Kirk Hamilton
@kirkhamilton.com
I make music and podcasts. Host of Strong Songs 🎶 and Triple Click 👾
strongsongspodcast.com
tripleclickpodcast.com
KirksNotes.com
Profile pic: Alicia J. Rose
strongsongspodcast.com
tripleclickpodcast.com
KirksNotes.com
Profile pic: Alicia J. Rose
Pinned
how do you know what I expect
January 6, 2026 at 7:55 PM
how do you know what I expect
Reposted by Kirk Hamilton
I wrote about podcasting’s ongoing pivot to video, and the power of listening without also watching:
Podcasts: They're For Your Ears
"A voice can fill your consciousness"
www.kirksnotes.com
January 2, 2026 at 6:32 PM
I wrote about podcasting’s ongoing pivot to video, and the power of listening without also watching:
Every game should do this!
January 4, 2026 at 4:09 AM
Every game should do this!
How many different ways can a single paragraph tell you it was written by AI
January 3, 2026 at 12:10 AM
How many different ways can a single paragraph tell you it was written by AI
I wrote about podcasting’s ongoing pivot to video, and the power of listening without also watching:
Podcasts: They're For Your Ears
"A voice can fill your consciousness"
www.kirksnotes.com
January 2, 2026 at 6:32 PM
I wrote about podcasting’s ongoing pivot to video, and the power of listening without also watching:
Reposted by Kirk Hamilton
The final Calvin and Hobbes, which appeared in papers 30 years ago today.
December 31, 2025 at 5:00 PM
The final Calvin and Hobbes, which appeared in papers 30 years ago today.
Reposted by Kirk Hamilton
Just watched the new Knives Out and I think it's really important you know that the scene in the Seminary's Gym is filmed in the same place Rick Astley filmed the music video for Never Gonna Give You Up.
I saw the window tracery and immediately made my friends pause the film so I could tell them.
I saw the window tracery and immediately made my friends pause the film so I could tell them.
December 29, 2025 at 1:11 PM
Just watched the new Knives Out and I think it's really important you know that the scene in the Seminary's Gym is filmed in the same place Rick Astley filmed the music video for Never Gonna Give You Up.
I saw the window tracery and immediately made my friends pause the film so I could tell them.
I saw the window tracery and immediately made my friends pause the film so I could tell them.
Reposted by Kirk Hamilton
The 5 words every woman wants to hear
December 10, 2025 at 5:25 AM
The 5 words every woman wants to hear
Reposted by Kirk Hamilton
My top 10 video games of 2025, in order of name length:
Dispatch
Sunderfolk
Blue Prince
Split Fiction
News Tower
Donkey Kong Bananza
Hollow Knight: Silksong
The Roottrees Are Dead
Kingdom Come: Deliverance II
The Hundred Line: Last Defense Academy
Discussed in depth on this week’s Triple Click!
Dispatch
Sunderfolk
Blue Prince
Split Fiction
News Tower
Donkey Kong Bananza
Hollow Knight: Silksong
The Roottrees Are Dead
Kingdom Come: Deliverance II
The Hundred Line: Last Defense Academy
Discussed in depth on this week’s Triple Click!
Our Favorite Video Games of 2025 | Maximum Fun
Kirk, Maddy, and Jason cap off 2025 with a hearty discussion of the year’s best games.
maximumfun.org
December 27, 2025 at 12:22 AM
My top 10 video games of 2025, in order of name length:
Dispatch
Sunderfolk
Blue Prince
Split Fiction
News Tower
Donkey Kong Bananza
Hollow Knight: Silksong
The Roottrees Are Dead
Kingdom Come: Deliverance II
The Hundred Line: Last Defense Academy
Discussed in depth on this week’s Triple Click!
Dispatch
Sunderfolk
Blue Prince
Split Fiction
News Tower
Donkey Kong Bananza
Hollow Knight: Silksong
The Roottrees Are Dead
Kingdom Come: Deliverance II
The Hundred Line: Last Defense Academy
Discussed in depth on this week’s Triple Click!
My top 10 video games of 2025, in order of name length:
Dispatch
Sunderfolk
Blue Prince
Split Fiction
News Tower
Donkey Kong Bananza
Hollow Knight: Silksong
The Roottrees Are Dead
Kingdom Come: Deliverance II
The Hundred Line: Last Defense Academy
Discussed in depth on this week’s Triple Click!
Dispatch
Sunderfolk
Blue Prince
Split Fiction
News Tower
Donkey Kong Bananza
Hollow Knight: Silksong
The Roottrees Are Dead
Kingdom Come: Deliverance II
The Hundred Line: Last Defense Academy
Discussed in depth on this week’s Triple Click!
