Have you forgotten how to relax and enjoy yourself? Do you run around in circles mistaking dizziness for happiness? Your troubles are over, for you hold in your hands the means to take control of your destiny, to turn your back on obligation and conformity, or at least hide from them in the toilets for a bit.
Shirk, Rest and Play is a comprehensive illustrated handbook for wannabe drop-outs, dreamers, drifters and gadabouts. Authors Andrew Grumbridge and Vincent Raison – along with their panoply of wastrel acquaintances – offer ruminations about finding beauty in the ordinary, lessons in tactical slacking and detailed advice on how to get more out of life by doing less.
They cover all aspects of modern existence, moving smartly through Childhood, Work, Leisure, Home, Money, Health & Beauty and, of course, Death, where even amid the tears and sadness, you can still find plates of mini-burgers.
This book is the call to arms you’ve been waiting for, giving you all the tips, shortcuts and (de)motivation you need to duck out of the system and live life on your own terms.
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Andrew Grumbridge
Vincent Raison
Andrew Grumbidge and Vincent Raison founded the lifestyle blog, Deserter, in 2014 to pass on their learnings so that future generations could avoid the evils of hard work, ambition and sobriety. Early seminal pieces like How To Do Fuck All and Great Train Journeys: London Bridge to Charing Cross led to a loyal, but lazy following of like-minded individuals and, within a year, to the brewing of Deserter IPA, a mouth-watering alternative to writing.
Nevertheless, the blog led to the acclaimed alt-travel book Today South London, Tomorrow South London (Unbound, 2018), an Amazon Travel Best Seller and the London Evening Standard Comedy Book of the Year, plus appearances on BBC Radio and numerous park benches.
The Deserter Pubcast has been lauded as an ‘essential’ listen by both The Sunday Times and Esquire magazine but now the authors turn their attention back to publishing and to providing a blueprint for a happy life, shorn of duty and deference and filled with celebration and sausage rolls; to the three commandments: Shirk, Rest and Play.
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After many gruelling weeks of dreaming, drinking, walking, wondering... and then sitting down and actually writing something, we are now just days away from completing the first draft of the manuscript of Shirk, Rest & Play - the ultimate guide to getting more out of your life by doing less, worrying less and leaning on lamp posts.
We look forward to sharing the results with you in the near future…
22nd March 2021Fully Funded Thank Yous
Serious thanks to every one of you for backing Shirk, Rest and Play and ensuring this book actually happens. We really appreciate it.
We’d like to say we will repay your support with honest hard work, but many of you know us.
We will, though, keep you up to date on progress with the book and when we will be able to fulfill those rewards. Most rewards need to wait until publication, but…
14th March 2021Family News Round Robin
We’ve reached the final stages of our book’s crowdfunding campaign thanks to a lot of lovely people and we’re now aiming to hit 100% by World Sleep Day (March 19), when we can put our feet up and relax. Consequently we’re having one last burst of reminding anyone who meant to pledge, but hasn’t got round to it - because let’s face it, we have a lot in common with those people - that this is the time…
18th January 2021Progress and a live appearance
Hello!
Thank you to everyone who has pledged so far and got us to 70%. We're getting worried we may have to actually write this book.
If you fancy a taste of what you've signed up for, we are doing a live reading tonight (Monday, 18th Jan) for Brixton BookJam. Just follow the link. It's completely free. We're on at 8pm.
It should be fun, not least as Dirty South has committed to removing…
13th December 2020Rewards in This Life by Dirty South
If there’s one thing we stand for at Deserter, it’s rewarding yourself at every opportunity. Why delay gratification? Why not gratify immediately, and if necessary, gratify yourself some more later?
The mantra ‘You’ll be rewarded in Heaven,’ is the oldest scam in the book. What the Bible essentially says is: ‘You’re going to get fuck all from this life. Don't complain and we’ll sort you out…
7th December 2020Dulwich Raider in Pictures
By Dulwich Raider
Anyone looking for pictures of me naked is, I’m afraid, going to be disappointed. Those pictures remain in the Met Police vaults until my caution is lifted in 2023.
No, here I propose to talk about some of the illustrations done for our first book, Today South London, Tomorrow South London, as drawn by Emily Medley. We’re delighted that Emily has agreed to illustrate, our…
30th November 2020Me and My Growler
As the Dulwich Raider has said so forcibly, we have pubs to defend. You could say, a way of life to defend.
OK, we’re not exactly fending off the Luftwaffe, but the ever-changing restrictions on the hospitality industry pose a similar level of existential threat to our most treasured institution: the public house.
As is revealed in the Health & Beauty chapter of our new book, Shirk…
27th November 2020Thank you!
Hello and a massive thank you for having pledged for Shirk, Rest and Play!
After three days we are at 30% funding which is great to see. Who knows, this time next year you may be holding the book in your hand, with, hopefully, a glass of something nice in the other.
Incidentally, today (Friday) we are offering a 25% discount on our rewards so if you are minded to upgrade your pledge or perhaps…
