John Higgs's Octannual Manual #37
New book incoming
It’s that time already. My next book LOVE AND LET DIE is on shelves next month, and it is available for pre-order now. Here’s what it looks like:
This is the UK edition. If you’re in the US or Canada, it will be with you in February 2023, and it will look like this:
What can I tell you about it? It’s the story of two clashing world views that took the form of implausible global culture-shaping phenomena. These both emerged on the same windy Friday nearly sixty years ago - on 5 October 1962. Telling their stories together offers a wealth of new insights and perspectives about this strange split country - along with its strengths, its delusions and its place in the world. You don’t have to be heavily invested in either Bond or the Beatles, I think, to get a lot out of this.
There’s an extra treat for those who choose the audiobook - after my reading, there’s a special edition of I Am The Eggpod at the end, in which host Chris Shaw interviews me about Bond and the Beatles. If you are new to this podcast and have any interest in the Beatles, I wholeheartedly recommend it - it manages to capture how inclusive and joyful the world of Beatle fandom can be, especially in comparison to other modern fandoms. If you’re curious, here’s a previous episode with me as a guest talking about the Fireman album Rushes, which pleasingly people still ask me about, and also one where I talk - well, gush, forgive me - about the Beatles singles.
For those who don’t go for the audiobook, don’t worry - this special episode will also be available to supporters of the Eggpod Patreon.
You’ll forgive me for saying that pre-ordering really, really helps authors and the launch of books. If you are in anyway tempted and I can persuade you to pre-order, you will have my immense gratitude. Many thanks in advance!
PLAYLIST
To help get you in the mood while you wait for release, here’s a LOVE AND LET DIE Spotify playlist for you to enjoy. It’s not a bunch of Bond themes and Beatles songs, and it’s not a literal playlist, but tonally and spiritually it should capture something of the book. There’s some real treats in there, and a guaranteed Proustian rush for anyone who played GoldenEye N64 back in the day. It is also includes an a cappella cover of Revolution #9 and, come on, who doesn’t need to hear that?
OTHER BOOKS
Before you spend your pennies I should say that there are some other books coming out around the same time, at least two of which are amazing. And - not to brag - I get to interview both of their authors soon.
The first is INDUSTRY OF MAGIC & LIGHT - David Keenan’s prequel to his now-cult classic THIS IS MEMORIAL DEVICE. Here’s what I had to say about it:
If you’ve ever heard David Keenan in conversation - you’ll want to hear him again, that’s for sure. I’m interviewing him at the book launch at the Social in London on Aug 22nd - tickets are here.
And then there’s WHAT REMAINS?, the memoir of the radical natural death undertaker Ru Callender. This is a powerful and unforgettable book. It rips the faux-Victorian corporate funeral world to shreds, and it contains good medicine for anyone struggling to process the true emotional weight of loss. Ru is absolutely the person I would want to look after my funeral, were it not for the fact that I fully intend to outlive the swine.
The book also talks about Ru’s work building a pyramid of the dead with the KLF. Here’s some tiny soundbites where me and other early readers try to convince you to read it:
Come join us at the Caught By The River Day Out, on 10 September in Kingston near Lewes, Sussex. Details and tickets are here.
I realise that this is a much shorter newsletter than normal - although it has taken me twice as long to write as normal, thanks to the joys of Covid. I can see why everyone uses the term “brain fog” to describe this feeling, but it reminds me of that scene in the original Star Wars when C-3PO first meets Luke Skywalker and he says something like, “If you don’t mind I’m just going to switch myself off for a bit”. As a kid I always thought that was incredibly cool - not the being off bit, but just how comfortable C-3PO was with the intent to switch off.
So, I’m now just going to switch myself off for a bit. I can, however, leave you with my chat with Adam Buxton on his podcast - so that’s something, at least. Enjoy!
And - what’s that? You want the pre-order link for Love And Let Die Again? Sure, that’s no problem, you’ll find it here.
jhx
