The Final Revival of Opal and Nev
by Dawnie Walton
“Sex and drugs and rock & roll is all my brain and body need.” - Ian Drury
“Sex and drugs and rock & roll” are elements in this fascinating novel, which is structured around a series of (fictional) interviews conducted by a fan of Afro-punk music. As a journalist working for a Rolling Stone-like magazine, her interviews ask about an upcoming reunion concert by a once-hot duo: Brit Nev and Black American Opal. Their last concert together, in 1971 (more than four decades before this novel’s present), ended in the tragic death a talented Black drummer who was their fri
As each chapter reveals interviewees’ recollections of events past and present, the reader comes to discover that this is not merely a story about two aging rockers reuniting. Each person’s memories reveal a web of complex, intertwined relationships among financial backers and promoters, musicians (including a southern boy band that flaunts a Confederate flag and invites Hells Angels to the concert), a fabulous clothing designer and other artists, lovers, muses, friends and rivals. Nearly every character is driven by their personal ambitions – often at someone else’s expense. Why did the drummer die that day? This is not merely a whodunnit. In the end, the question the question is who, among a cast of memorable characters, is not to blame, in this exhilarating and toxic stew of sex, drugs, rock & roll, racism, ambition and exploitation.
The Esplanade women who read and discussed Dawney Walton’s debut novel were drawn in by her characters and their words and actions. We look forward to reading more novels from this talented writer, and hope this one is turned into a movie with an amazing soundtrack.
Janis Gogan