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).
Interview
Simon Bookish Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
in an imposing boardroom
lined in oak
for a job interview
On the long table in front of me
is a sheaf of papers
I rummage through
(I) come across a brief, a job description
but haven't time to read further
as the door opens
The interviewer turns out to be
the raincheck
ex-prime minister
She sits down next to me
I forget who she is
immediatedly
The questions she asks are very vague
I forget them too
I mumble vague responses
Question 10 is very clear:
"Leo, which British monarch do you most identify with, and why?"
I reply, with conviction,
"(Qu)ee(n) Victoria"
I lied, I am very embarrassed. Before I can apologise, The raincheck gets up and leaves the room. She is obviously upset by my tactless insult.
In Simon Bookish's song "Interview," the singer finds himself in an imposing boardroom lined in oak for a job interview. As he looks at the sheaf of papers on the table in front of him, he is interrupted by the entrance of the interviewer, who turns out to be an ex-prime minister. The singer forgets who she is immediately and mumbles vague responses to her vague questions, but he is thrown off guard when she asks him which British monarch he most identifies with and why. Despite not having time to read the job description, he replied with conviction that he identifies with Queen Victoria, only to realize that he had lied and insulted the ex-prime minister. She promptly leaves the room, obviously upset by his tactlessness.
The song explores the theme of identity and how it can be manipulated or fabricated to fit certain situations. The singer feels the need to present himself in a certain way to secure a job, even if it means lying about his identity. However, this facade crumbles as soon as he is faced with a direct question about his identity, revealing his true self and causing him to feel embarrassed and ashamed.
Overall, "Interview" is a commentary on the competitive nature of the job market and the pressure to present oneself in a certain way. It highlights the importance of being true to oneself and the potential consequences of compromising one's identity for superficial reasons.
Line by Line Meaning
I find myself
The singer finds himself in a place unfamiliar to him.
in an imposing boardroom
The setting of the place where he is is a grand and authoritative boardroom.
lined in oak
The room is decorated using oak, giving it a more authoritative and dignified feel.
for a job interview
The purpose of his presence is to attend a job interview.
On the long table in front of me
The artist sees a long table in front of him.
is a sheaf of papers
He notices a stack of papers lying on it.
I rummage through
The singer searches through the stack of papers.
(I) come across a brief, a job description
He finds a brief which is a summary of the job that he may potentially be working in.
but haven't time to read further
The artist did not have enough time to read the entire brief.
as the door opens
As he was about to continue reading the brief, the door opened.
The interviewer turns out to be
The person who entered the room was actually the one who will interview him.
the raincheck
The person who will interview him turned out to be an ex-prime minister.
She sits down next to me
The ex-prime minister sat beside him.
I forget who she is
The singer failed to recognize the ex-prime minister beside him.
immediately
The singer forgot her identity right away.
The questions she asks are very vague
The questions given by the ex-prime minister are quite unclear and confusing.
I forget them too
The artist failed to remember the questions given by the ex-prime minister.
I mumble vague responses
Due to the unclear questions given by the ex-prime minister, the singer gave unspecific and meaningless answers.
Question 10 is very clear:
One of the questions suddenly became specific and well-defined.
"Leo, which British monarch do you most identify with, and why?"
The question that became clear is asking which British monarch he can relate to the most and his reasoning.
I reply, with conviction,
The artist answered confidently.
"(Qu)ee(n) Victoria"
The artist replied with the monarch Queen Victoria.
I lied, I am very embarrassed.
The singer admits to lying and is ashamed of his dishonest answer.
Before I can apologise, The raincheck gets up and leaves the room.
The ex-prime minister left the room before he had the chance to apologize for his lie.
She is obviously upset by my tactless insult.
The ex-prime minister was surely offended by his indecent lie in response to the question she asked.
Contributed by Michael L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.