Speaker: Joan Ormrod (Manchester Metropolitan University)
Paper Title: Teenage Dream Tonight: Fantasy, Pop Stardom and UK Girls Comics 1957-64
Joan Ormrod, Manchester Metropolitan University, examines the ways UK teenage girls’ comics of the ‘50s and ‘60s promoted British pop music in a time when it was attempting to forge its own identity against competition from its more glamorous American cousins. Using examples of British pop stars such as Tommy Steele and Cliff Richard, Dr Ormrod shows how publicity of pop music in this era laid the foundations for contemporary fan and media practices that promote daydream and fantasy.
