Blackwell’s bookshop is delighted to be working with White Rabbit Books to bring Richard Norris to Manchester for the launch of his stunning new memoir STRANGE THINGS ARE HAPPENING: Adventures in Music. Richard will be in conversation with Dave Haslam.

This event is being held at the International Anthony Burgess Foundation.

Doors: 6.00, starts: 6.30

Tickets are £5.00 or free when ordering a copy of the book. STRANGE THINGS ARE HAPPENING will also be available to purchase on the night and Richard will be signing copies after the talk. If you would like a signed copy but cannot make the event, please contact us on 0161 274 3331 or manchester@blackwell.co.uk and we can arrange this for you.

About the book:

‘The rainbow reaches right across the sky, for miles and miles, and has landed right in the middle of our field. My­ mother, Alison, is standing at the beginning. I’m sure it’s a beginning, rather than the end, as there’s no pot of gold in sight. The point where everything forms or, perhaps, is not quite formed as yet. That’s my favourite place. A place alive with possibility.’

Strange Things Are Happening begins with the wonder of that rainbow, and continues with many escapades down the rabbit hole. From punk and the beginnings of the DIY scene, through Acid House, psychedelia, the rise of electronic dance music and much more, Richard Norris has been involved in countless countercultural revolutions. From misadventures in Amsterdam with Timothy Leary, with Sun Ra at customs, and Shaun Ryder in Joe Strummer’s beaten up Cadillac in Tijuana, to his extraordinarily influential output in The Grid and Beyond The Wizards Sleeve, Richard Norris’ story is one of collaboration and community, fuelled by relentless psychedelic curiosity.

Strange Things Are Happening is a record of a life lived in the moment, forever in thrall to discovery, exploration and innovation – the search for what lies at the other end of that rainbow.