Cognitive Dissident: Conversations with the The's Matt Johnson

By Matt Johnson and John Wood

Matt Johnson, lead singer of seminal post punk band, The The, bares all in this meditation on creativity, love and loss, with writer James Wood.

Cognitive Dissident may begin in the music biography tradition, but it quickly becomes something deeper. Born out of years of conversation and collaboration between Matt Johnson, the creative force behind THE THE, and writer Jason Wood (Executive Director at the BFI), it expands into a work that is philosophical, cultural, and socio-political in scope.

The story traces Johnson's period of reflection during The Inertia Variations project and follows the extraordinary creative rebirth that led to THE THE's return: The Comeback Special tour, live album and film, the release of Ensoulment - their first new album in 25 years -and the acclaimed Ensouled world tour. Along the way, it illuminates Johnson's evolution from the post-punk DIY scene to his many collaborations with producers, musicians, and cultural icons, as well as the influence of literature, art, and cinema that has always shaped his vision.

Through these conversations with Matt Johnson - a working-class auto-didact who achieved success and ultimately career control on his own terms - this book by extension is also a meditation on family, friendship, creativity, conservation, gentrification, geopolitics, love and loss.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1915841658
• ISBN13: 9781915841650
• Release Date: August 2026
• Publisher: Omnibus Press
• Length: 420 Pages