Academia
Dolls. Photography by Anna Fox.
Academic Publications
'Identity: How 1970s punk women live it now', in The Oxford Handbook of Punk Rock, ed. G. McKay & G. Arnold (OUP, due 2020).
'Country Girl: Rural Feminism in the Performance of Alison Goldfrapp', in Mute Records: Artists, Business, History, ed. Z. Beaven, M. O'Dair & R. Osborne (Bloomsbury Academic, 2018).
‘I’m With The Band: Redefining young feminism’, in Voicing Girlhood in Popular Music: Performance, Authority, Authenticity, ed. A. Adrian & J. Warwick (Routledge, 2016)
‘Putting Practice into Theory: teaching undergraduate theory in Music Journalism’, in James, M. Popular Music Journalism (Routledge, forthcoming)
‘Not A Piece of Meat: Lady Gaga and that dress’, in Lady Gaga and Popular Music (Performing Gender, Fashion and Culture), ed. M. Iddon & M. Marshall (Routledge, 2014)
‘Let Me Have a Taste of Your Ice Cream: Leeds post punk, feminism and the Yorkshire Ripper', in Punk & Post Punk, Intellect Journals Vol 1. 2011
'Madonna: Like A Crone', in Rock On: Women, Ageing & Popular Music, ed. R.Jennings & A. Gardner (Ashgate, 2012)
‘Ladies, All The Ladies (Women in Rap)’ essay for Ladies, All The Ladies exhibition by Lady Lucy at Picture This, Bristol, 26-29th November, 2008
‘The Woman Punk Made Me’, in Punk Rock, So What? (the cultural legacy of punk) ed. R. Sabin (Routledge, 1999)
‘Sexing the Cherry: High or Low Art? Distinctions in performance’, in Analysing Performance (A Critical Reader) ed. Patrick Campbell (Manchester University Press 1994)
‘Pop Pastiche and the New Regeneration’, in Storia 5: A Woman’s Eye View of Britain Today ed. Kate Figes (Pandora 1990)
Selected Conference Presentations
Since 2009
Keynote speaker: ‘Finding Dusty: Pet Shop Boys and the disco divas’ Pet Shop Boys: Symposium, Edinburgh College of Art, University of Edinburgh, 24-25 March, 2016
Paper abstract: The Pet Shop Boys’ collaborations with iconic women like Dusty Springfield, Liza Minelli and Madonna act out the flamboyant, passionate emotion behind their deadpan delivery. In this paper Lucy O’Brien explores the ‘Dusty connection’, their sensitive remixing and production of female pop artists, and the gay male fan as rescuer and guardian of the flawed diva.
‘I’m With The Band: Redefining Young Feminism’ paper for ‘Voicing Girlhood in Popular Music' panel at From a Whisper to a Scream: the voice in music, EMP Pop Conference, Seattle, USA, 14-17 April, 2016
Keynote speaker: ‘Not Just a Piece of Meat: Lady Gaga and that dress. Feminist art, consumption and popular music’, at Subverting Fashion: Style Cultures, Fan Culture and the Fashion Industry conference, St Mary’s University, Twickenham, 11 July 2014
Moderator of ‘Into the blogosphere. How is current music writing ‘stepping out’? panel at Stepping Out: Music and the New Media Landscape conference, UCA Epsom, 26 February 2014.
Speaker on ‘Has Academia Killed Rock N Roll?’ and moderator on ‘Women in Rock’ panels, Louder Than Words literary festival/conference, Manchester Palace Hotel, 15-17 November 2013
‘Women in the world of the singer-songwriter’, invited speaker, From Adele to Zeca Afonso: The Singer-Songwriter in Europe conference, University of Leeds, 13-14 September 2012
‘Can I Have a Taste of Your Ice Cream? (Post punk feminism and the Yorkshire Ripper)’, paper for the Sounds of the City EMP/IASPM Pop Conference, New York University, March 21-23, 2012.
‘Turn It Up! One: Listening to Difference’, moderated panel at EMP Pop conference (above).
‘Writing A Life: locating the human in a virtual world’, paper for Shifting Ground II: A Symposium on Writing and Publishing conference, Oxford Brookes University, 11 April 2011
‘Playing with a Different Sex: feminism and post punk’, paper for Post Punk Performance: The alternative eighties in Britain conference, School of Performance and Cultural Industries, Leeds University, 9 September 2010
‘The cultural legacy of Janis Joplin’, paper at Kozmic Blues: The Life and Music of Janis Joplin American Masters Series conference at the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame, Cleveland US, November 9-14th, 2009
‘Damaged Divas: from Billie Holiday to Amy Winehouse…’, paper at Dance Music Sex Romance: Pop and the Body Politic conference, EMP/SFM Seattle, March 2009.