Episode #2
S10E2 - Special Episode: What is shoegaze? Interviewing Simon Reynolds, music journalist and author
If you've ever wondered what the origins of shoegaze are - and how it is used as a classification - then this episode is for you! We're joined for an interesting discussion by someone who was there as the scene was unfolding in the UK: author and music journalist Simon Reynolds. Simon began his career at Melody Maker in the mid-1980s and has contributed to publications such as Spin, Rolling Stone, The Guardian, Pitchfork and others. He has also written a range of music books, his latest one being Still In A Dream: Shoegaze, Slackers And The Reinvention Of Rock, 1984–1994 . In this episode, we discuss how Simon sees the arguably slippery label of shoegaze, what it was like to be an "inkie" music journalist in the pre-internet age and whether the role of the music critic has changed in recent years. We also asked Simon to provide five underrated shoegaze songs for discussion - listen to find out which one he describes as feeling "like standing in a wind tunnel and being buffeted by blossom petals" Simon is on Instagram and writes a range of blogs , including the most recent Blissblog. We recommend checking out his back catalogue , especially the book which now serves as a prequel to Still in a Dream , Rip it Up and Start Again: Post-punk 1978-1984 . You can find the playlist for this episode on Spotify - it includes the five songs discussed during the recording, plus bonus songs from other artists we've discussed during the episode. Download, review, subscribe and get in touch - especially if you have any suggestions for future themes or musicians to discuss. Follow us on social media: it's @overunderratedmusicpod on Instagram, and @oumusicpod.bsky.social on Bluesky. You can also email us at overunderratedmusicpod@gmail.com . Thanks to Mark Abbott for our logo.
