Henry Cow: The World Is a Problem

Henry Cow: The World Is a Problem
A photograph of a woven sock with "HENRY COW" in large type in the top left, "THE WORLD IS A PROBLEM" in smaller type in the bottom right, and "BENJAMIN PIEKUT" in small text in the bottom left
First edition book cover
AuthorBenjamin Piekut
Cover artistRay Smith
LanguageEnglish
SubjectHenry Cow
GenreBiography, music criticism
PublisherDuke University Press
Publication date
September 27, 2019
Publication placeUnited States
Media typePrint (hardcover and softcover)
Pages512
ISBN978-1-4780-0405-9 (hardcover)
781.66092/2—dc23
LC ClassML3916 .P53 2019

Henry Cow: The World Is a Problem is a 2019 book by American academic Benjamin Piekut. It is a biography and analysis of the English experimental rock[1] group Henry Cow and their turbulent existence between 1968 and 1978. The book is Piekut's second and was published in September 2019 in the United States by Duke University Press in both hard- and soft-cover.

Piekut analyses Henry Cow's music, their political stance and how they functioned as a collective. He sourced material for the book from interviews with members of the band and their notebooks and diaries, from magazine and newspaper articles, and from journal papers and books. The World Is a Problem was generally well received by reviewers, although one found sections of the book "heavy going",[2] and another felt it should have addressed issues like "why Henry Cow thought their awkward and somewhat mannered music could ever be popular with audiences".[3]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Lake was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Howitt was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Loydell 2020, p. 151.