Strange Things Are Happening

Leafy St Albans is an unlikely starting point for one of the great psychedelic/acid house musicians of his generation, but like so many others who brought radical change to the counterculture, Richard Norris's story starts in the suburbs.

Strange Things are Happening documents the journey of Richard Norris, from a background which feels like that of a 'psychedelic Adrian Mole' to producing the UK's first acid house album, 'Jack the Tab', being one of the first 'faces' on the scene at Shoom and Spectrum during the First Summer of Love, finding international fame with The Grid in the early 90s, and working with Joe Strummer.

Embracing a psychedelic lifestyle along the way, Strange Things are Happening is a funny, improbable and frequently wild journey down the rabbit hole. As a writer, musician, producer, remixer, promoter, DJ and label manager, Richard Norris has been involved in almost every aspect of music and its business for many decades. This is an insider's tale of inspiration and collaboration, working with some of the most iconic artists in music and beyond. We travel to basement acid parties in London to ten thousand strong raves in Ibiza. From Amsterdam with Timothy Leary, to Tijuana with Joe Strummer, in his beat up 1955 Cadillac. To the customs hall at Heathrow with Sun Ra, and ever on. From selling 200 seven-inch singles over the counter at Rough Trade to producing one of the earliest acid house albums, to Top Of The Pops and back again, it's a celebration of creativity and passion, of chance meetings turning into lifelong friendships, and of what is possible with an independent spirit, with an open mind and heart. Not quite Do It Yourself, more Do It Yourselves - a testimony to how small groups of people can affect and change the cultural landscape; a story about doing what you love and being eternally curious about the inevitable occupational dead ends and wrong turns that happen when you jump in headfirst, and what is learnt from them.