euphemism for sexual congress.

Writings by Professor Rob Brooks on a number contemporary topics can be found on his site: https://www.robbrooks.net/

And you can read a peer review of Rob’s book here: https://theconversation.edu.au/peer-review-sex-genes-and-rock-n-roll-1824

On cue, the program’s music will be a mix of jazz and Blues…with some early Blues numbers about drug use, and tracks by iconic jazz and blues artists who have joined the ranks of Amy Winehouse and died young.

As always, I look forward to your company.

Jane Raffan

www.ArtiFacts.net.au