Jon Ronson on Family and the Extraordinary Story Behind The Castle

Jon Ronson joins Nabil Ayers on Identified for a conversation about family, fatherhood, growing up in Wales, finding his identity as a writer, and the strange series of events that ultimately led to his new book, The Castle.

Jon traces his story back to Cardiff, where he grew up feeling like a square peg in a round hole. He remembers being dropped off alone at a Specials concert at just 12 years old, pretending to faint so he could get over the barrier, and unexpectedly meeting Terry Hall backstage.

He talks about escaping Cardiff for London, discovering journalism, writing for Smash Hits, The Guardian and Time Out, and the unlikely turn that took him into Manchester’s music scene as the manager of The Man From Delmonte and keyboard player for the legendary Frank Sidebottom.

Jon also opens up about his family: an often-absent father who later apologized, his parents’ award-winning Welsh hotel, an extraordinary family portrait that went spectacularly wrong, his marriage, and his relationship with his son.

And then, there is The Castle...

Jon tells Nabil about waking up to a series of alarming texts from his son after he and his friends had been lured to a mysterious castle several hours outside New York. What happened there eventually sent Jon himself to the castle, which crafted the orgins of his latest book.

Guest: Jon Ronson
Host: Nabil Ayers
Executive Producer: Kieron Banerji
Produced by Palm Tree Island

-

00:00 Jon Ronson's Son and the Mysterious Castle
01:25 Growing Up Jewish in Cardiff
03:55 Childhood, Fear and Freedom
04:51 Meeting Terry Hall at 12 Years Old
07:15 Escaping to London
09:18 Leaving Cardiff and Finding Journalism
11:39 Jon's Relationship With His Father
13:15 The Extraordinary Ronson Family Portrait
18:36 Returning to Wales
19:03 Getting His First Break as a Writer
20:18 Frank Sidebottom and the Manchester Music Scene
23:37 Marriage, Fatherhood and Moving to New York
25:21 The True Story Behind The Castle
28:18 What Family Means to Jon Ronson

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.