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{{Short description|Scottish songwriter and author (born 1960)}}
{{Short description|Scottish songwriter and author (born 1960)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2021}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2023}}
{{Use British English|date=August 2012}}
{{Use British English|date=August 2012}}
{{Infobox person
{{Infobox person
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| image_size =
| image_size =
| caption = Currie in 2005
| caption = Currie in 2005
| birth_name = Nicholas John Currie<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ascap.com/repertory#/ace/search/workID/883183000 |title=BALONEY POLONIUS |website=ASCAP |publisher=American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers |access-date=13 March 2023}}</ref>
| birth_name = Nicholas Currie
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1960|2|11|df=y}}
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1960|2|11|df=y}}
| birth_place = [[Paisley, Renfrewshire|Paisley]], Scotland
| birth_place = [[Paisley, Renfrewshire|Paisley]], Scotland
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| relations =
| relations =
| signature =
| signature =
| website = {{url|imomus.com}}
| website = {{URL|imomus.com}}
| footnotes =
| footnotes =
| module = {{Infobox musical artist|embed=yes
| module = {{Infobox musical artist|embed=yes
| background = solo_singer
| background = solo_singer
| instrument =
| instrument =
| genre = {{hlist|[[Indie pop]]|[[Avant pop]]|[[electronic music|Electronic]]}}
| genre = {{hlist|[[Indie pop]]|[[avant pop]]|[[electronic music|electronic]]}}
| associated_acts =
| associated_acts =
| label = {{hlist|[[él Records|él]]|[[Creation Records|Creation]]|Richmond|[[Cherry Red Records|Cherry Red]]|[[Analog Baroque]]}}
| label = {{hlist|[[él Records|él]]|[[Creation Records|Creation]]|Richmond|[[Cherry Red Records|Cherry Red]]|[[Analog Baroque]]}}
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| period =
| period =
}} --->}}
}} --->}}
'''Nicholas '''"'''Nick'''"''' Currie''' (born 11 February 1960), more popularly known under the [[artist name]] '''Momus''' (after the [[Momus|Greek god of mockery]]), is a [[Scotland|Scottish]] musician and writer.
'''Nicholas John Currie''' (born 11 February 1960), more popularly known under the [[artist name]] '''Momus''' (after the [[Momus|Greek god of mockery]]), is a [[Scotland|Scottish]] musician and writer.


For over forty years he has been releasing albums on labels in the United Kingdom, the United States, and Japan. In his lyrics and his other writing he makes use of [[continental philosophy]], and has built up a personal world he says is "dominated by values like diversity, [[orientalism]], and a respect for otherness".<ref>{{cite web | title = Pubic Intellectual - An Anthology | publisher = [[Rough Trade Records|Rough Trade]] | url = https://www.roughtrade.com/gb/music/pubic-intellectual-an-anthology-1986-2016 | access-date = 2018-04-24}}</ref>
For over forty years he has been releasing albums on labels in the United Kingdom, the United States, and Japan. In his lyrics and his other writing he makes use of [[continental philosophy]], and has built up a personal world he says is "dominated by values like diversity, [[orientalism]], and a respect for otherness".<ref>{{cite web | title = Pubic Intellectual - An Anthology | publisher = [[Rough Trade Records|Rough Trade]] | url = https://www.roughtrade.com/gb/music/pubic-intellectual-an-anthology-1986-2016 | access-date = 24 April 2018}}</ref>


== Career ==
== Career ==
Line 45: Line 45:
Nicholas Currie's musical career began in 1981, with his band [[The Happy Family (band)|The Happy Family]], featuring ex-members of [[Josef K (band)|Josef K]], who made a single and a concept album ''The Man on Your Street: Songs of the Dictator Hall'' on hip UK indie label 4AD.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://4ad.com/|title=The official website for independent record label 4AD.|website=4AD}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://thequietus.com/articles/08181-momus-interview|title=The Quietus &#124; Features &#124; A Quietus Interview &#124; Momus - Where The Art Is: Nick Currie Interviewed|website=The Quietus}}</ref>
Nicholas Currie's musical career began in 1981, with his band [[The Happy Family (band)|The Happy Family]], featuring ex-members of [[Josef K (band)|Josef K]], who made a single and a concept album ''The Man on Your Street: Songs of the Dictator Hall'' on hip UK indie label 4AD.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://4ad.com/|title=The official website for independent record label 4AD.|website=4AD}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://thequietus.com/articles/08181-momus-interview|title=The Quietus &#124; Features &#124; A Quietus Interview &#124; Momus - Where The Art Is: Nick Currie Interviewed|website=The Quietus}}</ref>


In 1986 Momus recorded an E.P. of his translations of Jacques Brel songs "Nicky", and wrote a lengthy article on Brel for the ''New Statesman''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.newstatesman.com/music/2009/10/brel-momus-song-death-world|title=One famous Belgian|website=Newstatesman.com|access-date=19 July 2020}}</ref> On 22 October 2009 he performed at the Barbican alongside fellow Brel enthusiasts [[Marc Almond]] and [[Camille O'Sullivan]] at a celebration of Brel's career ''Carousel: The Songs of Jacques Brel''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.timeout.com/london/music/carousel-the-songs-of-jacques-brel-feat-arno-marc-almond-diamanda-galas-arthur-h-momus-camille-osullivan|title=CAROUSEL: The Songs of Jacques Brel feat Arno + Marc Almond + Diamanda Galás + Arthur H + Momus + Camille O'Sullivan at Barbican Centre - Rock, pop & dance|website=Time Out London|access-date=19 July 2020}}</ref>
In 1986 Momus recorded an E.P. of his translations of Jacques Brel songs, "Nicky", and wrote a lengthy article on Brel for the ''New Statesman''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.newstatesman.com/music/2009/10/brel-momus-song-death-world|title=One famous Belgian|website=Newstatesman.com|access-date=19 July 2020}}</ref> On 22 October 2009 he performed at the Barbican alongside fellow Brel enthusiasts [[Marc Almond]] and [[Camille O'Sullivan]] at a celebration of Brel's career ''Carousel: The Songs of Jacques Brel''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.timeout.com/london/music/carousel-the-songs-of-jacques-brel-feat-arno-marc-almond-diamanda-galas-arthur-h-momus-camille-osullivan|title=CAROUSEL: The Songs of Jacques Brel feat Arno + Marc Almond + Diamanda Galás + Arthur H + Momus + Camille O'Sullivan at Barbican Centre - Rock, pop & dance|website=Time Out London|access-date=19 July 2020}}</ref>


