Simon Harper
@onesharper.bsky.social
Web/UX, writer, comedy/music nerd & uncle. Lapsed cynic smiling politely. Like cult music/radio/TV/film/books/art & sport. Beard growth comes in 3 colours.
Recent arrivals in the mail:
Ian Thompson's book on the French musical underground
New album by Edena Gardens
CD box set of Terry Riley albums
Ian Thompson's book on the French musical underground
New album by Edena Gardens
CD box set of Terry Riley albums
September 6, 2025 at 7:51 AM
Recent arrivals in the mail:
Ian Thompson's book on the French musical underground
New album by Edena Gardens
CD box set of Terry Riley albums
Ian Thompson's book on the French musical underground
New album by Edena Gardens
CD box set of Terry Riley albums
Another year of #SupersonicFestival done. Day 2 highlights: Smote & One Leg One Eye, Death Goals and ZD Grafters. Day 3 highlights: Abdullah Miniawy, Cinder Well and a special performance of/by Funeral Folk; especially enjoyed Six Organs of Admittance and Jackie-O Motherfucker. What a festival. 🙏🤘👏
September 1, 2025 at 7:02 AM
Another year of #SupersonicFestival done. Day 2 highlights: Smote & One Leg One Eye, Death Goals and ZD Grafters. Day 3 highlights: Abdullah Miniawy, Cinder Well and a special performance of/by Funeral Folk; especially enjoyed Six Organs of Admittance and Jackie-O Motherfucker. What a festival. 🙏🤘👏
Down the front for Water Damage, who were even better than I'd expected. 45 minutes of relentless, pulverising drone, at immense volume. 🤘 Will be difficult to top that this weekend. #SupersonicFestival
August 29, 2025 at 8:15 PM
Down the front for Water Damage, who were even better than I'd expected. 45 minutes of relentless, pulverising drone, at immense volume. 🤘 Will be difficult to top that this weekend. #SupersonicFestival
Inspired by Ana, I've finally taken the plunge & started reading my first Pynchon. Dove in while bench-sitting in a park in Antwerp, waiting for @stephthorpe.bsky.social to finish her run. Followed by picnic, gallery, wine, lots of fries & good beer. Really enjoying the book, and Belgium, so far. 🙏😎
August 17, 2025 at 9:22 PM
Inspired by Ana, I've finally taken the plunge & started reading my first Pynchon. Dove in while bench-sitting in a park in Antwerp, waiting for @stephthorpe.bsky.social to finish her run. Followed by picnic, gallery, wine, lots of fries & good beer. Really enjoying the book, and Belgium, so far. 🙏😎
London folks, I recommend going to this tonight if you're around. They put on a great show at Centrala in Birmingham on Tuesday night - they have a mesmerising, manic energy which sounds great on record but also makes so much more sense when witnessing them on stage. Don't miss out.
August 7, 2025 at 11:30 AM
London folks, I recommend going to this tonight if you're around. They put on a great show at Centrala in Birmingham on Tuesday night - they have a mesmerising, manic energy which sounds great on record but also makes so much more sense when witnessing them on stage. Don't miss out.
A new book from @benmoor.bsky.social is always cause for celebration, so today is a good post day. Ben's books - and shows - are funny & cerebral, warm & moving, with wonderful turns of phrase & jokes. A must-see if you're heading to the Edinburgh Fringe next month, and a must-read if you're not.
July 10, 2025 at 12:46 PM
A new book from @benmoor.bsky.social is always cause for celebration, so today is a good post day. Ben's books - and shows - are funny & cerebral, warm & moving, with wonderful turns of phrase & jokes. A must-see if you're heading to the Edinburgh Fringe next month, and a must-read if you're not.
Just finished 'Me and Kaminski' by Daniel Kehlmann. A curio of a novel - a central character who's awful yet compelling, & his mysterious subject. Superb detail & deft comic touches (the gallery scene is hilarious w/ sharp satire) and a surprising ending which is, in hindsight, inevitable & fitting.
