The Possibility Machine

Music and Myth in Las Vegas
At once a Technicolor wonderland and the embodiment of American mythology, Las Vegas exists at the Ground Zero of a reverence for risk-taking and the transformative power of a winning hand. Jake Johnson edits a collection of short essays and flash ideas that probes how music-making and soundscapes shape the City of Second Chances.
Singular and star-studded writings on America’s neon-lit playground

At once a Technicolor wonderland and the embodiment of American mythology, Las Vegas exists at the Ground Zero of a reverence for risk-taking and the transformative power of a winning hand. Jake Johnson edits a collection of short essays and flash ideas that probes how music-making and soundscapes shape the City of Second Chances. Treating topics ranging from Cher to Cirque de Soleil, the contributors delve into how music and musicians factored in the early development of Vegas’s image; the role of local communities of musicians and Strip mainstays in sustaining tensions between belief and disbelief; the ways aging showroom stars provide a sense of timelessness that inoculates visitors against the outside world; the link connecting fantasies of sexual prowess and democracy with the musical values of Liberace and others; considerations of how musicians and establishments gambled with identity and opened the door for audience members to explore Sin City–only versions of themselves; and the echoes and energy generated by the idea of Las Vegas as it travels across the country.

Contributors: Celine Ayala, Kirstin Bews, Laura Dallman, Joanna Dee Das, James Deaville, Robert Fink, Pheaross Graham, Jessica A. Holmes, Maddie House-Tuck, Jake Johnson, Kelly Kessler, Michael Kinney, Carlo Lanfossi, Jason Leddington, Janis McKay, Sam Murray, Louis Niebur, Lynda Paul, Arianne Johnson Quinn, Michael M. Reinhard, Laura Risk, Cassaundra Rodriguez, Arreanna Rostosky, and Brian F. Wright

Contributor: Jake Johnson (Edited by), Celine Ayala (Contributions by), Kirstin Bews (Contributions by), Laura Dallman (Contributions by), Joanna Dee Das (Contributions by), James Deaville (Contributions by), Robert Fink (Contributions by), Pheaross Graham (Contributions by), Jessica A Holmes (Contributions by), Maddie House-Tuck (Contributions by), Jake Johnson (Contributions by), Kelly Kessler (Contributions by), Michael Kinney (Contributions by), Carlo Lanfossi (Contributions by), Jason Leddington (Contributions by), Janis McKay (Contributions by), Sam Murray (Contributions by), Louis Niebur (Contributions by), Lynda Paul (Contributions by), Arianne Johnson Quinn (Contributions by), Michael M Reinhard (Contributions by), Laura Risk (Contributions by), Cassaundra Rodriguez (Contributions by), Arreanna Rostosky (Contributions by), Brian F Wright (Contributions by)

UK Delivery:

• Free delivery on all orders of £10 or more.
• £1.49 delivery fee on orders below £10.
• UK orders are shipped via Royal Mail 2nd Class.

International Delivery:

• Flat rate delivery charges vary by country.

Dispatch and Delivery Times:

• All orders are shipped from our warehouse in Northampton, UK within 48 hours of receipt during working hours.
• UK mainland orders typically arrive within 3-5 working days via Royal Mail 2nd Class.
• International estimated delivery times:
• Europe & Channel Islands: 7 to 10 working days
• USA: 7 to 15 working days
• Rest of the World: 9 to 21 working days

View our full delivery infomation here.