Special Rider Talks: Justin Robertson In Conversation with David Keenan
Join DJ and author Justin Robertson in conversation with writer David Keenan as they dive into each other’s work, including Justin’s latest novel The Trial of Jonah and David’s new collection Volcanic Tongue.
The Trial of Jonah follows a surreal journey through time, from Roman Britain to the birth of Acid House, from the arcades of Slough to the court of King John — with detours to Manchester chip shops and stranger places still.
Volcanic Tongue is the first-ever collection of music writing by the multi-award-winning David Keenan who is also the author of five other books, including the acclaimed This Is Memorial Device.
Expect mind-bending stories, musical tangents, DJ mythologies, and sharp, offbeat conversation.
Free of charge — but please register in advance to avoid disappointment!
Praise for Justin Robertson
“The Trial of Jonah has the humour and the heart, the meaning and the mixtapes. It is a novel of great brilliance and charm, reaching into the core of an England that is seldom captured in fiction. The book is a stylish path to self-knowledge for those who recognise the weird interzones of contemporary Britain. In a world where existential comedy meets the certainty of death, where the suburbs can be granted their poetry and their sound, a novel has arisen which pulses with a magical sense of freedom.”
Andrew O’Hagan
“A hallucinatory memoir of the twentieth century and beyond by a time-travelling head, The Trial of Jonah is a book that is truly stranger than fiction.”
David Keenan
“A writer of fierce and vivid imagination. A promising new star of dark fantasy.”
Michael Moorcock
Praise for David Keenan
"[Volcanic Tongue] A celebration of obsessives, misfits and single-minded outsiders, itʼs a chunky tome that could make readers question their ideas of what good music is and what itʼs for, and give them the sense of a whole world of extraordinary sounds waiting to be discovered."
The Herald
'Keenan is an insightful guide in breaching these hitherto impenetrable worlds . . . [his] mythopoeic gift is given free rein'
The Wire
'[Keenan] belongs to an erudite tradition set out by his heroes, legendary music critic Lester Bangs and beat poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti'
The Scotsman
EVENT DETAILS:
📍 Where: Arch 156, Shepherd’s Bush Market, W12 8DF (Enter via Uxbridge Road)
📅 When: May 8th | 7:30 – 10:00 PM
🎟 Price: Free
