The Look of Love: The Life and Times of Paul Raymond, Soho’s King of Clubs

Tuesday, May 21st
7.00-9.00pm

The Society Club, 12 Ingestre Place, London W1F 0JF

Join The Society Club as we welcome Paul Willetts, acclaimed biographer and author of The Look of Love: The Life and Times of Paul Raymond, Soho’s King of Clubs

Celebrated chronicler of Soho bohemia, Paul Willetts, will be discussing his tragic-comic biography of Paul Raymond, on which the stylish new Michael Winterbottom movie is based. Raymond—often labelled by the press as “the King of Soho”—was one of post-war Britain’s most scandalous celebrities, probably best-known as the founder of the Raymond Revuebar, the glamorous strip-club that attracted everyone from Judy Garland to the Beatles.

“This fascinating study is as much a history of London’s square mile of vice as an account of one man’s life… Thoroughly researched and extremely well-written, this is an impressive book. Not since John Dickie’s Cosa Nostra have I read anything that exerts such hypnotic fascination for its sometimes repellent subject.” (The Observer)

Paul Willetts is the author of two previous, much-praised works of non-fiction, Fear and Loathing in Fitzrovia and North Soho 999. Alongside these, he has edited four much-praised collections of writing by the bohemian dandy, Julian Maclaren-Ross, who was the subject of Fear and Loathing in Fitzrovia, widely nominated as one of the “Books of 2003”. He also devised and worked as co-photographer on Teenage Flicks, a jokey celebration of Subbuteo, featuring contributions by Will Self, David Baddiel and others. His journalism has appeared in The Independent, The Guardian, The Daily Telegraph and elsewhere.

We are in the happy possession of three, very rare, signed Charles Bukowski books.  For sale at The Shop, now.

HAM ON RYE.  Can you believe it?   This coming-of-age ‘autobiographical novel’ is one of Bukowski’s best and most famous.   Stunning hardback with plastic clear jacket.  Black Sparrow edition.   Signed.

As you know, Black Sparrow hardbacks are scare.   And each book is signed by the man himself, Charles Bukowski.

These are special books.  We only have these three, so first come, first served.

For questions or to buy the books – simply email us babette@thesocietyclub.com , call 02074371433 or stop-in.

Wednesday, May 22^nd
6:30 – 9:00pm
£5 on the door

Come to The Society Club for an Evening of Songs & Words with Richard Strange & Rupert Thomson

Thomson & Strange present two short sets of songs & readings.   The first set based around Rupert Thomson’s award-winning memoir, “This Party’s Got to Stop”, with the second around Thomson’s highly acclaimed new novel, “Secrecy”.  The multi-talented Richard Strange will perform a few covers inspired by the readings, and also some new songs of his own.

Rupert Thomson’s newest novel, Secrecy, is out now, and was recently hailed by The Independent as “breath-stopping tension on the edge of bliss or dread. No one else writes quite like this in Britain today.”

Books will be available for purchase on the night

A night of short story readings, conversations & wine

Saturday, May 25th
6-8pm
The Society Club
12 Ingestre Place
W1F0JF
£10 on the door
RSVP here

Soak up all the atmosphere of London’s most intimate literary event in the company of master storytellers.  This month their tales will take you from the heart of Soho to the further reaches of the imagination.

Helen Simpson is the author of five collections of stories, the most recent of which is In-Flight Entertainment.
Ben Fountain is the author of Brief Encounters with Che Guevara and has received several notable awards.
Roshi Fernando is the author of Homesick, a series of interlinked short stories about a community of Sri Lankan immigrants in London.
Anna Stothard is a novelist and travel writer.  Her latest book, The Art of Leaving, has just been published.

Absinthe, Delirium and Rimbaud’s Punk Attitude

An intimate talk about Rimbaud by legendary writer/poet/performer Jeremy Reed

Tuesday, 30^th April
7pm-9pm

The Society Club
12 Ingestre Place
Soho W1F0JF

£5 on the door

Join us as we welcome poet/writer/performer Jeremy Reed as he discusses Rimbaud at The Society Club.

Described by Edmund White as ‘the British Rimbaud’, Jeremy Reed will be talking about Rimbaud’s delirious altered state poetry in which hallucinated beauty substitutes for reality, as well as reading some major recreations of some of Rimbaud’s best poems like ‘Le Bateau ivre’, and discussing his subversive impact on counterculture writing and punk rock.

Reed is London’s foremost poet, called by Pete Doherty ‘a legend’ and by JG Ballard, ‘extra-terrestrial in his brilliance. Every time he goes out he makes the dust sing.’

A selection of books will be available on the night for purchase.

A night of short stories, conversation and wine.

Saturday, 27th April
6-8pm
The Society Club
12 Ingestre Place, Soho W1F0JF

£10 on the door.

Word Factory is delighted to welcome you to an evening with the extraordinary Lionel Shriver – novelist, journalist and superlative short story writer.   Lionel will read from a selection of her work including her new novel Big Brother – an exploration of relationships, obesity and our relationship with obesity – and discuss with Cathy Galvin.   All questions before and during the event are welcome.   Expect strong opinions.

RSVP here

Lionel Shriver
Also a widely published journalist, Lionel Shriver is the author of ten novels, including the New York Times bestsellers So Much for All That (a finalist for the 2010 National Book Award and the Wellcome Trust Book Prize) and The Post-Birthday World (Entertainment Weekly’s 2007 Book of the Year).   Winner of the 2005 Orange prize, the international bestseller We Need to Talk About Kevin was adapted for a feature film by Lynne Ramsay in 2011.  Her eleventh novel, Big Brother, is published next month.  Her work has been translated into 28 languages.

Last week, during the London Book Fair, the new e-book publisher Frisch & Co. held their launch event at The Society Club.   Good friends of ours, Frisch & Co aim to publish literature in translation, in hopes of gaining readerships for some excellent writers.  Please go and check out their website…

The first title is Anna Kim’s Anatomy of a Night

“This book tells of love and of the imposed state of unrequited love; of the strength of memory; of the continual withdrawal into loneliness; and of all the resulting consequences. . . Among the most exciting and beautiful German language texts in recent years.” —sandammeer.at

Dear Readers,

In order to encourage my habit of spouting off in public, they have me reading from past Stool Pigeon columns and recounting some recent adventures in my favorite little dirty Soho bookshop, The Society Club.

Once a month you can come get yelled at in an intimate setting.  I’ll perform a couple tunes, play some filthy vinyl, and we’ll all be served great cocktails by the eccentric staff.

First one is on Tuesday, April 23rd.   That’s soon.    35 tickets only, so best get in there.

Many thanks for reading.

Son of Dave

RSVP/BUY TICKETS HERE