Roy Orbison: Invention of an Alternative Rock Masculinity

Roy Orbison's music - whether heard in his own recordings or in cover versions of his songs - is a significant part of contemporary American culture despite the fact that he died almost a generation ago. Here, Peter Lehman looks at the long span of Orbison's career and probes into the uniqueness of his songs, singing and performance style, arguing that singer/songwriters no less than filmmakers can be considered as auteurs.