His album ''Don't Stop The Night'' included the single, "The Hairstyle of the Devil", which peaked at No. 94 in the [[UK Singles Chart]] in May 1989,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/search/singles/hairstyle-of-the-devil/|title=hairstyle of the devil &#124; full Official Chart History &#124; Official Charts Company|website=www.officialcharts.com}}</ref> and was also a local hit at San Francisco's [[KITS]] Live 105 radio station.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.rocklists.com/kits-1989.html|title=Live 105 Top 105.3 of 1989|website=Rocklists.com}}</ref>
His album ''Don't Stop The Night'' included the single, "The Hairstyle of the Devil", which peaked at No. 94 in the [[UK Singles Chart]] in May 1989,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/search/singles/hairstyle-of-the-devil/|title=hairstyle of the devil &#124; full Official Chart History &#124; Official Charts Company|website=Officialcharts.com}}</ref> and was also a local hit at San Francisco's [[KITS]] Live 105 radio station.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.rocklists.com/kits-1989.html|title=Live 105 Top 105.3 of 1989|website=Rocklists.com}}</ref>


Momus' 1980s albums were a great influence on [[Jarvis Cocker]], who wrote to Currie asking him to produce future [[Pulp (band)|Pulp]] albums.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://portable-infinite.blogspot.com/2005/09/momus.html|title=Momus INTERVIEW|first=Alexander|last=Laurence|date=5 September 2005}}</ref><ref>''Momus: Man of Letters'' (Visionary Video, 2003)</ref> Those same albums were a huge influence on [[Brett Anderson]],<ref>Brett Anderson 'Lost Albums', ''NME'', 12 February 2012</ref> Currie's championing of [[Suede (band)|Suede]] following his friendship with Anderson and particularly bass player [[Justine Frischmann]] got them early attention, before she left to form [[Elastica]]. Momus also features in ''Bad Vibes'' the memoir of [[Luke Haines]]'s whom Currie dubbed 'The Hitler of Britpop'.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thelineofbestfit.com/reviews/book-reviews/luke-haines-bad-vibes-britpop-and-my-part-in-its-downfall-11743|title=Luke Haines – Bad Vibes: Britpop And My Part In Its Downfall|website=The Line of Best Fit}}</ref><ref>Haines, L. Bad Vibes. (2009).</ref>
Momus' 1980s albums were a great influence on [[Jarvis Cocker]], who wrote to Currie asking him to produce future [[Pulp (band)|Pulp]] albums.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://portable-infinite.blogspot.com/2005/09/momus.html|title=Momus INTERVIEW|first=Alexander|last=Laurence|website=Portable-infinite.blogspot.com|date=5 September 2005}}</ref><ref>''Momus: Man of Letters'' (Visionary Video, 2003)</ref> Those same albums were a huge influence on [[Brett Anderson]],<ref>Brett Anderson 'Lost Albums', ''NME'', 12 February 2012</ref> Currie's championing of [[Suede (band)|Suede]] following his friendship with Anderson and particularly bass player [[Justine Frischmann]] got them early attention, before she left to form [[Elastica]]. Momus also features in ''Bad Vibes'' the memoir of [[Luke Haines]]'s whom Currie dubbed 'The Hitler of Britpop'.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thelineofbestfit.com/reviews/book-reviews/luke-haines-bad-vibes-britpop-and-my-part-in-its-downfall-11743|title=Luke Haines – Bad Vibes: Britpop And My Part In Its Downfall|website=The Line of Best Fit}}</ref><ref>Haines, L. Bad Vibes. (2009).</ref>


In the early 1990s, Momus struck up a working relationship with a number of J-Pop stars.<ref name="auto1">{{Cite web|url=https://thequietus.com/articles/22517-momus-interview-2|title=The Quietus &#124; Features &#124; Strange World Of... &#124; The Strange World Of... Momus|website=The Quietus}}</ref> A cult audience for Momus and the indie labels he had released his early records on - particularly el records - led to the formation community of musicians in Shibuya, Tokyo, and the founding of Cru-el records, and the emergence of 'ShibuyaKei' artists such as Cornelius and The Poison Girlfriend - who performed Momus songs. Currie began writing specifically for nOrikO (aka the Poison Girlfriend) and Kahimi Karie.<ref name="auto3">{{Cite web|url=http://www.theguardian.com/books/2009/sep/19/momus-nick-currie-book-jokes|title=Momus aka Nick Currie has written his first novel. Brian Dillon salutes him|date=18 September 2009|website=the Guardian}}</ref> In 1995 Kahimi Karie's Momus-penned song "Good Morning World" went to number one and was featured in a heavily syndicated advert, giving Currie his first real hit and financial stability for the first time.{{citation needed|date=October 2022}}
In the early 1990s, Momus struck up a working relationship with a number of J-Pop stars.<ref name="auto1">{{Cite web|url=https://thequietus.com/articles/22517-momus-interview-2|title=The Quietus &#124; Features &#124; Strange World Of... &#124; The Strange World Of... Momus|website=The Quietus}}</ref> A cult audience for Momus and the indie labels he had released his early records on - particularly el records - led to the formation community of musicians in [[Shibuya]], [[Tokyo]], and the founding of Cru-el records, and the emergence of [[Shibuya-kei]] artists such as [[Cornelius (musician)|Cornelius]] and The Poison Girlfriend - who performed Momus songs. Currie began writing specifically for nOrikO (aka the Poison Girlfriend) and [[Kahimi Karie]].<ref name="auto3">{{Cite web|url=http://www.theguardian.com/books/2009/sep/19/momus-nick-currie-book-jokes|title=Momus aka Nick Currie has written his first novel. Brian Dillon salutes him|date=18 September 2009|website=the Guardian}}</ref> In 1995 Kahimi Karie's Momus-penned song "Good Morning World" went to number one and was featured in a heavily syndicated advert, giving Currie his first real hit and financial stability for the first time.{{citation needed|date=October 2022}}


Momus has continued to release music regularly. His 2020 album, ''[[Vivid (Momus album)|Vivid]]'', which documented the [[COVID-19 pandemic]] and Momus' own suspected case of the virus, earned some coverage in the mainstream media.<ref>{{Cite news|date=2020-04-18|title=Momus writing an album inspired by Covid-19|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-52270653|access-date=2021-02-11}}</ref>
Momus has continued to release music regularly. His 2020 album, ''[[Vivid (Momus album)|Vivid]]'', which documented the [[COVID-19 pandemic]] and Momus' own suspected case of the virus, earned some coverage in the mainstream media.<ref>{{Cite news|date=18 April 2020|title=Momus writing an album inspired by Covid-19|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-52270653|access-date=11 February 2021}}</ref>


