Dawnie Walton’s ‘The Final Revival of Opal & Nev’

Pop Literacy

Dawnie Walton’s debut novel The Final Revival of Opal & Nev is getting terrific reviews: “Feels truer and more mesmerizing than some true stories. It’s a packed time capsule that doubles as a stick of dynamite,” said The New York Times. “One of the most immersive novels I’ve ever read….This is a thrilling work of polyphony—a first novel, that reads like the work of an old hand,” said Ta-Nehisi Coates.

And for good reason. This faux oral history of a ‘70s rock duo undone by a starring role in a racially charged concert incident reads like the best nonfiction pop culture opuses. In this episode, we talk to Walton about the real-life inspirations behind Black punk goddess Opal and white songwriter Nev, why music and politics are often intertwined, and the intriguing historical echoes between the book’s central duo and the post-Wardrobe Malfunction careers of Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake. We also recommend our favorite books (and a few movies) about the music industry.

Resource links:

• Dawnie Walton’s official website
• The Final Revival of Opal & Nev
• Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid
• Audrey Wait by Robin Benway
• Juliet, Naked by Nick Hornby