Abstract

These are heady times for Theodor W. Adorno, and perhaps the most exciting recent chance to revisit Adorno's often thorny, always trenchant responses to America has been Surhkamp's publication of Current of Music: Elements of a Radio Theory, the fascinating and sprawling result of Adorno's early years in the United States and his collaboration with Paul Lazarsfeld and the Princeton Radio Research Project. The publication of this mammoth work on radio broadcasting—700 pages, the majority of which were written in English—reveals just how intimately familiar Adorno was with network broadcasting practices, advertising, technology, popular music, and—yes—even jazz and should finally…