He has been the subject of a number of documentaries including Hannu Puttonen's ''Man of Letters''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://letterboxd.com/film/momus-man-of-letters/|title=Momus Man of Letters (1994)|via=letterboxd.com}}</ref>
He has been the subject of a number of documentaries including Hannu Puttonen's ''Man of Letters''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://letterboxd.com/film/momus-man-of-letters/|title=Momus Man of Letters (1994)|website=Letterboxd.com}}</ref>


===As author===
===As author===
⚫
Momus has published a book of lyrics,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://imomus.com/index73.html|title=Lyrics|website=Imomus.com}}</ref> and has written texts or introductions for several books on art and culture.{{citation needed|date=November 2022}}


⚫
Momus has published six novels.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://survivingthegoldenage.com/momus-niche-a-memoir-in-pastiche/|title=Momus: Niche: A Memoir in Pastiche |website=Survivingthegoldenage.com|date=17 July 2020}}</ref> ''The Book of Jokes'' and ''The Book of Scotlands'' received positive reviews in the ''LA Times''<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-ca-momus20-2009sep20-story.html|title='The Book of Jokes' by Momus|date=20 September 2009|website=Los Angeles Times}}</ref> and the ''Guardian.''<ref name="auto3"/> ''The Book of Scotlands'' (Sternberg Press) was shortlisted for the Scottish Arts Council's First Book prize. He published ''The Book of Japans'' in 2011, also on Sternberg Press,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sternberg-press.com/product/solution-214-238-the-book-of-japans/|title=Solution 214–238|website=Sternberg-press.com|access-date=4 September 2024}}</ref> and ''UnAmerica''<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/sep/06/unamerica-momus-review-experimental-art-novel|title=UnAmerica by Momus review – Europe's psychic fear of the US|date=6 September 2014|newspaper=[[The Guardian]]}}</ref> in 2014, as well as several ebooks.
⚫
Momus has published a book of lyrics,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://imomus.com/index73.html|title=Lyrics|website=imomus.com}}</ref> and has written texts or introductions for several books on art and culture.{{citation needed|date=November 2022}}


⚫
2020 saw the publication of ''Niche: a memoir in pastiche'' in which Momus tells the story of his creative life through fictional eyewitness statements from famous historic figures.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/momus/niche/|title=NICHE &#124; Kirkus Reviews|website=Kirkusreviews.com}}</ref>
⚫
Momus has published six novels.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://survivingthegoldenage.com/momus-niche-a-memoir-in-pastiche/|title=Momus: Niche: A Memoir in Pastiche &#124; Surviving the Golden Age|date=17 July 2020}}</ref> ''The Book of Jokes'' and ''The Book of Scotlands'' received positive reviews in the ''LA Times''<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-ca-momus20-2009sep20-story.html|title='The Book of Jokes' by Momus|date=20 September 2009|website=Los Angeles Times}}</ref> and the ''Guardian.''<ref name="auto3"/> ''The Book of Scotlands'' (Sternberg Press) was shortlisted for the Scottish Arts Council's First Book prize. He published ''The Book of Japans'' in 2011, also on Sternberg Press,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sternberg-press.com/product/solution-214-238-the-book-of-japans/|title=Solution 214–238}}</ref> and ''UnAmerica''<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/sep/06/unamerica-momus-review-experimental-art-novel|title=UnAmerica by Momus review – Europe's psychic fear of the US|date=6 September 2014|website=the Guardian}}</ref> in 2014, as well as several ebooks.

⚫
2020 saw the publication of ''Niche: a memoir in pastiche'' in which Momus tells the story of his creative life through fictional eyewitness statements from famous historic figures.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/momus/niche/|title=NICHE &#124; Kirkus Reviews|via=www.kirkusreviews.com}}</ref>


===Blog and vlog===
===Blog and vlog===


Momus said in 1991 that "In the future everyone will be famous for fifteen people", which has evolved into a [[Internet meme|meme]], "On the web, everyone will be famous to fifteen people".<ref name="fifteen-people">{{cite web | title = POP STARS? NEIN DANKE! In the future everyone will be famous for fifteen people... | author = Momus | url = http://imomus.com/index499.html | year = 1991 | publisher = Grimsby Fishmarket | access-date = 2008-10-07}}</ref> The quip parodies [[Andy Warhol]]'s famous prediction that, [[15 minutes of fame|"In the future, everyone will be famous for fifteen minutes"]].
Momus said in 1991 that "In the future everyone will be famous for fifteen people", which has evolved into a [[Internet meme|meme]], "On the web, everyone will be famous to fifteen people".<ref name="fifteen-people">{{cite web | title = POP STARS? NEIN DANKE! In the future everyone will be famous for fifteen people... | author = Momus | url = http://imomus.com/index499.html | year = 1991 | publisher = Grimsby Fishmarket | access-date = 7 October 2008}}</ref> The quip parodies [[Andy Warhol]]'s famous prediction that, [[15 minutes of fame|"In the future, everyone will be famous for fifteen minutes"]].


From January 15, 2004 to February 10, 2010, Momus wrote a blog on the [[LiveJournal]] platform called ''Click Opera.''<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://imomus.livejournal.com/|title=click opera|website=Imomus.livejournal.com|access-date=29 September 2021}}</ref> Initially a collection of links, ''Click Opera'' evolved to become a substantial daily cultural essay. After announcing it unexpectedly in an interview with magazine called ''Chronic'art'', Momus ended the blog on his fiftieth birthday because it had become too time-consuming and because Livejournal was being wound down.<ref name="auto">{{Cite web|url=https://imomus.livejournal.com/491608.html|title=Clickswansong|website=Imomus.livejournal.com|access-date=29 September 2021}}</ref> It is cited a high point of the blogging era<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/16767/ultimate-blogs-by-sarah-boxer/9780307278067|title=Ultimate Blogs by Sarah Boxer: 9780307278067 |website=PenguinRandomhouse.com|access-date=29 September 2021}}</ref> and led to Momus becoming a columnist with the ''New York Times'' and ''Wired''.<ref name="auto"/>
From 15 January 2004 to 10 February 2010, Momus wrote a blog on the [[LiveJournal]] platform called ''Click Opera.''<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://imomus.livejournal.com/|title=click opera|website=Imomus.livejournal.com|access-date=29 September 2021}}</ref> Initially a collection of links, ''Click Opera'' evolved to become a substantial daily cultural essay. After announcing it unexpectedly in an interview with magazine called ''Chronic'art'', Momus ended the blog on his fiftieth birthday because it had become too time-consuming and because Livejournal was being wound down.<ref name="auto">{{Cite web|url=https://imomus.livejournal.com/491608.html|title=Clickswansong|website=Imomus.livejournal.com|access-date=29 September 2021}}</ref> It is cited a high point of the blogging era<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/16767/ultimate-blogs-by-sarah-boxer/9780307278067|title=Ultimate Blogs by Sarah Boxer: 9780307278067 |website=PenguinRandomhouse.com|access-date=29 September 2021}}</ref> and led to Momus becoming a columnist with the ''New York Times'' and ''Wired''.<ref name="auto"/>


