Jennifer Otter Bickerdike is an American media and music academic and author, specializing in fandom, vinyl records, the cult of dead celebrity, pop culture and music. She has written and presented extensively on fandom and media across various platforms, including the BBC, Discovery Channel, Channel 4, TruTV, The Guardian and Playboy.
After friend Hunter McPherson was murdered in San Francisco, Otter Bickerdike decided to leave her job, sell everything she owned and move to England.[1]
After moving to London, Otter Bickerdike enrolled in Goldsmiths, University of London, where she completed her PhD in Cultural Studies.[citation needed] Otter Bickerdike's doctorate focused on the evolving fandom and mythology of post-punk band Joy Division and Seattle icons Nirvana.
Otter Bickerdike is currently the creator and host of the Rock and Roll Confidential podcast as well as a co-founder of Moving the Needle, a non-profit organization created to support women in the UK music industry through their entire career.[citation needed]
In 2019, Otter Bickerdike was featured on the cover of the Good Times.[5] In September of the same year, Santa Cruz mayor Martine Watkins proclaimed September 28 officially 'Jennifer Otter Bickerdike Day' in honor of Otter Bickerdike's contributions to music culture and community in her hometown.[citation needed]
In 2013, she won the Student Led Teaching award for Most Innovative Lecturer[6] and was short listed for the same accolade on a national level by the Times Higher Education.[7]
Bibliography
Being Britney: Pieces of a Modern Icon (Bonnier / Nine Eight, 2021) ISBN9781788705240
You Are Beautiful and You Are Alone: The Biography of Nico (Faber & Faber / Hachette, 2021) ISBN0571350011
Why Vinyl Matters: A Manifesto from Musicians and Fans (ACC Art Books, 2017) ISBN9781851498635
Joy Devotion: The Importance of Ian Curtis and Fan Culture (Headpress, 2016), ISBN9781909394285
Fandom, Image and Authenticity: Joy Devotion and the Second Lives of Kurt Cobain and Ian Curtis (Palgrave MacMillan, 2014) ISBN9781137393524
In 2022, Otter Bickerdike signed with Hachette Book Group to write the band-approved biography of the Bangles.
Otter Bickerdike is the editor of Will Sergeant of Echo and the Bunnymen's book Bunnyman (Hachette / Third Man, 2021) and a book about Iggy Pop, Iggy & the Stooges: One Night at the Whisky 1970, featuring the photography of Ed Caraeff.