Sweetman Podcast

Welcome to episode four of my new podcast series — Object/ive Permanence — where in one take, no edits, I chat with someone, the conversation is captured, and you can watch and/or listen to it. The podcast is here on Substack but will go out on all the other usual Podcast channels as past of the “Sweetman Podcast” RSS.This is a new experiment. I’m talking to people about an object they bring, and from there we go wherever the conversation takes us. Of course I’ll let them talk about who they are, what they do, and current or past work, but it’s less the focus than the original Sweetman Podcast, which was audio only.For this pod, each guest is asked to bring an object, something to talk about. We get going from there.David Jefferis is a fourth generation Waikato farmer, and huge music lover. The record collector, and occasional DJ, took his love of music to a new level by starting Haymaker Records. With vinyl reissues of HDU and Stinky Jim and new releases by Christoph El Truento, the boutique label follows David’s whim, and operates uniquely in that Jerfferis seeks to cover his costs, and then pass any and all profits to the artist. He creates one page contracts, and allows musicians the freedom to work with other labels, to get their start with him, or to return at any stage. The latest (upcoming) release is the Sam Hunt/David Kilgour collaboration, The 9th — a set of Sam Hunt poems recorded in the studio and set to music by David Kilgour & The Heavy 8s. The album was first released over a decade ago, and this marks its first time on vinyl.For this podcast, we talked specifically about the label and that record (releasing Friday, November 13). We did have some technical issues bringing this recording to life, it is a second attempt, and it does cut out at the very end — so we don’t quite get to land the plane, but I like the idea that a podcast called Object/ive Permanence cuts out, fades, drops out in some sense. This episode anyway. Sounds Good! is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to Sounds Good! at simonsweetman.substack.com/subscribe

Sounds Good! is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Here’s a reading of a short story called “Helicopters” — an earlier version of this was called “Only One Thing Was Off Limits” and was published last year on Turbine: This is a revised version, with changes — including a character addition. This story comes, originally, from a poem I wrote many years ago, called “Eaglehawk Down” — But you can click on the link to follow through to Turbine to read the earlier version of the story or just listen here to the new version, Helicopters. I don’t usually read (at least more than a short poem at the start) so it was fun to close Say The Thing with a reading for the first time in about a year.Thanks for reading Sounds Good! ! This post is public so feel free to share it.Start writing today. Use the button below to create a Substack of your own Get full access to Sounds Good! at simonsweetman.substack.com/subscribe

Welcome to episode three of my new podcast series — Object/ive Permanence — where in one take, no edits, I chat with someone, the conversation is captured, and you can watch and/or listen to it. The podcast is here on Substack but will go out on all the other usual Podcast channels as past of the “Sweetman Podcast” RSS.This is a new experiment. I’m talking to people about an object they bring, and from there we go wherever the conversation takes us. Of course I’ll let them talk about who they are, what they do, and current or past work, but it’s less the focus than the original Sweetman Podcast, which was audio only.For this pod, each guest is asked to bring an object, something to talk about. We get going from there.Emily Writes is an author, newsletter writer, public speaker and MC, a community fosterer and leader, an activist, and she also sometimes writes filthy, horny film reviews too. A broad range! She’s also a friend. As she says here, I’ve known her since back before she was “Emily Writes”. We met as two writers, sharing ideas and seeking advice, from there we grew our families around the same time. Emily had been on my previous podcast — the episodes are still around for you to listen to — and it’s always a good chat. So she was someone I immediately wanted on the new format. We had such a great chat, about writing, and community, and the difficulties in being public; we talked about Palestine, and fundraising, and activism and charity. We talked about family and the arc of our friendship. We talked about that pesky, necessary social media too. All up, a beautiful conversation to share. We had a lot of laughs and we might have even worked a few things out. You can subscribe to Emily’s newsletter and follow her writing here. Get full access to Sounds Good! at simonsweetman.substack.com/subscribe

Welcome to episode two of my new podcast series — Object/ive Permanence — where in one take, no edits, I chat with someone, the conversation is captured, and you can watch and/or listen to it. The podcast is here on Substack but will go out on all the other usual Podcast channels as past of the “Sweetman Podcast” RSS.This is a new experiment. I’m talking to people about an object they bring, and from there we go wherever the conversation takes us. Of course I’ll let them talk about who they are, what they do, and current or past work, but it’s less the focus than the original Sweetman Podcast, which was audio only.For this pod, each guest is asked to bring an object, something to talk about. We get going from there.Dr Chris Bowden, an academic from Victoria University of Wellington, was high on my original list of potential guests, one of the first people I reached out to when rebooting my podcast. We met for the first time in the slightly awkward introduction to this conversation and interview. Chris’ PhD focused on understanding young men’s experience of losing a close male friend to suicide. Aware of his work with Mates in Construction, and as an educational psychologist, I was interested to talk with Chris and I’m so glad I did.You’ll hear us talk about Joy Division and Metallica, and we will talk about Chris’ life and work. It is a heavy conversation, but there is so much heart and humility from Dr Bowden that I would hope there’s enough light at the end of the tunnel. But absolutely take care if and when watching or listening to this pod episode. Sounds Good! is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to Sounds Good! at simonsweetman.substack.com/subscribe

