Faking It: The Quest for Authenticity in Popular Music

Musicians strive to “keep it real”; listeners condemn “fakes”; ... but does great music really need to be authentic?

Did Elvis sing from the heart, or was he just acting? Were the Sex Pistols more real than disco? Why do so many musicians base their approach on being authentic, and why do music buffs fall for it every time? By investigating this obsession in the last century through the stories of John Lennon, Kurt Cobain, Jimmie Rodgers, Donna Summer, Leadbelly, Neil Young, Moby, and others...