Since 2016, Momus has been releasing a series of improvised lectures and travel vlogs called ''Open University.''<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEk7kSjByIOIkMWc6S3uYfWBZiojNtO61 Open Universities in Chronological Order].</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://katoikos.world/interviews/neoliberalism-had-some-good-points-an-interview-with-nick-currie-aka-momus-about-europe-politics-identity-and-japan.html|title=“Neoliberalism had some good points”: An interview with Nick Currie aka Momus about Europe, politics, identity and Japan|first=Richard|last=Willmsen|date=4 June 2017}}</ref>
Since 2016, Momus has been releasing a series of improvised lectures and travel vlogs called ''Open University.''<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEk7kSjByIOIkMWc6S3uYfWBZiojNtO61 Open Universities in Chronological Order]., ''[[YouTube]]''</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://katoikos.world/interviews/neoliberalism-had-some-good-points-an-interview-with-nick-currie-aka-momus-about-europe-politics-identity-and-japan.html|title="Neoliberalism had some good points": An interview with Nick Currie aka Momus about Europe, politics, identity and Japan|first=Richard|last=Willmsen|website=Katoikos.world|date=4 June 2017}}</ref>


== Lawsuits ==
== Lawsuits ==
In 1991 following the release of the album ''[[Hippopotamomus]]'' Momus was threatened with legal action by the [[Michelin]] tyre company for his song "Michelin Man" which saw the company's [[bibendum]] mascot as a metaphor for hypersexual rubber fetishism.<ref name="auto2">Anthony Reynolds (2018) ''Sons of Pioneers'' Cherry Red pp.9-10</ref><ref name="scotsman">{{cite news|last=Shepherd|first=Fiona|date=10 September 1999|title=The World Can Change in a Matter of Momus|page=23|newspaper=The Scotsman|location=UK|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-18707545.html|url-status=dead|url-access=subscription|access-date=15 April 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150328202720/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-18707545.html|archive-date=28 March 2015|via=[[HighBeam Research]]}}</ref> Remaining copies of the album were destroyed, the track was withdrawn from subsequent pressings of the album, and the album's cover was amended to remove a hippo-headed pastiche of the Michelin Man character. The lyrics to the track were included in the lyric book ''Lusts of a Moron'' under the amended title "Made of Rubber". The 2018 box set ''Recreate'' restored both the track and title, with the accompanying booklet by [[Anthony Reynolds]] 'Sons of Pioneers', detailing the legal wrangle but not explaining the track's reinstatement.<ref name="auto2"/>
In 1991 following the release of the album ''[[Hippopotamomus]]'' Momus was threatened with legal action by the [[Michelin]] tyre company for his song "Michelin Man" which imagined the company's [[Bibendum]] mascot as a metaphor for hypersexual rubber fetishism.<ref name="auto2">Anthony Reynolds (2018) ''Sons of Pioneers'' Cherry Red pp.9-10</ref><ref name="scotsman">{{cite news|last=Shepherd|first=Fiona|date=10 September 1999|title=The World Can Change in a Matter of Momus|page=23|newspaper=The Scotsman|location=|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-18707545.html|url-status=dead|access-date=15 April 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150328202720/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-18707545.html|archive-date=28 March 2015|via=[[HighBeam Research]]}}</ref> Remaining copies of the album were destroyed, the track was withdrawn from subsequent pressings of the album, and the album's cover was amended to remove a hippo-headed pastiche of the Michelin Man character. The lyrics to the track were included in the lyric book ''Lusts of a Moron'' under the amended title "Made of Rubber". The 2018 box set ''Recreate'' restored both the track and title, with the accompanying booklet by [[Anthony Reynolds]] ''Sons of Pioneers'', detailing the legal wrangle but not explaining the track's reinstatement.<ref name="auto2"/>


In 1998, Momus was sued by the composer/musician [[Wendy Carlos]] for $22&nbsp;million<ref name="scotsman" /> for his song "Walter Carlos" (from the album ''[[The Little Red Songbook]]'', released that year), which postulated that the post–[[sexual reassignment surgery]] Wendy could travel back in time to marry her pre-surgery self, Walter. The case was settled out of court, with Momus agreeing to remove the song from subsequent editions of the CD and owing $30,000 in legal fees.<ref name="chronicle">{{cite news|last=Selvin|first=Joel|author-link=Joel Selvin|author2=Vaziri, Aidin|author3=Heller, Greg|date=7 November 1999|title=$1,000 Bought a Custom Song on Momus' Latest Album|work=The San Francisco Chronicle|url=http://articles.sfgate.com/1999-11-07/entertainment/17707488_1_bands-nick-momus-currie-advisory-board|access-date=15 April 2013}}</ref> Momus' following album ''[[Stars Forever]]'' consisted of commissioned biographical sketches in the style of the Wendy Carlos song, conceived as a crowdfunding exercise to pay Currie's legal fees.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/5383-stars-forever/|title=Momus: Stars Forever|first=Condé|last=Nast|website=Pitchfork}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.avclub.com/momus-1798208034|title=Momus|date=8 September 1999|website=The A.V. Club}}</ref>
In 1998, Momus was sued by the composer/musician [[Wendy Carlos]] for $22&nbsp;million<ref name="scotsman" /> for his song "Walter Carlos" (from the album ''[[The Little Red Songbook]]'', released that year), which postulated that the post–[[sexual reassignment surgery]] Wendy could travel back in time to marry her pre-surgery self. The case was settled out of court, with Momus agreeing to remove the song from subsequent editions of the CD and owing $30,000 in legal fees.<ref name="chronicle">{{cite news|last=Selvin|first=Joel|author-link=Joel Selvin|author2=Vaziri, Aidin|author3=Heller, Greg|date=7 November 1999|title=$1,000 Bought a Custom Song on Momus' Latest Album|work=The San Francisco Chronicle|url=https://www.sfgate.com/entertainment/article/1-000-Bought-a-Custom-Song-On-Momus-Latest-Album-2898584.php|access-date=15 April 2013}}</ref> Momus' following album ''[[Stars Forever]]'' consisted of commissioned biographical sketches in the style of the Wendy Carlos song, conceived as a crowdfunding exercise to pay Currie's legal fees.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/5383-stars-forever/|title=Momus: Stars Forever|website=Pitchfork}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.avclub.com/momus-1798208034|title=Momus|date=8 September 1999|website=The A.V. Club}}</ref>


