If It Ain't Got That Swing

If It Ain't Got That Swing chronicles the author's transition from support of liberalism towards right-wing politics.[1][2] Judge says he was influenced by the writings of Christopher Lasch, especially his work The Culture of Narcissism.[1][2] The author's shift from left-wing politics to conservatism was additionally motivated by his initial foray into swing dancing.[1][2] Judge examines the contemporary period of swing revival.[8]

The author recounts what he views as a subculture appreciative of rock and roll within American society which is devoid of any real meaning.[2] Judge argues that this rock and roll culture is representative of an adolescent mentality.[9] He criticizes changes which took place in the United States during the 1960s and praises cotillions as a way to return to an earlier period within American society.[5]

Judge writes that he himself took up swing dancing in the locality of Washington, D.C. in 1995.[3] He describes for the reader the nervousness he felt while entering his first swing dance lesson, because he had previously relied upon alcoholic beverages as a way to make himself feel more comfortable in public gatherings.[3] He charts the swing revival to two factors: the 1996 film Swingers, and a 1998 advertisement with youths performing the Lindy Hop while promoting Gap Inc. clothing.[3]

Judge pines for a culture in the United States reminiscent of more conservative ideology.[2] Judge cites the adultery of Bill Clinton as evidence of a breakdown in contemporary societal values.[2] He criticizes feminism and instead embraces a culture of chivalry.[2] The author puts forth an argument that liberalism is hypocritical.[2] Judge asserts that culture within the United States lacks organization, freedom, and connectedness.[1] He argues that these qualities can be found in swing revival.[1]

Prior to writing If It Ain't Got That Swing, Judge had worked as a journalist in his early twenties.[10] Before publishing If It Ain't Got That Swing, Judge had written Wasted: Tales of a GenX Drunk (1997).[6][10][7] If It Ain't Got That Swing was first published in hardcover format in 2000, by Spence Publishing Company.[11][12] An eBook was published by the same publisher in the same year.[13] The author was interviewed on the NPR program Talk of the Nation in August 2000 about his book, and said that the 1996 film Swingers represented a resurgence of swing culture in the United States.[14] By February 2001, Judge's book had become a bestseller in the United States.[9] Judge subsequently published other books including Damn Senators,[15][16] God and Man at Georgetown Prep (2005),[17][18] and A Tremor of Bliss: Sex, Catholicism, and Rock 'n' Roll (2010).[19][20]

If It Ain't Got That Swing received a negative book review from Library Journal, which observed the author advocated a society in the United States represented by Leave It To Beaver.[2] The book review described the author's writing style as "meandering pages".[2] The review concluded, "Displaying little knowledge or understanding of past or current American culture, Judge presents a sophomoric, opinionated diatribe that offers little to any reader."[2]

Kirkus Reviews published a critical book review of If It Ain't Got That Swing, commenting that the author's writing style "has a tone of moral penitence and self-righteousness."[1] Kirkus Reviews concluded, "In the end, his diatribe comes to resemble a rant."[1] The book review characterized Judge's work as, "Ambitious pop-cult criticism that fails because of its single-mindedness and humorlessness."[1]

Judge's work garnered a book review from The Wall Street Journal, which wrote of the author's argument that swing dancing could improve American culture: "There is much that is persuasive in this argument, but it is incomplete."[4] The review pointed out factual errors in Judge's writing, such as that dancing in public was curtailed after a U.S. tax on nightclubs in 1944.[4] The Wall Street Journal pointed out that Judge's view of swing dancing as a way to improve civil discourse in American culture, led him to falsely conflate early swing dancing with a completely different later period of swing dancing culture.[4] The Washington Post recommended the book, and classed it among others on the topic including Dance of Days, Our Band Could Be Your Life, and D.C. Hand Dance.[8]

Jesse Walker wrote a book review of If It Ain't Got That Swing, in an article for Reason.[3] Walker wrote that Judge, "gets the genealogy of neo-swing wrong, and that he does so precisely because he's trying to reduce a complex phenomenon to a simple explanation."[3] Walker criticized Judge's "distorted chronology" about the evolution of the swing revival, citing factual inaccuracies in the presentation of swing dance history in the book.[3] He said that the swing revival "obviously predated" the Gap Inc. commercial.[3] He argued that Judge wrote from a stance of narcissism.[3] The Reason book review concluded, "His new book's subtitle may invoke 'grown-up culture,' but his prose betrays him: He writes like he's going through a stage."[3]

• Judge, Mark Gauvreau (February 12, 2001), "Ken Burns ain't got that swing", Human Events, vol. 57, no. 6, p. S22 – via ProQuest