Robert G. H. Burns is associate professor at the University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand. Prior to moving to New Zealand, he was a professional studio bassist in the UK performing and recording with David Gilmour, Pete Townsend, Jerry Donahue, James Burton, Ian Paice and Jon Lord, Eric Burdon, and members of Abba, among others. He also played on the soundtracks of UK television shows such as Red Dwarf, Mr. Bean, and Blackadder. Among his academic interests are progressive rock music; the combination of folk music, rock music, and modern nationalism in the UK and Germany; popular music history; and bass guitar performance.