== Personal life ==
== Personal life ==
Currie attended [[boarding school]] at the [[Edinburgh Academy]] while his father taught English for the [[British Council]] in [[Athens]].<ref name="auto1"/>
Currie attended [[boarding school]] at the [[Edinburgh Academy]] while his father taught English for the [[British Council]] in [[Athens]].<ref name="auto1"/>


Since 1984 Momus has lived in London, Paris, Tokyo, New York, [[Berlin]], and [[Osaka]].<ref name="auto1"/><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://wringham.co.uk/pants-on-fire-eleven-crises-witnessed-by-momus/|title=Pants on fire: eleven crises witnessed by Momus|first=Robert|last=Wringham}}</ref> He currently splits his time between Berlin and Paris.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.outsideleft.com/main.php?updateID=1826|title=3. Momus. Vivid. - John Robinson says Vivid is the record of the year. Jay Lewis slots it in, towards the top... ...the latest story in Outsideleft|website=outsideleft.com}}</ref> He is an [[atheism|atheist]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Thompson|first=Stephen|date=6 September 2000|title=Is there a God?|url=http://www.avclub.com/articles/is-there-a-god,1394/|access-date=2009-09-04|publisher=[[The A.V. Club]]}}</ref>
Since 1984 Momus has lived in London, Paris, Tokyo, New York, Berlin and Osaka.<ref name="auto1"/><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://wringham.co.uk/pants-on-fire-eleven-crises-witnessed-by-momus/|title=Pants on fire: eleven crises witnessed by Momus|first=Robert|last=Wringham|website=Wringham.co.uk}}</ref> He currently splits his time between Berlin and Paris.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.outsideleft.com/main.php?updateID=1826|title=3. Momus. Vivid. - John Robinson says Vivid is the record of the year. Jay Lewis slots it in, towards the top... ...the latest story in Outsideleft|website=Outsideleft.com}}</ref> He is an [[atheism|atheist]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Thompson|first=Stephen|date=6 September 2000|title=Is there a God?|url=http://www.avclub.com/articles/is-there-a-god,1394/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090219071902/http://www.avclub.com/articles/is-there-a-god,1394/|url-status=dead|archive-date=19 February 2009|access-date=4 September 2009|publisher=[[The A.V. Club]]}}</ref>


In 1994, at the age of 34, he married his 17-year-old girlfriend.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Curriculum Vitae |url=http://www.imomus.com/index58.html |access-date=10 February 2023 |website=Imomus.com}}</ref> She was 14 when they first corresponded by [[fan mail]]<ref>{{Cite news |date=26 July 1994 |title=Runaways Wed in Fear! |work=The Daily Record}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Momus Biography, Songs, & Albums |url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/momus-mn0000584952/biography |access-date=10 February 2023 |website=AllMusic |language=en}}</ref> but 16 when they became romantically involved. They separated in 1997 and divorced amicably in 1999.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Thought For The Day |url=http://imomus.com/thought130399.html |access-date=10 February 2023 |website=Imomus.com}}</ref><ref>Robinson, John. ''Famous for Fifteen People: the Songs of Momus 1982-1995,'' Zero Books, 2020</ref>
⚫
In December 1997, he contracted [[acanthamoeba keratitis]] in his right eye due to a contact lens mishap sustained whilst on holiday in [[Greece]], causing loss of vision on that side.<ref>{{cite web|last=Visco|first=Gerry|date=13 October 2007|title=Momus Revisited|url=http://www.nypress.com/blogx/display_blog.cfm?bid=55357876&day=13&startmonth=10&startyear=2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081022071755/http://www.nypress.com/blogx/display_blog.cfm?bid=55357876&day=13&startmonth=10&startyear=2007|archive-date=22 October 2008|access-date=2008-05-29|publisher=New York Press}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=Momus|date=April 1998|title=Story of an Eye|url=http://imomus.com/matt.html|access-date=2008-05-29}}</ref> Although his sight subsequently improved following surgery,<ref>{{Cite web|title=Momus &#124; Encyclopedia.com|url=https://www.encyclopedia.com/literature-and-arts/classical-literature-mythology-and-folklore/folklore-and-mythology/momus|website=Encyclopedia.com}}</ref> he has suffered lingering effects from the infection since, causing him to often be photographed in an [[eyepatch]], wearing dark glasses, or squinting.


⚫
In December 1997, he contracted [[acanthamoeba keratitis]] in his right eye due to a contact lens mishap sustained while on holiday in [[Greece]], causing loss of vision on that side.<ref>{{cite web|last=Visco|first=Gerry|date=13 October 2007|title=Momus Revisited|url=http://www.nypress.com/blogx/display_blog.cfm?bid=55357876&day=13&startmonth=10&startyear=2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081022071755/http://www.nypress.com/blogx/display_blog.cfm?bid=55357876&day=13&startmonth=10&startyear=2007|archive-date=22 October 2008|access-date=29 May 2008|publisher=New York Press}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=Momus|date=April 1998|title=Story of an Eye|url=http://imomus.com/matt.html|access-date=29 May 2008}}</ref> Although his sight subsequently improved following surgery,<ref>{{Cite web|title=Momus &#124; Encyclopedia.com|url=https://www.encyclopedia.com/literature-and-arts/classical-literature-mythology-and-folklore/folklore-and-mythology/momus|website=Encyclopedia.com}}</ref> he has suffered lingering effects from the infection since, causing him to often be photographed in an [[eyepatch]], wearing dark glasses, or squinting.
⚫
His cousin is musician [[Justin Currie]], the lead singer and songwriter of [[Del Amitri]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.scotsman.com/arts-and-culture/all-i-want-christmas-six-momus-albums-says-andrew-eaton-2463561|title=All I want for Christmas is six Momus albums, says Andrew Eaton|date=11 December 2008|website=www.scotsman.com}}</ref>


⚫
His cousin is musician [[Justin Currie]], the lead singer and songwriter of [[Del Amitri]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.scotsman.com/arts-and-culture/all-i-want-christmas-six-momus-albums-says-andrew-eaton-2463561|title=All I want for Christmas is six Momus albums, says Andrew Eaton|date=11 December 2008|website=Scotsman.com}}</ref>
⚫
==Bibliography==


