Hello again. The Bookish Hufflepuff here after a month of not starting these reviews. Just a note – summaries and quotes from the text will be in black, while my own thoughts will be in purple.

welcome to I Wanna Wrock – introduction

“Why focus on wizard rock of all things? Is it not just another instance of fans being weird?”

This is the question that Paul A. Thomas (of the band The Eighth Horcrux) was asked most often during his writing of I Wanna Wrock. But Paul chose to study the cultural phenomena of wizard rock because fans actively acknowledge the social conditions present within the series.

In the introduction, Paul defines wizard rock as having these qualities:

 

• Wizard Rock focuses on Harry Potter. (13)

1. 1. 1. Paul discusses how, for the most part, wizard rock focuses on the canon that JK Rowling created. 
         1. While this was often the case leading up to and in 2018, I argue it has become less the case now. What do we, as wrockers, have the power to change in the canon? Can we make our own canon?
      2. On top of this, Paul addresses why Harry Potter was the series that led to this music movement. He addresses that it was a sprawling series with so much to explore. On top of this, it came about right as the internet was beginning to become a means of mass communication.

• Wizard Rock Emphasizes performance and performativity. (15)

1. 1. Wizard rock has historically been about roleplay and stage performance.
      1. How has this changed or stayed the same? Pre and post covid? So much more downloadable music, or music that is performance versus recording specific.

• Wizard Rock is a Community (18)

1. 1. Paul brings up wizard rock, social media, community, and how they are linked. Paul argues that wrockers are unified by their appreciation for, and even more so by their enthusiasm for, the Harry Potter series. 
   2. He addresses the mutual acknowledgement of the good versus evil in Harry Potter, and how we all use “Voldemort” or “Death Eaters,” to talk about the evils in our own real worlds.
   3. “Finally, it should be noted that many within the wrock scene are open about the sense of alienation they felt before they discovered the wide world of wizard rock; these same individuals are also open about the extreme happiness they felt once they became ‘part’ of the scene.” (Thomas, 18)
      1. These days, both 2 and 3 feel even more true. Looking at the political climate, the isolation we felt during the pandemic, and the ways we are isolated by former fans for embracing the series while rejecting and working against the author and her harmful impact, this community and its role in fighting isolation becomes even more important.

My thoughts:

The introduction, of course, sets up the questions that will be addressed in the rest of the book. Even from the introduction, I could tell that I Wanna Wrock is dated, from a simpler time. We did not know yet that the author would become a source of contention for many.

I Wanna Wrock addresses questions that many of us have had. One of the things I think about in terms of these questions is the lines:

 

Could there ever be again 

Another one like this? 

One that brought us together

And started its own music movement?

(Oliver Boyd and the Rememberalls, 2006)

 

Through these questions in the introduction of I Wanna Wrock, Paul Thomas provides his own answer to this. What do you think? 

 

Ready to dive in?