June 29, 2025 at 10:50 AM
Just finished 'Me and Kaminski' by Daniel Kehlmann. A curio of a novel - a central character who's awful yet compelling, & his mysterious subject. Superb detail & deft comic touches (the gallery scene is hilarious w/ sharp satire) and a surprising ending which is, in hindsight, inevitable & fitting.
Rare for me, been to cinema for the 2nd time in ~1 wk. The Ballad of Wallis Island is superb - love the short it's based on & delighted it retains its spirit while expanding in rich & rewarding ways. Great writing, performances & direction, tons of jokes & Key is heartbreaking in places. A triumph.
May 22, 2025 at 10:28 PM
Rare for me, been to cinema for the 2nd time in ~1 wk. The Ballad of Wallis Island is superb - love the short it's based on & delighted it retains its spirit while expanding in rich & rewarding ways. Great writing, performances & direction, tons of jokes & Key is heartbreaking in places. A triumph.
Fantastic weekend: saw an excellent David Grubbs solo show on Friday; went to a wine & cheese tasting yesterday, and today ate Japanese street food & watched BCMG perform works by Cage, Reich & Boulez, under the canopy of blossom trees. Life is hard, but the past few days have been very good to me.
March 23, 2025 at 8:25 PM
Fantastic weekend: saw an excellent David Grubbs solo show on Friday; went to a wine & cheese tasting yesterday, and today ate Japanese street food & watched BCMG perform works by Cage, Reich & Boulez, under the canopy of blossom trees. Life is hard, but the past few days have been very good to me.
Just read: Hilary Leichter - Terrace Story
I'll be thinking about this book for quite a while. Time & space expand & contract. Grief twists, shifts & travels. Words, feelings & actions tilt axes. Through beautiful & often sublimely comic prose, Leichter traces atoms, lifetimes & universes. Superb.
I'll be thinking about this book for quite a while. Time & space expand & contract. Grief twists, shifts & travels. Words, feelings & actions tilt axes. Through beautiful & often sublimely comic prose, Leichter traces atoms, lifetimes & universes. Superb.
March 20, 2025 at 8:36 AM
Just read: Hilary Leichter - Terrace Story
I'll be thinking about this book for quite a while. Time & space expand & contract. Grief twists, shifts & travels. Words, feelings & actions tilt axes. Through beautiful & often sublimely comic prose, Leichter traces atoms, lifetimes & universes. Superb.
I'll be thinking about this book for quite a while. Time & space expand & contract. Grief twists, shifts & travels. Words, feelings & actions tilt axes. Through beautiful & often sublimely comic prose, Leichter traces atoms, lifetimes & universes. Superb.
Recently read 'All My Precious Madness' by Mark Bowles.
By turns visceral & violent, but with moments of tender counterpoint, All My Precious Madness is a wonderful book, with stylistic echoes of Beckett and especially Bernhard. Relentless, thrilling, darkly comic and, in places, deeply moving.
By turns visceral & violent, but with moments of tender counterpoint, All My Precious Madness is a wonderful book, with stylistic echoes of Beckett and especially Bernhard. Relentless, thrilling, darkly comic and, in places, deeply moving.
March 16, 2025 at 2:40 PM
Recently read 'All My Precious Madness' by Mark Bowles.
By turns visceral & violent, but with moments of tender counterpoint, All My Precious Madness is a wonderful book, with stylistic echoes of Beckett and especially Bernhard. Relentless, thrilling, darkly comic and, in places, deeply moving.
By turns visceral & violent, but with moments of tender counterpoint, All My Precious Madness is a wonderful book, with stylistic echoes of Beckett and especially Bernhard. Relentless, thrilling, darkly comic and, in places, deeply moving.
Today marks 70 years since the first episode of Hancock's Half Hour aired. ICYMI I did a thread about, among other things, which eps to start with on BBC Sounds if you're curious about getting into the radio incarnation of the show. It remains my favourite thing Hancock, Galton and Simpson ever did.
November 2, 2024 at 8:55 AM
Today marks 70 years since the first episode of Hancock's Half Hour aired. ICYMI I did a thread about, among other things, which eps to start with on BBC Sounds if you're curious about getting into the radio incarnation of the show. It remains my favourite thing Hancock, Galton and Simpson ever did.