⚫
==Bibliography==
{| class="wikitable"
{| class="wikitable"
!Author name
!Author name
Line 157: Line 157:
|-
|-
|Momus
|Momus
|The Book of Japans (Solution 214–239)
|The Book of Japan's (Solution 214–239)
|Sternberg Press
|Sternberg Press
|2011
|2011
Line 242: Line 242:
|-
|-
|John Robinson
|John Robinson
|Famous for Fifteen People: The Songs of Momus 1982 - 1995
|Famous for Fifteen People: The Songs of Momus 1982–1995
|[[John Hunt Publishing|Zero Books]]
|[[John Hunt Publishing|Zero Books]]
|2021
|2021
|pb and ebook
|pb and ebook
|biography and critical analysis<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.johnhuntpublishing.com/zer0-books/our-books/famous-fifteen-people|title=Famous for Fifteen People from Zer0 Books|website=Zer0 Books}}</ref>
|biography and critical analysis<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.johnhuntpublishing.com/zer0-books/our-books/famous-fifteen-people|title=Famous for Fifteen People from Zer0 Books|website=Zer0 Books}}</ref>
|-
|John Robinson
|Folktronics: The Songs of Momus 1996–2008
|P&H Books
|February 2024
|pb and ebook
|biography and critical analysis<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://poniesandhorsesbooks.com/product/folktronics|title=Folktronics|website=P&H Books}}</ref>
|-
|-
|}
|}


== Discography ==
== Discography ==
===Studio albums===
⚫
===Studio albums<ref name="auto4">{{Cite web|url=https://www.discogs.com/artist/17592-Momus|title=Momus|website=Discogs}}</ref>===
{{div col|colwidth=30em}}
{{div col|colwidth=30em}}
* ''[[Circus Maximus (Momus album)|Circus Maximus]]'' (1986)
* ''[[Circus Maximus (Momus album)|Circus Maximus]]'' (1986)
Line 261: Line 268:
* ''[[Voyager (Momus album)|Voyager]]'' (1992)
* ''[[Voyager (Momus album)|Voyager]]'' (1992)
* ''[[Timelord (Momus album)|Timelord]]'' (1993)
* ''[[Timelord (Momus album)|Timelord]]'' (1993)
* ''Slender Sherbert'' (1995)
* ''[[The Philosophy of Momus]]'' (1995)
* ''[[The Philosophy of Momus]]'' (1995)
* ''[[Slender Sherbet - Classic Songs Revisited]]'' (1995)
* ''[[Ping Pong (Momus album)|Ping Pong]]'' (1997)
* ''[[Ping Pong (Momus album)|Ping Pong]]'' (1997)
* ''[[The Little Red Songbook]]'' (1998)
* ''[[The Little Red Songbook]]'' (1998)
Line 277: Line 284:
* ''In Samoa'' (2012)
* ''In Samoa'' (2012)
* ''Sunbutler'', a collaboration with Joe Howe (2012)
* ''Sunbutler'', a collaboration with Joe Howe (2012)
* ''MOMUSMCCLYMONT'', a collaboration with [[Orange_Juice_(band)|David McClymont]] (2013)
* ''MOMUSMCCLYMONT'', a collaboration with [[Orange Juice (band)|David McClymont]] (2013)
* ''[[Bambi (Momus album)|Bambi]]'' (2013)
* ''[[Bambi (Momus album)|Bambi]]'' (2013)
* ''MOMUSMCCLYMONT II'', a collaboration with David McClymont (2014)
* ''MOMUSMCCLYMONT II'', a collaboration with David McClymont (2014)
Line 290: Line 297:
* ''Smudger'' (2022)
* ''Smudger'' (2022)
* ''Issyvoo'' (2022)
* ''Issyvoo'' (2022)
* ''Krambambuli'' (2023)
* ''Yikes!'' (2024)
⚫
* ''Ballyhoo'' (2024)<ref name="auto4">{{Cite web|url=https://www.discogs.com/artist/17592-Momus|title=Momus|website=Discogs}}</ref>
{{div col end}}
{{div col end}}


===Compilations<ref name="auto4"/>===
===Compilations===
{{div col|colwidth=30em}}
{{div col|colwidth=30em}}
* ''Monsters of Love'' (1990)
* ''Monsters of Love'' (1990)
Line 299: Line 309:
* ''Stop This'' (1998)
* ''Stop This'' (1998)
* ''Forbidden Software Timemachine'' (2003)
* ''Forbidden Software Timemachine'' (2003)
* ''Pubic Intellectual: An Anthology 1986-2016'' (3 CD [[Box set]]) (2016)
* ''Pubic Intellectual: An Anthology 1986-2016'' (Three CD [[Box set]]) (2016)
* ''Procreate'' (3CD [[Box Set]]) (2017)
* ''Procreate'' (3-CD Box Set) (2017)
* ''Recreate'' (3 CD [[Box set]]) (2018)
* ''Recreate'' (3-CD Box set) (2018)
* ''20 Frisky Whiskies'' (2024)<ref name="auto4"/>
{{div col end}}
{{div col end}}


===Singles and EPs<ref name="auto4"/>===
===Singles and EPs===
{{div col|colwidth=30em}}
{{div col|colwidth=30em}}
* ''The Beast With 3 Backs'' (1985)
* ''The Beast With 3 Backs'' (1985)
Line 313: Line 324:
* ''The Sadness of Things'' (1995)
* ''The Sadness of Things'' (1995)
* ''The Thunderclown'' (2011)
* ''The Thunderclown'' (2011)
* ''The Synthy EP'' (2021)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKEZJyzoSkw|title=Open University: The Synthy EP|via=www.youtube.com}}</ref>
* ''The Synthy EP'' (2021)<ref name="auto4"/><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKEZJyzoSkw|title=Open University: The Synthy EP|via=[[YouTube]]}}</ref>
{{div col end}}

===Demos===
{{div col|colwidth=30em}}
* ''Amazing Blonde Women''
* ''Clicky McOnomy''
* ''Early 90s Demos Tape #1''
* ''Early 90s Demos Tape #2''
* ''Germs of Gems''
* ''The Golden Age of Television''
* ''Innermost Thoughts''
* ''Oskar Originals''
* ''Scotch Classic''<ref name="auto4"/>
{{div col end}}
{{div col end}}


Line 320: Line 344:


== External links ==
== External links ==
*[http://www.imomus.com/ Momus' Official Site]
*[http://imomus.com/ Momus' Official Site]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20041128003605/http://www.livejournal.com/~imomus/ Click Opera] (Momus' now-defunct [[LiveJournal]] blog)
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20041128003605/http://www.livejournal.com/~imomus/ Click Opera] (Momus' now-defunct [[LiveJournal]] blog)
*{{YouTube|u=momasu}}
*{{YouTube|u=momasu}}
Line 344: Line 368:
[[Category:Scottish expatriates in Germany]]
[[Category:Scottish expatriates in Germany]]
[[Category:Scottish expatriates in Japan]]
[[Category:Scottish expatriates in Japan]]
[[Category:Scottish songwriters]]
[[Category:Scottish male songwriters]]
[[Category:Journalists from Paisley, Renfrewshire]]
[[Category:Journalists from Paisley, Renfrewshire]]
[[Category:Musicians from Paisley, Renfrewshire]]
[[Category:Musicians from Paisley, Renfrewshire]]
[[Category:Cherry Red Records artists]]
[[Category:Cherry Red Records artists]]
[[Category:Eyepatch wearers]]
[[Category:People educated at Edinburgh Academy]]

Latest revision as of 12:28, 21 November 2024

Momus
Currie in 2005
Born
Nicholas John Currie[1]

(1960-02-11) 11 February 1960 (age 64)
Paisley, Scotland
Other namesMomus
Occupations
  • Songwriter
  • author
  • journalist
Years active1981–present
Musical career
Genres
Labels
Websiteimomus.com

Nicholas John Currie (born 11 February 1960), more popularly known under the artist name Momus (after the Greek god of mockery), is a Scottish musician and writer.

