Weird switches đź”—
Another time-consuming but deeply rewarding home repair. I love my 43-year-old Technics SU-Z15 amplifier far too much to replace it, and I’ve no excus [...]
Simon Collison | Journal
Posts
RSS-only: Sakamoto Library đź”—
This is a private post, made available via my RSS feed. There’s no public version and no permalink. Please don’t share anything that follows. The grea [...]
Tokyo music haul đź”—
I’ve just returned from my third trip to Japan — my first in almost eight years. I have some general notes and photos to post when time allows. In the [...]
2025 in music đź”—
Here’s my 22nd annual roundup: sixty short reviews across five categories, plus shows, stats and playlists. It gets more ridiculous every year, but I [...]
Small plates and beautiful bowls đź”—
For this year’s office party (the two of us going for a posh meal), we returned to London’s Session Arts Club, having loved our lunch there in spring. [...]
Akiko Yano & Kosuke Mine đź”—
My signed copy of Iroha Ni Kompeito. I never expected to see Akiko Yano play live, let alone meet her and get an album signed. In case you don’t know, [...]
Radiohead at the O2 đź”—
From one of the best seats in the entire arena, I watched my favourite band for the fourth time. Within minutes, I knew this would be my all-time favo [...]
The line and the stream đź”—
...so many things I was taught to rely upon — jobs, industries, institutions, milestones, even seasons — feel like they’re being upended in front of m [...]
Stars of the Lid Forever đź”—
I love Jon Hicks’ new side project, Stars of the Lid Forever. It’s unofficial, but surviving member Adam Wiltzie gave Jon his blessing, and even provi [...]
Mani đź”—
It was a shock to learn that Mani had died suddenly. I’ll be forever grateful that my teens aligned with the rise of The Stone Roses in 1988–90, when [...]
The texture of the work đź”—
I’ve been drawing comfort from the way established artists will typically vanish for a while and suddenly re-appear with a fully-formed new body of wo [...]
Composing with field recordings đź”—
Musician Henry Claude asked me some questions for his field recording research project, and was kind enough to let me archive my detailed responses he [...]
Number 11 đź”—
Clockwise from top left: Mam and Dad (and an imminent me) in 1973; posing on my rabbit pushbike; Mam and Dad on the patio in the 2000s; home for Chris [...]
How much would you risk? đź”—
Guillermo del Toro discussing AI’s “semi-compelling screensavers” and how prompt-based output may never truly move us: The value of art is not how muc [...]
Grand Sumo at the Royal Albert Hall đź”—
Our view of the closing ceremony. After a decade as a sumo fan and a year of anticipation for the London event I was almost tearful watching the openi [...]
Eno on AI đź”—
All my misgivings about AI really are to do with the fact that it’s owned by a group of people that I don’t trust at all. I don’t trust their taste, I [...]
Reflecting on a summer of sound đź”—
A funding award enabled me to dedicate three months solely to developing my artistic practice — something I’ve been reflecting on these past few weeks [...]
The hunt đź”—
A potent reminder from Naz that friction has a purpose; to grow, we must hunt. We lost something along the way in pursuit of efficiency and this idea [...]
Jenny Saville: The Anatomy of Painting đź”—
Realising this exhibition was closing soon, I popped down to London’s National Portrait Gallery to see the work of a painter whose technical ability I [...]
Rob’s expanded edition 🔗
I knew Rob Weychert’s v7 redesign was torturing him but didn’t know why; I now realise it was all about the rebuild. If, like me, you’re obsessively c [...]
This Is What You Get đź”—
Radiohead’s music and art are inseparable, and a constant source of inspiration for me. I couldn’t miss this exhibition at The Ashmolean in Oxford. [...]
Andy Goldsworthy: Fifty Years đź”—
Ways of seeing and feeling that I first learned from land artists have remained invaluable. This extensive show offered a chance to reconnect with one [...]
Eighty years đź”—
Today marks eighty years since the devastating atomic bombing of Hiroshima. My song Paper Cranes documents an emotional visit to the peace museum and [...]
A few more days up North đź”—
It’s becoming a habit that we head up North each Summer. This time we spent a few days in remote Northumberland, before heading to Edinburgh, Glasgow [...]
The Hazards of Duke đź”—
When it comes to walking, I tend to use my own legs. But yesterday we entrusted forward momentum to two huge animals with their own brains. A ridiculo [...]
Deep listening: an afternoon of advanced sound discovery đź”—
My recent session with a field recording expert was truly ear-opening. If you’re curious how Greenwich sounds through shotgun mics, hydrophones, elect [...]
The new V&A East Storehouse đź”—
Inside the Storehouse from level 2. That glass floor is a lot of fun. Another hot and sweaty weekend in London, with prolonged highs of 30°C. The tem [...]
Delia’s sixth 🔗
Back to beautiful St. John’s in Carrington, where I played my second live show last summer. Delia’s sixth featured the wonderful Torn Sail (the new al [...]
Another week in Edale đź”—
We returned to the tiny cottage in Barber Booth we’d enjoyed for a few days last summer. I’d intended a week of field work, but the weather had other [...]
Inglorious đź”—
A male Hen Harrier. Uncredited photo from RSPB’s site. On our wild uplands, birds of prey continue to be killed in appalling ways or disappear in myst [...]