Each month I host an open mic called ‘Say The Thing’. Poems, stories, anything people want to read or speak, provided the wrote it.I usually read a poem or two, or some short prose to kick off, so that no one else feels they have to be the ‘first reader’.This month I read two new/ish Harry Nilsson poems, since that’s my current writing obsession.I read two that I’d only just written and shared, Harry Lied: And Bojanglin’ — ostensibly about the song, ‘Mr. Bojangles’ So you can read along or read the poems instead, or check the text after.But I like sharing the odd audio recording and preserving them for the archive.So this was last week at Say The Thing.We have two more events (Oct/Nov) for 2026.Sounds Good! is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Thanks for reading Sounds Good! ! This post is public so feel free to share it. Get full access to Sounds Good! at simonsweetman.substack.com/subscribe

Welcome to episode one of my new podcast series — Object/ive Permanence — where in one take, no edits, I chat with someone, the conversation is captured, and you can watch and/or listen to it. The podcast is here on Substack but will go out on all the other usual Podcast channels as past of the “Sweetman Podcast” RSS.This is a new experiment. I’m talking to people about an object they bring, and from there we go wherever the conversation takes us. Of course I’ll let them talk about who they are, what they do, and current or past work, but it’s less the focus than the original Sweetman Podcast, which was audio only.For this pod, each guest is asked to bring an object, something to talk about. We get going from there. Duncan Sarkies very kindly agreed to be my first guest. And I don’t even introduce him on camera (how rude!) Duncan’s a writer of films and TV, also novels, plays, and a book of short stories. He is fresh off a spoken word show at the TAHI Festival which I reviewed: That show featured him reading stories from his most recent novel, Stargazers. We also talk a bit about the project, Uncle Bertie’s Botanarium. But beyond that this is a free-flowing conversation that isn’t about any one thing, isn’t pre-planned at all, and isn’t edited. Which is exactly what I want to do with this series of podcasts. It is very much about creativity and connecting and conversation. Which is also what I want. Less of an interview, with some questions arriving about as naturally as possible (hopefully). So, my apologies that the sound isn’t quite how I want it, but this is a work in progress. So audio-quality is on the ‘To Fix’ list. But this is listenable. And watchable. And I hope you like it. Get full access to Sounds Good! at simonsweetman.substack.com/subscribe

Here’s a reading of a couple of pieces from The Richard Poems, and four new pieces, three of my Harry Nilsson poems, and a poem I wrote just two days before reading.I was the opening for A Party of Poets at The Cabana, in Napier. A terrific event, an incredible lineup to be part of — what I loved was we were all different. The seven poets reading all had different themes, content, and delivery.It’s not my right to record and share the others — but here’s my set.Thanks for reading Sounds Good! ! This post is public so feel free to share it.Sounds Good! is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to Sounds Good! at simonsweetman.substack.com/subscribe

You’ll know if you’ve been checking in here in any way that I’m obsessing over Harry Nilsson, in general, and also writing what is becoming a sequence — possibly even a whole book — of “Harry poems”.So I turned up to the Poetry in Motion open mic last night to give a couple of them a run. Not bad. Apart from saying “Harry Wilson” because the light on stage wasn’t great and I’m an idiot! But hey, I walked that back quickly enough.Anyway, here they are if you want to have a listen. Not sure how I felt after reading them out. Which is a good thing at this point I think. Not sure if these are poems for performance or the page. My feeling at this point is they’re somewhere in between — which is an interesting, and slightly worrying state. The good thing is it means there’s work still to be done.There’s always work still to be done.Thanks for reading Sounds Good! ! This post is public so feel free to share it.Sounds Good! is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to Sounds Good! at simonsweetman.substack.com/subscribe

Misery — a gateway for both of us, the film especially. But we’re both fans of the book and the movie.A warning, we botched the sound on this one a bit — so definitely turn it all the way up!The podcast goes out on YouTube first and foremost — so we’d love you to like and subscribe over there.But also adding it here so you can find it on Substack, and your favourite podcast providers like Spotify if you just want the audio.Sounds Good! is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to Sounds Good! at simonsweetman.substack.com/subscribe

I was the guest poet and MC at a recent Wellington On a Plate event up in the Kapiti Coast: It was a ticketed event, and sold out, so I did not record the whole show to share, since that wouldn’t be fair. But I did capture the opening poem, a cover — and thought it might be fun to share it here, as a “cover poem”. I might offer some more up over time.Here’s the full text of it:Style is the answer to everything.A fresh way to approach a dull or dangerous thing.To do a dull thing with style is preferable to doing a dangerous thing without it.To do a dangerous thing with style is what I call art.Bullfighting can be an art.Boxing can be an art.Loving can be an art.Opening a can of sardines can be an art.Not many have style.Not many can keep style.I have seen dogs with more style than men,although not many dogs have style.Cats have it with abundance.When Hemingway put his brains to the wall with a shotgun,that was style.Or sometimes people give you style.Joan of Arc had style.John the Baptist.Jesus.Socrates.Caesar.García Lorca.I have met men in jail with style.I have met more men in jail with style than men out of jail.Style is the difference, a way of doing, a way of being done.Six herons standing quietly in a pool of water,or you, naked, walking out of the bathroom without seeing me.And if you’d like to hear old Buk read it, here you go:I also shared the playlist of music I made for the event. So if you missed that earlier, then see here:Hopefully some good ‘style’ in those tunes…Sounds Good! is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to Sounds Good! at simonsweetman.substack.com/subscribe