For over forty years he has been releasing albums on labels in the United Kingdom, the United States, and Japan. In his lyrics and his other writing he makes use of continental philosophy, and has built up a personal world he says is "dominated by values like diversity, orientalism, and a respect for otherness".[2]

Career

[edit]

Musical

[edit]

Nicholas Currie's musical career began in 1981, with his band The Happy Family, featuring ex-members of Josef K, who made a single and a concept album The Man on Your Street: Songs of the Dictator Hall on hip UK indie label 4AD.[3][4]

In 1986 Momus recorded an E.P. of his translations of Jacques Brel songs, "Nicky", and wrote a lengthy article on Brel for the New Statesman.[5] On 22 October 2009 he performed at the Barbican alongside fellow Brel enthusiasts Marc Almond and Camille O'Sullivan at a celebration of Brel's career Carousel: The Songs of Jacques Brel.[6]

His album Don't Stop The Night included the single, "The Hairstyle of the Devil", which peaked at No. 94 in the UK Singles Chart in May 1989,[7] and was also a local hit at San Francisco's KITS Live 105 radio station.[8]

Momus' 1980s albums were a great influence on Jarvis Cocker, who wrote to Currie asking him to produce future Pulp albums.[9][10] Those same albums were a huge influence on Brett Anderson,[11] Currie's championing of Suede following his friendship with Anderson and particularly bass player Justine Frischmann got them early attention, before she left to form Elastica. Momus also features in Bad Vibes the memoir of Luke Haines's whom Currie dubbed 'The Hitler of Britpop'.[12][13]

In the early 1990s, Momus struck up a working relationship with a number of J-Pop stars.[14] A cult audience for Momus and the indie labels he had released his early records on - particularly el records - led to the formation community of musicians in Shibuya, Tokyo, and the founding of Cru-el records, and the emergence of Shibuya-kei artists such as Cornelius and The Poison Girlfriend - who performed Momus songs. Currie began writing specifically for nOrikO (aka the Poison Girlfriend) and Kahimi Karie.[15] In 1995 Kahimi Karie's Momus-penned song "Good Morning World" went to number one and was featured in a heavily syndicated advert, giving Currie his first real hit and financial stability for the first time.[citation needed]

Momus has continued to release music regularly. His 2020 album, Vivid, which documented the COVID-19 pandemic and Momus' own suspected case of the virus, earned some coverage in the mainstream media.[16]

He has been the subject of a number of documentaries including Hannu Puttonen's Man of Letters.[17]

As author

[edit]

Momus has published a book of lyrics,[18] and has written texts or introductions for several books on art and culture.[citation needed]

Momus has published six novels.[19] The Book of Jokes and The Book of Scotlands received positive reviews in the LA Times[20] and the Guardian.[15] The Book of Scotlands (Sternberg Press) was shortlisted for the Scottish Arts Council's First Book prize. He published The Book of Japans in 2011, also on Sternberg Press,[21] and UnAmerica[22] in 2014, as well as several ebooks.

2020 saw the publication of Niche: a memoir in pastiche in which Momus tells the story of his creative life through fictional eyewitness statements from famous historic figures.[23]

Blog and vlog

[edit]

Momus said in 1991 that "In the future everyone will be famous for fifteen people", which has evolved into a meme, "On the web, everyone will be famous to fifteen people".[24] The quip parodies Andy Warhol's famous prediction that, "In the future, everyone will be famous for fifteen minutes".

From 15 January 2004 to 10 February 2010, Momus wrote a blog on the LiveJournal platform called Click Opera.[25] Initially a collection of links, Click Opera evolved to become a substantial daily cultural essay. After announcing it unexpectedly in an interview with magazine called Chronic'art, Momus ended the blog on his fiftieth birthday because it had become too time-consuming and because Livejournal was being wound down.[26] It is cited a high point of the blogging era[27] and led to Momus becoming a columnist with the New York Times and Wired.[26]

Since 2016, Momus has been releasing a series of improvised lectures and travel vlogs called Open University.[28][29]

Lawsuits

[edit]

In 1991 following the release of the album Hippopotamomus Momus was threatened with legal action by the Michelin tyre company for his song "Michelin Man" which imagined the company's Bibendum mascot as a metaphor for hypersexual rubber fetishism.[30][31] Remaining copies of the album were destroyed, the track was withdrawn from subsequent pressings of the album, and the album's cover was amended to remove a hippo-headed pastiche of the Michelin Man character. The lyrics to the track were included in the lyric book Lusts of a Moron under the amended title "Made of Rubber". The 2018 box set Recreate restored both the track and title, with the accompanying booklet by Anthony Reynolds Sons of Pioneers, detailing the legal wrangle but not explaining the track's reinstatement.[30]

In 1998, Momus was sued by the composer/musician Wendy Carlos for $22 million[31] for his song "Walter Carlos" (from the album The Little Red Songbook, released that year), which postulated that the post–sexual reassignment surgery Wendy could travel back in time to marry her pre-surgery self. The case was settled out of court, with Momus agreeing to remove the song from subsequent editions of the CD and owing $30,000 in legal fees.[32] Momus' following album Stars Forever consisted of commissioned biographical sketches in the style of the Wendy Carlos song, conceived as a crowdfunding exercise to pay Currie's legal fees.[33][34]

Personal life

[edit]

Currie attended boarding school at the Edinburgh Academy while his father taught English for the British Council in Athens.[14]

Since 1984 Momus has lived in London, Paris, Tokyo, New York, Berlin and Osaka.[14][35] He currently splits his time between Berlin and Paris.[36] He is an atheist.[37]

In 1994, at the age of 34, he married his 17-year-old girlfriend.[38] She was 14 when they first corresponded by fan mail[39][40] but 16 when they became romantically involved. They separated in 1997 and divorced amicably in 1999.[41][42]

In December 1997, he contracted acanthamoeba keratitis in his right eye due to a contact lens mishap sustained while on holiday in Greece, causing loss of vision on that side.[43][44] Although his sight subsequently improved following surgery,[45] he has suffered lingering effects from the infection since, causing him to often be photographed in an eyepatch, wearing dark glasses, or squinting.

