Simon Goddard

Simon Goddard (born Cardiff, 21 December 1971) is a British author and music journalist.

He was born in Wales, later moving to Scotland.[1] Though a writer by profession, Goddard originally went to art school in Carlisle, then Hull, and briefly considered a career in visual media. In 1995 he directed his one and only pop promo for Edwyn Collins[2] (the subject of one of his future books, Simply Thrilled). He started freelance writing the following year and eventually found regular work as a music journalist in London. He has written for various magazines and newspapers including Uncut, The Guardian and The Independent. In 2006 he joined Q magazine where he is currently listed among its Contributing Editors.

His first two books, Songs That Saved Your Life and Mozipedia, established his initial reputation as an authority on The Smiths and their former lead singer Morrissey. The latter has since been published in America by Plume, and in Brazil by Leya.

In the wake of Mozipedia, Goddard’s writing style and choice of subjects has broadened considerably, adopting a frequently unorthodox approach to popular music narratives. Ziggyology (2013) presented an evolutionary history of David Bowie’s extraterrestrial Ziggy Stardust persona, taking as its starting point the creation of the universe itself.[3] Simply Thrilled (2014) was the first biography of the influential Scottish indie label Postcard Records written as a whimsical post-punk comedy of manners.[4] His 2015 Rollaresque was a "mock-picaresque biographical novel" documenting the early adventures of The Rolling Stones as if it had been written in the 19th century.[5] His most recent book is 2018's The Comeback, telling the story of Elvis Presley and his 1968 Comeback Special, described as "a genre-busting modernist rock'n'roll fable", published by Omnibus Press.[6]

Goddard has also supplied the accompanying essays to two deluxe collections by esteemed rock photographer Tom Sheehan[7][8] and written several sleevenotes including reissues by Orange Juice, Siouxsie & The Banshees, Nico and Soft Cell.

Works

  • Songs That Saved Your Life — The Art of The Smiths 1982-87, (2002; revised edition 2013, Titan Books)
  • Mozipedia — The Encyclopedia of Morrissey and The Smiths, (2009, Ebury Press)
  • Ziggyology — A Brief History of Ziggy Stardust, (2013, Ebury Press)
  • Simply Thrilled — The Preposterous Story of Postcard Records, (2014, Ebury Press)
  • Rollaresque — (Or) The Rakish Progress of The Rolling Stones, (2015, Ebury Press)
  • The Comeback — Elvis and the Story of the 68 Special, (2018, Omnibus Press)

References

  1. ↑ "Simon Goddard biography". North Literary Agency. Glasgow. July 2018. Retrieved 18 July 2018.
  2. ↑ Goddard, Simon (17 August 2007). "I was dead - and I was resurrected". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 23 May 2010.
  3. ↑ Larman, Alexander (5 May 2013). "Ziggyology review". The Observer. London. Retrieved 30 June 2015.
  4. ↑ Paphides, Pete (24 April 2014). "Simply Thrilled review". Caught By The River. London. Retrieved 30 June 2015.
  5. ↑ "Simon Goddard biography". North Literary Agency. Glasgow. July 2018. Retrieved 18 July 2018.
  6. ↑ "The Comeback". Waterstones. July 2018. Retrieved 18 July 2018.
  7. ↑ "Paul Weller Aim High". Flood Gallery. London. July 2018. Retrieved 18 July 2018.
  8. ↑ "The Cure In Between Days". Flood Gallery. London. July 2018. Retrieved 18 July 2018.
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