Author Archive
June 30, 2022 by Simon Sweetman
Try Three: # 1 – Roots, Reggae, Soul
Linton Kwesi Johnson – Forces of Victory (1979) Lockdown – in its various states and guises around the world – has done funny things to us and I first noticed that when all I wanted to listen to was reggae and dub music. This isn’t usually the case – but I found myself a fan anew. Returning […]
June 30, 2022 by Simon Sweetman
Poem: Who. Ha.
Give Al Pacino a line he can yell, make sure there’s a chance for him to say ‘fuck’, and preferably just as he’s hitting his volume’s peak. But remember there needs to be a place to pause as well. A who. a ha. And then away he goes again, with RISING VOLUME as he continues […]
June 30, 2022 by Simon Sweetman
What A Good Score! – #17: Dead Man Walking by Various Artists
I know this technically shouldn’t count – since this series has the word Score so overtly in the title. But the soundtrack to the film Dead Man Walking – by “Various Artists” is a compilation album that feel like a score. Also, it’s fucking great. Ridiculously great. Sublimely great. The film was great too. I’ve […]
June 30, 2022 by Simon Sweetman
Short Story: We Could Mend Fences
We removed your post. Now the whole fence is in danger, having to take the weight of that one thing you said. We didn’t understand the context. Now your fence is going to have to support your views even with that post taken from view. Taken from you and placed in the pile of deadwood, […]
June 30, 2022 by Simon Sweetman
Try Three – New Series
From time to time I like to start a new series of posts here at Off The Tracks. I’m not really revieiwng albums these days, certainly nowhere near as much – so now it’s time to focus on material I just love – older albums, or brand new ones. So I’m starting a new series called Try Three. Recommendations of […]
June 29, 2022 by Simon Sweetman
Poem: All Day Hustle, Dawg!
The big boss came over to meet me, and I was hard at work…Googling Pam Dawber. What had she been up to since Mork & Mindy? I remembered My Sister Sam and some TV movies. But where was she now? Never mind, the big boss wanted to know how I fitted in. I told him […]
June 29, 2022 by Simon Sweetman
Authors I Admire: # 18 David Foster Wallace
It’s become problematic to talk about David Foster Wallace, to rave about his literary prowess because of his behaviour. But there was a time when he loomed large for me. He was one of the best of his generation. A man who channelled irony and earnestness to write hilarious and dark stories, going to places […]
June 29, 2022 by Simon Sweetman
Going Back To Lou Reed: Time To Revisit His Strange, Wonderful, Weird Catalogue
It was strange when Lou Reed died. I wasn’t all that sad, concerned, upset; he was 71 – he started cheating death in his 30s. And though he’d been a clean-living portrait of near-enough-to-health for the last 20 years and most of the last 30 years, time was always going to catch up; the indulgences […]
June 27, 2022 by Simon Sweetman
The Beast: Revisiting John Bonham’s Glory
I recently finished reading Beast: John Bonham and the Rise of Led Zeppelin. Look, it’s not great. Don’t rush to read it – but as is so often the case with a music bio, I loved the journey it helped to facilitate. My criticism of the book is that there’s not enough of interest in […]
June 26, 2022 by Simon Sweetman
Poem: The Same Plughole After All
I write in the mornings now. It’s cold. Crisp enough to blow smoke. No coffee-fuelled, wine-toasted late night thoughts. Just a few lines before work. Load the dishwasher, make breakfast for the family, quick shower – and off! Sometimes I leave a wee poem to trickle and maybe glisten. But it’s all just for the […]
June 24, 2022 by Simon Sweetman
R.I.P. Massimo Morante
It was sad to hear of the passing of Massimo Morante. He was 69. The guitarist was a founding member of the legendary Goblin. The Italian prob band, formed nearly 50 years ago, created a series of brilliant records across the 1970s and in particular is known for its contributions to the horror movie genre. […]
June 24, 2022 by Simon Sweetman