By Monk
Acclaimed punk rock journalist, author and playwright Richard Cabut is to publish a new, expanded edition of his second novel next month.
Originally published in 2020, ‘Looking For A Kiss’ is set in the world of ’80s post-punk, with a story that follows the rollercoaster, drug- and music-fuelled life of protagonists Robert and Marlene as they negotiate their way through a world of sex, magic, chaos, acid, pop art, teenage perversity, breakdown, breakup, and ultimately breakout against the backdrops of Camden, Camberwell and New York.
Author Cabut began his career in music journalism at NME under the pen name Richard North, and is perhaps best known for coining the phrase ‘positive punk’ to describe the movement that was soon to influence goth. He recently co-edited and co-wrote the anthology ‘Punk is Dead: Modernity Killed Every Night’.
Speaking about ‘Looking For A Kiss’ and its revamped reissue, Cabut told us:
I wrote the novel during lockdown – a period which reminded me of the one following punk in the late 70s/early 80s, with vaguely that same sense of isolation, desolation, disappointment, and perfidy – yet with, over and above that, the utter need for rebirth. I wrote about a couple who had invested all their efforts and emotions into the idea of punk but at its end had lost track of their personal and cultural arcs, which are intertwined.
Following the initial release [in] 2020, I wanted to add new text, photos and artwork to enhance the narrative,ncluding additional non-fiction pieces about the novel’s punk, positive punk and post-punk background, as well as further original diary entries.
‘Looking For A Kiss‘ will be published in both hardback and paperback by PC-Press on 15 June, with a launch event at the Horse Hospital in Bloomsbury, which will feature Cabut in conversation with music journalist Ann Scanlon (Louder Than War/Sounds). Also joining the evening will be author and journalist Cathi Unsworth, who will also launch and discuss her book, ‘Season of the Witch: The Book Of Goth’.