ABSTRACT
Hard rock is also characterized by loud volume and assertive masculinity, evident in the persona of performers, especially vocalists (e.g. Roger Daltrey, Robert Plant, Axl Rose) and lead guitarists, and the genre’s predominantly male following. Cock rock emerged as an alternative term for hard rock, highlighting the genre’s often explicit and aggressive expression of male sexuality, its sometimes misogynist lyrics, and its phallic imagery. Cock rock performers were regarded as aggressive, dominating, and boastful, a stance, it was argued, evident in their live shows (see Frith and McRobbie, 1990; Reynolds and Press, 1995).
