ABSTRACT
Myth means a commonly held and collectively sanctioned belief or constellation of assumptions. The mythic narrative therefore tends to be a category in the telling of popular music history associated with a wide range of stories. Collectively, they rest on a process that exploits the “usable past” by framing music culture in relation to either personal transformation, musical tradition or national identity. To examine these different ways to resonate with existing audience expectations, the chapter analyzes accounts of music history, from the autobiography of the Kinks' frontman Ray Davies to Greil Marcus's Mystery Train, and illuminates the complexities of each form.
