Simon Sweetman on a collection of essays by Pulitzer-winning critic Emily Nussbaum, who righteously resurrected Buffy the Vampire Slayer – and, at her best, is unafraid to thoroughly critique herself. What Emily Nussbaum knows is that dressing up to eat a burger and pay double is fine sometimes, if it makes you happy. But what … Read more
Simon Sweetman goes all-out fanboy of a new, tortured memoir by Suede frontman Brett Anderson. The very best music memoirs ignore the tenets of sex, drugs and rock’n’roll. Patti Smith’s Just Kids. Bob Dylan’s Chronicles. They are about the life, the context in and around the music. And they are about the writing. And so it … Read more
‘It hurts, and it’s hard, and it’s weird.’ Simon Sweetman writes about the miscarriages he and his wife suffered together, and the love that saw them through on their journey towards parenthood. Content warning: Simon talks about miscarriage in this post. If you have suffered a miscarriage this post may be upsetting for you. If … Read more
When Simon Sweetman took his son Oscar to the B4 School Check, it did not go well – and what’s worse, it seemed like Oscar was failing the tests on purpose. A typical toddler tantrum, or something else? I’m not a religious man. If you want to put your faith in, well, faith – good … Read more
One good reason for keeping the belief in Santa alive as long as possible? The awesome power of The Threat of Santa. Simon Sweetman explains how, when it comes to kids at Christmas, a little psychological manipulation can go a long way. A Facebook friend posts that she’s angry and upset – some punk-ass little … Read more
It can start pretty quickly after your first child is born, that simple but annoying question: ‘So are you going to have a second baby?’. Simon Sweetman writes about hopes, expectations, and making one really big decision. I always wanted a daughter named Billie. Simple really. As soon as I heard Billie Holiday’s voice I … Read more
Music critic Simon Sweetman is famous for his often brutal reviews, and those on the receiving end usually take it on the chin. But not Robbie Williams. A year on, Sweetman looks back at his brief scrap with the pop star – and asks: since when are kids fair game? When Simon Sweetman came on … Read more
Over the next couple of weeks we’ll be introducing you to contributors to The Spinoff Parents, our new parenting blog edited by Emily Writes and made possible by Flick Electric Co. Today music writer Simon Sweetman describes why being a stay at home father is the hardest thing he’s ever done. I met Simon almost … Read more