Between the Covers

Unbound. Number 22. One-page opinion piece, mimeographed on Associated Collegiate Press, Parade of Opinion letterhead. Measuring 8½" x 11". Old horizontal fold, else just about fine.

An unusual 1942 opinion piece, linking swing music and psychology, likely sent to college newspapers across the country for potential publication. (The letterhead calls Parade of Opinion a "week-by-week review of college thought and action on important topics of the day.")

The uncredited journalist quotes J. F. Goodman, author of *The Psychodynamics of Abnormal Behavior*, throughout, although it is unclear if an actual interview took place. According to the article, Goodman explicitly connects great art with "disguised content," technical difficulty, and "distorted expression forms." He sees swing music's mass popularity declining as it becomes more "esoteric," but he claims that some bandleaders' "widely swung choruses" are as complex as Brahms's. He goes on to marvel at the psychological acuity of several current song titles and lyrics.

The article closes somewhat unexpectedly, especially for a wartime-printed article: "Hate, Dr. Brown says, is seldom expressed in popular songs except in war time. For hostility, go to the comic strip or the animated cartoon."

A rather idiosyncratic article on great art, swing music, and pop psychology, likely created by the Associated Collegiate Press (who is still in existence) and sent to campus newspapers across the country for potential publication. An uncommon format.

Item #462190