I like going for walks, but I'd be lying if I said my favourite part was anything other than going to the pub afterwards.
October 26, 2024 at 4:14 PM
I like going for walks, but I'd be lying if I said my favourite part was anything other than going to the pub afterwards.
Reminded of the Byron* poem:
"I wish I were a chestnut tree
A-nourished by the sun
With twigs and leaves and branches
And conkers by the ton."
"I wish I were a chestnut tree
A-nourished by the sun
With twigs and leaves and branches
And conkers by the ton."
October 20, 2024 at 7:35 PM
Reminded of the Byron* poem:
"I wish I were a chestnut tree
A-nourished by the sun
With twigs and leaves and branches
And conkers by the ton."
"I wish I were a chestnut tree
A-nourished by the sun
With twigs and leaves and branches
And conkers by the ton."
October 11, 2024 at 8:07 PM
Brains are stupid. I'm off work all week, so naturally my brain has decided to interrupt any plans for relaxing etc by having the depression & anxiety kick into overdrive today. Combating the Bad Mental Health Day with a spot of sitting in the garden, reading and drinking tea.
September 25, 2024 at 1:41 PM
Brains are stupid. I'm off work all week, so naturally my brain has decided to interrupt any plans for relaxing etc by having the depression & anxiety kick into overdrive today. Combating the Bad Mental Health Day with a spot of sitting in the garden, reading and drinking tea.
My favourite person in the world, @stephthorpe.bsky.social, has treated me to a long weekend in Tenby. Obviously this is the UK so the weather is grey, dreary & threatening rain at all times, but I do like to be beside the seaside, and so on. Cue some much-needed rest/relaxation. Happy weekend, all.
September 6, 2024 at 6:24 PM
My favourite person in the world, @stephthorpe.bsky.social, has treated me to a long weekend in Tenby. Obviously this is the UK so the weather is grey, dreary & threatening rain at all times, but I do like to be beside the seaside, and so on. Cue some much-needed rest/relaxation. Happy weekend, all.
What's going up in place of the Thatcher portrait.
August 30, 2024 at 2:25 PM
What's going up in place of the Thatcher portrait.
Been thinking about that recent prompt, on which comps have influenced you the most. These would definitely be up there, so am giving them a spin for #CDFriday. (See follow-up post for links to tracklistings etc.) The MSF comp is a ridiculous collection of artists & was my intro to many of them.
August 23, 2024 at 1:08 PM
Been thinking about that recent prompt, on which comps have influenced you the most. These would definitely be up there, so am giving them a spin for #CDFriday. (See follow-up post for links to tracklistings etc.) The MSF comp is a ridiculous collection of artists & was my intro to many of them.
Today's lunchtime listening - Gold Leaf Branches, or at least the bonus CD which accompanied it. A stellar comp released by @foxydigitalis.bsky.social.
August 16, 2024 at 12:23 PM
Today's lunchtime listening - Gold Leaf Branches, or at least the bonus CD which accompanied it. A stellar comp released by @foxydigitalis.bsky.social.
Lunchtime listening.
August 15, 2024 at 12:10 PM
Lunchtime listening.
Nerds! If you're in/near/able to get to Lichfield, check out the Supermarionation exhibition at The Hub. Some cool behind the scenes photos, posters, puppets, and more. Well worth a visit.
August 10, 2024 at 5:11 PM
Nerds! If you're in/near/able to get to Lichfield, check out the Supermarionation exhibition at The Hub. Some cool behind the scenes photos, posters, puppets, and more. Well worth a visit.
I've struggled to read much this year (or the past couple of years tbh), but blitzed through this in 48 hours. I still prefer Sachs' previous novel, The Organs of Sense, but this is trying to do something different & it's a fantastic book, told across 26 fairytale-like stories. FFO Kafka, Bernhard.
July 28, 2024 at 5:40 PM
I've struggled to read much this year (or the past couple of years tbh), but blitzed through this in 48 hours. I still prefer Sachs' previous novel, The Organs of Sense, but this is trying to do something different & it's a fantastic book, told across 26 fairytale-like stories. FFO Kafka, Bernhard.