Chad Thomas Johnston
RIYL: Twin Peaks, David Lynch, camels, pop culture, a cast of characters large enough to satisfy Robert Altman, a plethora of parallel narratives, lots of swearing, Donnie Darko, Star Wars (especially "Return of the Jedi"), and black trenchcoats.
Twenty years ago, I wrote a novel called "The Dromedary," which was published in "episodes" on the Velvet Blue Music website. After the final installment, I requested that the book be removed from the site forever.
At first, I took "The Dromedary" out of circulation out of an egotistical desire to create a sense of mystery. But I kept "The Dromedary" out of circulation for the two decades that followed because I was embarrassed by it. I was 25 when I wrote it, and was feeling myself a little too much, and the book was excruciatingly overwritten—among many, many other things.
But a strange thing happened—over the years, every now and then, people would email me or DM me, looking for a copy of the novel. Every time, my response was the same: "No."
Well, in 2020, everything old is new again, and I started thinking—what if I could pull a Kanye, and "fix 'Wolves'"?
So I present "The Dromedary: 20th Anniversary Remaster." I've gone back through and toned down the purple prose, closed over some gaping plot holes, and made it a book that is more representative of who I am today.
Look: "The Dromedary" is never going to be a great work of fiction, because I am not a great fiction writer. But it made me happy to know some people enjoyed it so much they're still asking for it 20 years later. So, it's back for you to enjoy—every lame twist, cockeyed plot development, pointless diversion, shameless "Twin Peaks" rip-off, and obscure suburban Pennsylvania reference, but with marginally better writing.
It also comes with a brand new "Dromedary 2020" theme song, composed and performed by my brother Chris Keyes, a recording engineer and composer for commercials and television. Chris has worked with Laura Gibson, Matt Tong (Algiers), Sinkane, Kate Davis, and many others.
credits
released October 31, 2020
*** ALL PROCEEDS FROM "THE DROMEDARY: 20TH ANNIVERSARY REMASTER" WILL BE DONATED IN PERPETUITY TO BLACK LIVES MATTER AND THE NATIONAL NETWORK OF ABORTION FUNDS. ***
This edition contains:
* "Theme From Dromedary 2020" by Chris Keyes.
* The complete "Dromedary," included as a .pdf in your download on 10/31. It has been rewritten to tone down ridiculously purple prose, to make implausible plot points slightly less implausible, and to address plot holes in the original.
* A forward by me, explaining the history of "The Dromedary"
* "Dromedary Trivia," for the true heads, where I explain the origin of several plot points, characters, and ideas.
* Way more cursing.
* A few pointless characters have been excised from the original. You won't even notice they're gone.
J. Edward Keyes is a writer based in New York City. His work has appeared in Pitchfork, Rolling Stone, SPIN, the Village Voice, and other publications.
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