Chronicles
an anarcho-rock'n'roll cabaret band touring the hard
way--in a crowded van.
When the
internationally acclaimed rock'n'roll cabaret band
Rhythm Activism toured Europe in order to promote
their newest CD, it was through a Europe in
transition that they traveled--a Europe marked by
political and racial tension. Being equally at home
in hard core clubs, poetry festivals, soup kitchens,
the netherworld of squats, or urine drenched dives
and youthfully, defiant haunts where cultural
resistance rules, they drew immediate followers. The
Anarchist and The Devil Do Cabaret is an amazing
portrayal of that tour, told with a sense of humor, a
down-to-earth perception, and in the tradition of
Jack Kerouac's On the Road or Henry Rollins' Get In
the Van.
Inspired by
encounters with Europe's new multi-racial
underclass-- the working poor, street people,
immigrants, refugees, marginalized youth, the
aged--this book is not merely an insider's look into
the state of rock'n'roll, it is, as well, a
commentary on the state of Europe in the late 20th
century. In a wonderful reversal of tradition, every
so often Nawrocki slips from his chronicles of life
on the road into short fiction pieces. These stories,
real and exaggerated, are filled with a cast of
friends, lovers, and fellow travelers--panhandlers
and anarchists, the unemployed and underemployed
dreaming of better times, neo-Nazis and skinheads
trapped in hateful lives, prostitutes risking
everything, gypsy ghetto boys fighting racism, and
even the sometimes riotous band members themselves.
Here is what
some critics are saying about Nawrocki's work:
'The
Brecht/Weil combo for the 21st century.' -
Brave New Waves, CBC Radio
'Delicious...astonishing....audacious.' -
Le Devoir, Montreal
'Highly recommended for the politically astute.'
- Broken Pencil, Toronto
'A one-man tour de force.' -
Sunday Morning, CBC Radio
'A stunning mix of violin, grating guitars &
humour.' - New
Internationalist, London
' Caustic wit & cunning musical talent.' -
HOUR, Montreal
'Maddeningly eclectic & exhilaratingly
challenging.' - Eye, Toronto
'Mordantly funny, wickedly smart & musically
fascinating.' - The Winnipeg
Sun
'Humanist, incisive & committed.' -
La Presse, Montreal
'This book is fabulous.' - CTV
News, Montreal
'Never a doubt about the clarity of Nawrocki's
voice....it kicks the heads of authoritarian
society.' - Montreal Mirror
'Should be mandatory listening for members of
Congress.' - Puncture, Portland
'One of the most refreshing souls you'll ever
encounter.'- The Montreal
Gazette
'Engaging, empowering.' -
Exclaim!, Toronto
'Your Black Flag piece blew me away.' -
Lawrence Ferlinghetti, San Francisco
'Brilliant mixture of sound and words.' -
Magnet, Philadelphia
'Subversively powerful, smart, welcome stuff.' -
The Globe & Mail
Table
of Contents
NORMAN
NAWROCKI is a Montreal-based author, actor, musician,
and activist who has toured the world since 1986 with
his music, his poetry, and his solo, educational,
anti-sexist, 'sex' comedy cabarets. He is the author
of four books of poetry, has over 45 releases with
his bands, and has produced two documentary videos.
He gives workshops about 'creative resistance' and
how to use theater, music and comedy for radical
social change.
192 pages,
photographs, illustrations
Paperback ISBN: 1-55164-204-2 $19.99
Hardcover ISBN: 1-55164-205-0 $48.99
Cultural Studies / Music
August 2002
For more
information on Norman Nawrocki and his band see:
http://www.nothingness.org/music/rhythm