Our Favorite Video Games of 2025 | Maximum Fun
Kirk, Maddy, and Jason cap off 2025 with a hearty discussion of the year’s best games.
maximumfun.org
December 27, 2025 at 12:22 AM
My top 10 video games of 2025, in order of name length:
Dispatch
Sunderfolk
Blue Prince
Split Fiction
News Tower
Donkey Kong Bananza
Hollow Knight: Silksong
The Roottrees Are Dead
Kingdom Come: Deliverance II
The Hundred Line: Last Defense Academy
Discussed in depth on this week’s Triple Click!
Dispatch
Sunderfolk
Blue Prince
Split Fiction
News Tower
Donkey Kong Bananza
Hollow Knight: Silksong
The Roottrees Are Dead
Kingdom Come: Deliverance II
The Hundred Line: Last Defense Academy
Discussed in depth on this week’s Triple Click!
Reposted by Kirk Hamilton
I’m from Whoville, and I say kill the Grinch!
December 25, 2025 at 10:29 PM
I’m from Whoville, and I say kill the Grinch!
A few things I wrote recently that I never shared here -
First up, how musical practice helps me better understand difficult games like Celeste and Silksong:
First up, how musical practice helps me better understand difficult games like Celeste and Silksong:
Practicing Difficulty
Two very different art forms embrace mastery through repetition
www.kirksnotes.com
December 22, 2025 at 8:01 PM
A few things I wrote recently that I never shared here -
First up, how musical practice helps me better understand difficult games like Celeste and Silksong:
First up, how musical practice helps me better understand difficult games like Celeste and Silksong:
Reposted by Kirk Hamilton
So long, Substack! I've moved my newsletter, Kirk's Notes, to a new home with its own URL and everything. I wrote about that, along with some other plans for 2026: www.kirksnotes.com/p/new-home-n...
New Home, New Plans, New Year, NewsLETTER
Some big and small changes for 2026
www.kirksnotes.com
December 19, 2025 at 5:20 PM
So long, Substack! I've moved my newsletter, Kirk's Notes, to a new home with its own URL and everything. I wrote about that, along with some other plans for 2026: www.kirksnotes.com/p/new-home-n...
So long, Substack! I've moved my newsletter, Kirk's Notes, to a new home with its own URL and everything. I wrote about that, along with some other plans for 2026: www.kirksnotes.com/p/new-home-n...
New Home, New Plans, New Year, NewsLETTER
Some big and small changes for 2026
www.kirksnotes.com
December 19, 2025 at 5:20 PM
So long, Substack! I've moved my newsletter, Kirk's Notes, to a new home with its own URL and everything. I wrote about that, along with some other plans for 2026: www.kirksnotes.com/p/new-home-n...
This is a fantastic interview in general, but the realness of this particular answer stopped me cold
November 28, 2025 at 5:48 PM
This is a fantastic interview in general, but the realness of this particular answer stopped me cold
Reposted by Kirk Hamilton
i’m so happy for him
November 26, 2025 at 10:48 PM
i’m so happy for him
Reposted by Kirk Hamilton
“Most art doesn't appeal to everyone. Most art isn't mainstream. It's in some way niche and that's okay. Not everything should be mainstream. Actually trying to be mainstream can ruin a lot of art. Thank God we don't all have to be mainstream"
@kirkhamilton.com
postgame.substack.com/p/18-reasons...
@kirkhamilton.com
postgame.substack.com/p/18-reasons...
November 24, 2025 at 5:12 PM
“Most art doesn't appeal to everyone. Most art isn't mainstream. It's in some way niche and that's okay. Not everything should be mainstream. Actually trying to be mainstream can ruin a lot of art. Thank God we don't all have to be mainstream"
@kirkhamilton.com
postgame.substack.com/p/18-reasons...
@kirkhamilton.com
postgame.substack.com/p/18-reasons...
Reposted by Kirk Hamilton
NEW: the new game Dispatch is a huge hit (1 million copies!). But few people know how close it came to never existing.
Here's the wild story, from a canceled Splinter Cell game (scoop!) to a Telltale divorce to the founders not taking paychecks for six months: www.bloomberg.com/news/newslet...
Here's the wild story, from a canceled Splinter Cell game (scoop!) to a Telltale divorce to the founders not taking paychecks for six months: www.bloomberg.com/news/newslet...
The Turbulent, Seven-Year Saga Behind Hit Game ‘Dispatch’
The narrative, superhero game starring Aaron Paul of ‘Breaking Bad’ sold 1 million copies in the 10 days following its Oct. 22 release
www.bloomberg.com
November 14, 2025 at 6:03 PM
NEW: the new game Dispatch is a huge hit (1 million copies!). But few people know how close it came to never existing.
Here's the wild story, from a canceled Splinter Cell game (scoop!) to a Telltale divorce to the founders not taking paychecks for six months: www.bloomberg.com/news/newslet...
