As Simon Bookish, he has made two albums for the London-based label Use Your Teeth and one for the German label TomLab:
- Unfair / Funfair (2006) - an abrasive and energetic sequence of songs whose subjects range from Euripides and Richard the Third to the invention of the Guillotine
- Trainwreck/Raincheck(2006) - a 'surreal electronic radio play' combining sound design and spoken word, concerning vibrant images of transportation.
- Everything/Everything - an album which blends experimental, classical and pop music through many scientific words, orchestral instrumentation and catchy melodies.
He has released singles on Tomlab and through Playlouder recordings, and has been asked to provide remixes for Franz Ferdinand, The Organ and Grizzly Bear. Leo is also credited with guest appearances on albums by Max de Wardener, Leafcutter John, Patrick Wolf and Saint Etienne.
Simon Bookish has presented over 50 solo performances since 2003. Venues have included the Whitechapel Art Gallery, Dover Street Market (comme des garcons store), Transition Film Lounge (Berlin), Nastyfest 2004 (Leeds), Capri Art Festival 2004, the Redgate Gallery, the Africa Centre, and the Vortex Jazz Club. His music has been broadcast on BBC Radio One and XFM, and he has presented shows on London's Resonance FM.
Leo was a member of the folk/experimental musician Leafcutter John's live band (as a vocalist). Performances in 2005/6 have included shows in Aarhus (Denmark), Berlin, Poland and Geneva.
John and Leo, together with Seb Rochford (drummer with jazz ensemble Polar Bear) and Mandy Drummond have also performed a live improvised set for BBC Radio Three's innovative show "Mixing it". (July 2006).
In 2001, he was a member of the 'Sound City' ensemble, which presented new work by director Heiner Goebbels as part of LIFT'01 at the Almeida Theatre.
He has also presented one-off performances and exhibitions, such as "MOISTURE and FUNERAL" (a spoken word and computer projection piece commissioned by the TwoSee Boutique, 2006), "Simon Bookish and C Loopseend present Fear of Music" (a deconstruction of the work of Talking Heads at Limehouse Town Hall, 2004) and contributed a piece to the sound art show "Off The Record" (Musique d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, 2004).
Colophon
Simon Bookish Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A ligature
A telescope
The bathyscaphe descends five miles down
One tear from each of his eyes smears history
One page left to write he'll never witness
If I die tomorrow
What difference the type I used?
What if these pages turn to dirt?
What are these words?
What are these words?
New books, as yet unwritten, let them say
"All struggle now forgotten
Don't you see this window of time to program
Amnesty?"
It's not too late to rewrite history
Not too late to save ourselves
Not too late to pull this species
Above, beyond, above, beyond
And home
The lyrics of Simon Bookish's song Colophon paint a vivid picture of an individual, perhaps Bede, in his scriptorium with a ligature and telescope, focused on writing the final page of history. The bathyscaphe descends five miles down, which creates a sense of depth and introspection. The tears from Bede's eyes are emblematic of the sorrow and burden he experiences while writing this final page of history. He will never bear witness to the finality of his work as he is nearing death.
The question arises, "What difference the type I used?," and prompts a deeper interrogation of the meaning of these words. It leads to the questioning of the importance and meaning of the written word in history. As the pages may turn to dirt, what is the legacy of these words? The lyrics suggest that the importance may lie in the unwritten books that are yet to come, where history and struggles may be forgotten, and a window of time may be seen as an opportunity for programming amnesty. There is still time to rewrite history, to save ourselves, and to pull the human species above and beyond.
Overall, the song raises questions about the weight of the written word, the importance of history, and the potential for rewriting and moving forward towards a better future.
Line by Line Meaning
Bede in his scriptorium
Bede, an influential scholar, writer, and monk, worked on many manuscripts in his writing room
A ligature
A combination of two or more letters as a single character, used to save space and time when writing
A telescope
An optical instrument used for viewing distant objects, possibly showing how small our problems are in the grand scheme of things
The bathyscaphe descends five miles down
A manned underwater vehicle explores the depths of the ocean, symbolizing the unknown areas and mysteries of the human mind
One tear from each of his eyes smears history
Bede's sadness and grief have stained the legacy that he helped create, leaving an indelible mark on human history
One page left to write he'll never witness
Bede's life's work will continue on without his presence, and the outcome of his legacy will always be uncertain
One page left to write before the frozen dawn
The end is quickly approaching, and there is only so much time left to create something meaningful before the inevitable end arrives
If I die tomorrow
Contemplating one's own mortality and the uncertainty of the future
What difference the type I used?
The minutiae of formatting and design will not matter in the grand scheme of things
What if these pages turn to dirt?
The fleeting nature of human achievements and the possibility of being lost to the sands of time
What are these words?
Philosophical questioning of the meaning and impact of language and communication
New books, as yet unwritten, let them say
The potential for great things to be created and shared in the future
"All struggle now forgotten
Looking back on past struggles and realizing how insignificant they are in hindsight
Don't you see this window of time to program
Seizing the opportunity to make meaningful contributions while we still can
Amnesty?"
The possibility for forgiveness and redemption in the midst of human imperfection
It's not too late to rewrite history
Despite past mistakes, there is always the possibility of redemption and the ability to make things right
Not too late to save ourselves
Urging humanity to take action to prevent further harm to ourselves and our planet
Not too late to pull this species
The call for collective action to overcome the challenges facing humanity and move forward
Above, beyond, above, beyond
Reaching for greatness and transcending our limitations
And home
Returning to a place of peace and contentment after overcoming adversity
Contributed by Christopher A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.