Entry #1 - Luis Vargas

1.
In It Still Moves: Lost Songs, Lost Highways, the Search for the Next American Music, Amanda Petrusich’s goes out into a journey to discover the creation and authenticity of American Music. Her trip begins from Brooklyn, NY to “the South” to find the roots of Americana music to see how they started, inspired and rearranged in the decades since their creation. I like how Petrusich observes the smallest detail that may be irrelevant to her trip. For example when she explains what states she will chug eagerly and what little lines on maps to follow, gives the reader a sense of confidence of she may be exactly looking for (Petrusich 17). Everyplace, everything has a story to tell. What originated from a particular place? Who created it? Who published it? Not only is her trip full of questions but it is also full with observations. She gives the reader a great observation of what she is looking for with very supported details and visualizations that makes the reader feel like they are the ones’ on the trip.

2.
Petrusich does a great job examining multiple points of view. As she travels down to the south, she discovers information that helps her determined her mission. Although she does not want to sound biased towards her findings, she takes in consideration the information she learns and is given to her. Her trip can be very simple if she just relied on the internet to figure out if the information is true, but not all news and findings are exactly true. She has to dig deep to find the originated side of her dilemma. When Petrusich visits Sun Studio in Memphis, she discovers that Sam Phillips secretary had created and discovered artists like Elvis Presley and even a new form of sound, rock n roll. She also finds out that for the first time a white man was successfully adapting and reflecting the sound of the black cultural experience with Phillips creation of Elvis Presley’s “That’s Right (Mama)”. This kind of info gives the reader that” the notion of the white man pilfering and profiting from black music it so common in the pop culture that it is assumed to be the essential element of modern art making” is a controversial topic that leads a dispute of authenticity in the music business (49).

3.
In Petrusich’s trip, she is very respectful and engages in the ideas of others. She wants to examine what people have to offer in order to conclude her mission. Although one may think that other people’s ideas are distinct to their findings but that particular person’s ideas can be the missing piece of the puzzle. As Petrusich listens out to the ideas of others, she not only completes her mission but makes her claim stronger and reasonable.

LV