Hard-boiled detective fiction meets the spirit of improvisational jazz in Corbett’s debut novel about two music lovers in search of a missing record
Published with Soberscove Press.
Invoking the language of classic noir and elements of a whodunit in a unique form of fact-fiction, the narrative of John Corbett's first novel is set amid a complex of nested anecdotes, touching along the way on deeper questions about love and loss, the phantasmagoria of the archive and various flavors of freedom. Want List follows the exploits of two music fans—a record collector and a tape trader—whose friendship is predicated on a network of artist names and recording sessions, as well as the myriad stories that haunt each of their beloved mediums. John Corbett is a writer, curator and co-owner of Corbett vs. Dempsey, an art gallery and record label in Chicago. He is the author of several books, most recently Bullets for Dead Hoods, Pick Up the Pieces, Microgroove and A Listener's Guide to Free Improvisation.
STATUS: Forthcoming | 10/27/2026
This title is not yet published in the U.S. To pre-order or receive notice when the book is available, please email orders @ artbook.com
Hard-boiled detective fiction meets the spirit of improvisational jazz in Corbett’s debut novel about two music lovers in search of a missing record
Published with Soberscove Press.
Invoking the language of classic noir and elements of a whodunit in a unique form of fact-fiction, the narrative of John Corbett's first novel is set amid a complex of nested anecdotes, touching along the way on deeper questions about love and loss, the phantasmagoria of the archive and various flavors of freedom. Want List follows the exploits of two music fans—a record collector and a tape trader—whose friendship is predicated on a network of artist names and recording sessions, as well as the myriad stories that haunt each of their beloved mediums.
John Corbett is a writer, curator and co-owner of Corbett vs. Dempsey, an art gallery and record label in Chicago. He is the author of several books, most recently Bullets for Dead Hoods, Pick Up the Pieces, Microgroove and A Listener's Guide to Free Improvisation.
