We are thrilled to share this week’s Q+A with famed multi-instrumentalist and Bella Union label/management head Simon Raymonde, author of In One Ear: Cocteau Twins, Ivor and Me! Raymonde recorded seven albums with Cocteau Twins and has run Bella Union, which he and Cocteau co-founder Robin Guthrie founded in 1997, for the past 25 years. First published in the UK in September 2024, Bonnier Books will release his autobiography in North America on November 18.
Tamara Palmer/Music Book Club: What was your process like to research and write the book, and how long did it take?
Simon Raymonde: A couple of years I would say in terms of deciding to do it and finishing it. Once I knew what I was doing, I adopted a more conventional approach and worked each morning for about six hours and stuck with that discipline ‘til I was done.
Do you now have “book fever,” and want to write more of them?
Not really. I have an idea on a second book but I’m not a writer, I’m a bass player! I have music I’d like to record first. And a record label to run and 10 bands I co-manage with my wife! I have enough to keep me going I think!
What’s your favorite Cocteau Twins album, and why?
I love Blue Bell Knoll and HOLV [Heaven or Las Vegas] equally. They signal a shift in quality and all the work we had done leading up to that point was evident. We recorded and produced both these ourselves in our own studio and this is a big reason why they are more ‘complete’ to my ear. We knew they were close to what we wanted our music to sound like and all the years leading up to then was like our apprenticeship, learning on the job, working out what we were doing and how to get the best out of each other in strange circumstances.
How did it feel when Sir Elton John praised your book and said of you, “We need more people like him in a world full of mass-produced mediocrity?”
Very nice of him! What a legend! He is such a fan of music and still buys new music every week and is genuinely interested. That is rare and he is a treasure! Was unexpected and a mark of the man.
Would you like to share some of your all-time favorite music books with our open-minded readers?
Will Hodgkinson, Street-Level Superstar
Jah Wobble, Memoirs of a Geezer
Miki Berenyi, Fingers Crossed: How Music Saved Me from Success
Previously in our Q+A series:
Daniel Rachel on Pop Music’s History with Fascism and Nazi Imagery
Dan Beck on Working with Michael Jackson, Sade and Luther Vandross
Jibola Fagbamiye and Conor McCreery on Their New Fela Kuti Graphic Novel
Al Shipley on His Brand New Book on Baltimore Club Music
Paul D. Miller on Lead Belly and Digital Fiction, His Upcoming Book About Algorithms and Music Discovery
Martin Popoff on Guns N’ Roses at 40 and Writing 135 Books
Katie Bain on Her Forthcoming Book Desert Dreams: The Music, Style, and Allure of Coachella
Colin Steven on Publishing Electronic Music and Counterculture Books at Velocity Press
Yoel Gaetán on Chronicling Punk in Puerto Rico with Forgotten Youth Records and Books
Jason Pettigrew on Writing a Book About Ministry’s Third Album
Melissa Locker on Her Brand New Book About Oasis Fans
Ira Robbins on Publishing Peter Silverton’s ‘London Calling New York New York’ and What’s Coming from Trouser Press Books
Donna-Claire Chesman on How CRYBABY Came to Her in a Dream
Cary Baker on His First Book and How Busking Can Help Main Street USA
Gina Arnold on The Oxford Handbook of Punk Rock and Working with Academic Publishers
Tom Beaujour on His New Lollapalooza Book and Producing Successful Oral Histories
John Morrison on Boyz II Men and Chronicling Philadelphia Music History
Mark Angelo Harrison on Telling the Spiral Tribe Sound System Story
Lyndsey Parker on Writing a ‘Stranger Than Fiction’ Memoir with Mercy Fontenot
Christina Ward on Running Feral House, a 36-Year-Old Indie Book Company
Ali Smith on Speedball Baby and Telling Stories Without Shame
Arusa Qureshi on Her Love Letter to Women in UK Hip-Hop
Lily Moayeri on Her Favorite Music Books and Writing from a Personal Place
Megan Volpert on Why Alanis Morissette Matters and Writing 15 Books in 18 Years
Mark Swartz on Biggie + Yoko Ono as a Crime-Fighting Duo and Other Fictional Ideas
Annie Zaleski on Cher, Stevie Nicks and Pushing Past Writing Fears
Nelson George on His Next Book and Making Mixtapes in Paper Form
Michaelangelo Matos on Writing and Editing Music Books
yes, such a beautiful book!