ciborgs

This Is Not a Rave: In the Shadow of a Subculture
McCALL, Tara. Thunder's Mouth, 2002.

McCall's introduction to the rave scene is replete with splashy graphics, pictures that throb with authenticity (i.e., they're blurry), and pithy boxed pull-quotes from stoned teens that just scream out to a similarly youthful audience. McCall doesn't just parse the whys and wherefores of raves. She describes their history and the phenomenon of ennui among veteran ravers, bored and more than a little dismissive of the current state of the, uh, art. Her own devotion to the subject may be inferred from the tenor of the pull-quotes striving to define vibe and rave, explain such phenomena as "the lure of Ecstasy," and describe "why and how dancing is important." One Captain Nutmeg's definition of rave stands out: "It's not what it used to [be] . . . it now just means bad, cheesy parties," which suggests that raves aren't very different from, say, discos and rock festivals. Informative for nascent ravers and their parents; and for armchair dilettantes, a graphic thrill ride into the pulsating light show of rave.