Deserter Presents: Shirk, Rest and Play
By Andrew Grumbridge and Vincent Raison
50,000 words that will change your life - or your money back.*
Publication date: 01 September 2022
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Deserter presents… Shirk, Rest & Play, an illustrated self-help book for wannabe drop-outs, dreamers, slackers, gadabouts, smokers, jokers and midnight tokers. Ideal for holidays, birthdays and Christmas (unsuitable for Lent).
Addressing all walks of life, the authors and their panoply of wastrel acquaintances (first encountered in Today South London, Tomorrow South London, Unbound, 2018) offer ruminations on how to see beauty in the ordinary, lessons in tactical slacking and advice on how to get more out of life by doing less.
Illustrated once again by Emily Medley, the book covers all aspects of life, starting with Work and how to avoid it, before moving smartly through Leisure, Home, Money, Health, Beauty and, of course, Death, where even amidst the tears and sadness, you can still find plates of mini-burgers.
Taking things easy has long been known as an antidote to stress and a path to happiness. This, then, is a book for all times. But perhaps it is particularly relevant now.
The advent of Covid-19 has made many of us realise that there is more to life than slog, obligation and suffering. Whether it’s working from home, being furloughed, reduced working hours or even being made redundant, we have been offered a tantalising glimpse of a life with less graft, more free time and the opportunity to take lunch in bed. And many of us have no desire to return to the previous life, thank you very much.
The cat is out of the bag: work isn’t good for you, there is a magic money tree, you can turn roads into bars… But how can we implement these new learnings in the real world? How do we embrace this opportunity, navigate from the philosophical to the practical and wrest back control of our fleeting lives?
If only there was some sort of guide book. One available in all good book shops, for £9.99.
Introducing the ultimate slacker bible, Shirk, Rest & Play. This, by the way, is our working title. If you have a better idea, let us know at hello@deserter.co.uk
*Subject to completing the refund form. Also, may only be 40,000 words.
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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.
- 30th June 2021 Writing update
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 2021 Fully Funded Thank YousSerious 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 2021 Family News Round RobinWe’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 2021 Progress and a live appearanceHello!
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 2020 Rewards in This Life by Dirty SouthIf 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 2020 Dulwich Raider in PicturesBy 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 2020 Me and My GrowlerAs 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 2020 Thank 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…
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Frances Buckley
Sam Sherburn
Vicky Warner
Stanislav Nikolov
Hugh Keogh
Graham Tomlinson
Michaela Benkova
Andrea Rieger
Derek Oakley
Xander Cansell
Christopher Clawson
deb green
Jessica Tyler
Roger Miles
Michael Davies
Akane Vallery Uchida
Gary Stewart
Peter Campbell
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