Faking it

In the last fifty years, the quest for authenticity, for the 'real,' has become a dominant factor in musical taste - whether it be the folklorist's search for forgotten bluesmen or the rock critic's elevation of raw power over sophistication. "Faking It" explodes the myth of what it means to be 'real' and 'fake' in pop music. Why does no one listen to the Buena Vista Social Club in Cuba? Why do white suburban teenagers love rap? And what did Kurt Cobain's suicide note really mean?