Here's the wild story, from a canceled Splinter Cell game (scoop!) to a Telltale divorce to the founders not taking paychecks for six months: www.bloomberg.com/news/newslet...
Reposted by Kirk Hamilton
Reposted by Kirk Hamilton
New on Strong Songs: I talked with the great Jad Abumrad about music, audio storytelling, and his excellent new limited podcast series "Fela Kuti: Fear No Man."
It was such a treat to have on a guest like Jad - I could talk to the guy basically forever. Hope y'all enjoy it! 🎶
It was such a treat to have on a guest like Jad - I could talk to the guy basically forever. Hope y'all enjoy it! 🎶
S07 BONUS - The Fearless Fela Kuti, with Jad Abumrad
Writer, composer, and Peabody Award-winning podcaster Jad Abumrad joins Kirk to talk about Fela Kuti: Fear No Man, his new 12-part series on the life, music, and legacy of Afrobeat superstar Fela Kuti...
strongsongspodcast.com
November 14, 2025 at 8:10 PM
New on Strong Songs: I talked with the great Jad Abumrad about music, audio storytelling, and his excellent new limited podcast series "Fela Kuti: Fear No Man."
It was such a treat to have on a guest like Jad - I could talk to the guy basically forever. Hope y'all enjoy it! 🎶
It was such a treat to have on a guest like Jad - I could talk to the guy basically forever. Hope y'all enjoy it! 🎶
New on Strong Songs: I talked with the great Jad Abumrad about music, audio storytelling, and his excellent new limited podcast series "Fela Kuti: Fear No Man."
It was such a treat to have on a guest like Jad - I could talk to the guy basically forever. Hope y'all enjoy it! 🎶
It was such a treat to have on a guest like Jad - I could talk to the guy basically forever. Hope y'all enjoy it! 🎶
S07 BONUS - The Fearless Fela Kuti, with Jad Abumrad
Writer, composer, and Peabody Award-winning podcaster Jad Abumrad joins Kirk to talk about Fela Kuti: Fear No Man, his new 12-part series on the life, music, and legacy of Afrobeat superstar Fela Kuti...
strongsongspodcast.com
November 14, 2025 at 8:10 PM
New on Strong Songs: I talked with the great Jad Abumrad about music, audio storytelling, and his excellent new limited podcast series "Fela Kuti: Fear No Man."
It was such a treat to have on a guest like Jad - I could talk to the guy basically forever. Hope y'all enjoy it! 🎶
It was such a treat to have on a guest like Jad - I could talk to the guy basically forever. Hope y'all enjoy it! 🎶
Reposted by Kirk Hamilton
wrote an essay about the lowdown, and how it can be hard to think about drama at a time when there never seem to be consequences for bad guys, and how the lowdown offers us a way out
www.vulture.com/article/the-...
www.vulture.com/article/the-...
Drama in a Time of No Consequences
The Lowdown finds hope in a world where most crimes go unpunished.
www.vulture.com
November 10, 2025 at 3:22 PM
wrote an essay about the lowdown, and how it can be hard to think about drama at a time when there never seem to be consequences for bad guys, and how the lowdown offers us a way out
www.vulture.com/article/the-...
www.vulture.com/article/the-...
Reposted by Kirk Hamilton
Tfw you’ve obtained the “Ham”
May 11, 2025 at 4:06 PM
Tfw you’ve obtained the “Ham”
Reposted by Kirk Hamilton
For DeJohnette
iverson.substack.com/p/tt-555-jac...
iverson.substack.com/p/tt-555-jac...
TT 555: Jack DeJohnette
The drumming great has passed away at 83
iverson.substack.com
October 28, 2025 at 3:03 PM
For DeJohnette
iverson.substack.com/p/tt-555-jac...
iverson.substack.com/p/tt-555-jac...
Strong Songs is now an internationally award-winning podcast!
A jury at the Reeperbahn Music festival in Hamburg, Germany awarded Strong Songs the 2025 International Music Journalism Award in the audio category. I'm super proud and wish I could've flown out to accept in person. Thank u Germany <3
A jury at the Reeperbahn Music festival in Hamburg, Germany awarded Strong Songs the 2025 International Music Journalism Award in the audio category. I'm super proud and wish I could've flown out to accept in person. Thank u Germany <3
October 17, 2025 at 5:16 PM
Strong Songs is now an internationally award-winning podcast!
A jury at the Reeperbahn Music festival in Hamburg, Germany awarded Strong Songs the 2025 International Music Journalism Award in the audio category. I'm super proud and wish I could've flown out to accept in person. Thank u Germany <3
A jury at the Reeperbahn Music festival in Hamburg, Germany awarded Strong Songs the 2025 International Music Journalism Award in the audio category. I'm super proud and wish I could've flown out to accept in person. Thank u Germany <3