Fifteen Quickfire Questions for . . . Jon Savage
By Faber Editor, 13 June 2024
Get to know Jon Savage, the author of The Secret Public: How LGBTQ Resistance Shaped Popular Culture (1955–1979), who kindly humours us with rapid responses to fifteen entirely frivolous questions.
The Secret Public is a searching examination of the fortitude and resilience of the gay community through the lens of popular music and culture; it reflects on the freedom found in divergence from the norm and reminds us of the need to be vigilant against those seeking to roll back the rights of marginalised groups.
What is the best song to wake up to?
Anything by Michael Mayer or Air. That’s the first thing I put on.
What one meal could resurrect you from the dead?
A medium strong vegetarian curry.
Who or what has most influenced your career?
My intuiting what I didn’t want to do as well as what I didn’t want to do.
What song do you wish you wrote?
‘You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away’, The Beatles.
What would you change about yourself if you could?
It’s a bit late for that now.
What is your most valued possession?
A painting by Stuart Sutcliffe. A Sixties print by Andy Warhol.
Which artist would you most like to bring back to life?
Warhol.
What did you want to be when you grew up?
A writer.
What are you most fascinated with?
Nature. Human nature. Pop culture. Social change.
What was your first job?
A summer job at Faber, 1974.
Where would you take an alien to teach them about life on Earth?
The beach.
What do you splurge on?
Clothes and records.
How do you pass time on a long flight?
Sleep, then films. I try not to take long flights anymore.
How do you like to celebrate success?
I let it slowly sink in, if and when it occurs.
From expensive candles to bowls of brown-free M&Ms on demand, the artist's rider is a key part of their mystique: what would yours be and why?
Water, chocolate, white tea and a HEPA air filter.
The Secret Public: How LGBTQ Resistance Shaped Popular Culture (1955–1979), by Jon Savage is out now in hardback.
Buy the Book
A monumental history of the LGBTQ influence on popular culture, from the award-winning, Sunday Times bestselling author Jon Savage.
About the Author
Jon Savage is the author of England’s Dreaming: Sex Pistols and Punk Rock and Teenage: The Creation of Youth, 1875-1945. He is the writer of the award-winning film documentaries The Brian Epstein Story (1988) and Joy Division (2007), as well as the feature film Teenage (2013). His compilations include Meridian 1970 (Heavenly/EMI 2005) and Queer Noises: From the Closet to…
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