Cognitive Dissident may begin in the music biography tradition, but it quickly becomes something deeper. Borne 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 childhood growing up above one of East London’s most famous pubs, his early international success in music, followed by his sudden disappearance for decades. Then in 2017, The Inertia Variations project brought about an extraordinary creative rebirth, leading to THE THE’s return: The Comeback Special World 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.