The Anarchist And The Devil Do Cabaret

Author: Norman Nawrocki

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, marginalized refugees 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 & humor. - New Internationalist, London

ISBN: 9781551642048