His cousin is musician Justin Currie, the lead singer and songwriter of Del Amitri.[46]

Bibliography

[edit]
Author name Title Publisher Year Format Genre/subject
Momus Lusts of a Moron Black Swan Press 1992 pb lyrics
Nicholas Currie Pierre et Gilles Taschen 1993 pb art/photography (French, English & German)
Nicholas Currie Fotolog.Book Thames & Hudson 2006 hb photoblogging
Momus Matt Stokes: Lost in the Rhythm Art Editions North 2007 pb art - essay
Momus The Book of Scotlands (Solution 11-167) Sternberg Press 2009 pb novel
Luath Press 2018 pb second edition
Momus The Book of Jokes Dalkey Press 2009 pb novel
(Le Livre des Blagues) La Volte 2009 pb novel (French)
(El libro de las bromas) Ediciones Alpha Decay 2012 pb novel (Spanish)
Momus The Book of Japan's (Solution 214–239) Sternberg Press 2011 pb novel
Momus Unamerica (Success and Failure) Penny-Ante Editions 2014 pb novel
Le Serpent à Plumes 2015 pb (in French)
Momus Zizek's Jokes MIT Press 2014 hb cultural studies - afterword
2018 pb
Momus Herr F Fiktion 2015 ebook novel (German and English)[47]
edition taberna kritika 2019 pb novel (in German)
Momus Black Letts Diary iMomus 2016 ebook diaries[48]
Momus Popppappp Fiktion 2016 ebook novel
Momus Somewhere There are People Like Me iMomus 2016 ebook diaries[49]
Momus Off the Beaten Track: A Year in Haiku Boatwhistle Press 2016 pb poetry - contributor
Momus The Bertie Wooster of Alienation iMomus 2017 ebook diaries[50]
Momus Niche: a memoir in pastiche Farrar, Straus & Giroux 2020 hb autobiography
John Robinson Famous for Fifteen People: The Songs of Momus 1982–1995 Zero Books 2021 pb and ebook biography and critical analysis[51]
John Robinson Folktronics: The Songs of Momus 1996–2008 P&H Books February 2024 pb and ebook biography and critical analysis[52]

Discography

[edit]

Studio albums

[edit]

Compilations

[edit]
  • Monsters of Love (1990)
  • Learning to Be Human (1994)
  • Twenty Vodka Jellies (1996)
  • Stop This (1998)
  • Forbidden Software Timemachine (2003)
  • Pubic Intellectual: An Anthology 1986-2016 (Three CD Box set) (2016)
  • Procreate (3-CD Box Set) (2017)
  • Recreate (3-CD Box set) (2018)
  • 20 Frisky Whiskies (2024)[53]

Singles and EPs

[edit]
  • The Beast With 3 Backs (1985)
  • Murderers, The Hope of Women (1986)
  • Nicky (1986)
  • The Hairstyle of the Devil UK #94 (1989)
  • Spacewalk (1992)
  • The Sadness of Things (1995)
  • The Thunderclown (2011)
  • The Synthy EP (2021)[53][54]

Demos

[edit]
  • Amazing Blonde Women
  • Clicky McOnomy
  • Early 90s Demos Tape #1
  • Early 90s Demos Tape #2
  • Germs of Gems
  • The Golden Age of Television
  • Innermost Thoughts
  • Oskar Originals
  • Scotch Classic[53]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "BALONEY POLONIUS". ASCAP. American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers. Retrieved 13 March 2023.
  2. ^ "Pubic Intellectual - An Anthology". Rough Trade. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
  3. ^ "The official website for independent record label 4AD". 4AD.
  4. ^ "The Quietus | Features | A Quietus Interview | Momus - Where The Art Is: Nick Currie Interviewed". The Quietus.
  5. ^ "One famous Belgian". Newstatesman.com. Retrieved 19 July 2020.
  6. ^ "CAROUSEL: The Songs of Jacques Brel feat Arno + Marc Almond + Diamanda Galás + Arthur H + Momus + Camille O'Sullivan at Barbican Centre - Rock, pop & dance". Time Out London. Retrieved 19 July 2020.
  7. ^ "hairstyle of the devil | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". Officialcharts.com.
  8. ^ "Live 105 Top 105.3 of 1989". Rocklists.com.
  9. ^ Laurence, Alexander (5 September 2005). "Momus INTERVIEW". Portable-infinite.blogspot.com.
  10. ^ Momus: Man of Letters (Visionary Video, 2003)
  11. ^ Brett Anderson 'Lost Albums', NME, 12 February 2012
  12. ^ "Luke Haines – Bad Vibes: Britpop And My Part In Its Downfall". The Line of Best Fit.
  13. ^ Haines, L. Bad Vibes. (2009).
  14. ^ a b c "The Quietus | Features | Strange World Of... | The Strange World Of... Momus". The Quietus.
  15. ^ a b "Momus aka Nick Currie has written his first novel. Brian Dillon salutes him". the Guardian. 18 September 2009.
  16. ^ "Momus writing an album inspired by Covid-19". BBC News. 18 April 2020. Retrieved 11 February 2021.
  17. ^ "Momus Man of Letters (1994)". Letterboxd.com.
  18. ^ "Lyrics". Imomus.com.
  19. ^ "Momus: Niche: A Memoir in Pastiche". Survivingthegoldenage.com. 17 July 2020.
  20. ^ "'The Book of Jokes' by Momus". Los Angeles Times. 20 September 2009.
  21. ^ "Solution 214–238". Sternberg-press.com. Retrieved 4 September 2024.
  22. ^ "UnAmerica by Momus review – Europe's psychic fear of the US". The Guardian. 6 September 2014.
  23. ^ "NICHE | Kirkus Reviews". Kirkusreviews.com.
  24. ^ Momus (1991). "POP STARS? NEIN DANKE! In the future everyone will be famous for fifteen people..." Grimsby Fishmarket. Retrieved 7 October 2008.
  25. ^ "click opera". Imomus.livejournal.com. Retrieved 29 September 2021.
  26. ^ a b "Clickswansong". Imomus.livejournal.com. Retrieved 29 September 2021.
  27. ^ "Ultimate Blogs by Sarah Boxer: 9780307278067". PenguinRandomhouse.com. Retrieved 29 September 2021.
  28. ^ Open Universities in Chronological Order., YouTube
  29. ^ Willmsen, Richard (4 June 2017). ""Neoliberalism had some good points": An interview with Nick Currie aka Momus about Europe, politics, identity and Japan". Katoikos.world.
  30. ^ a b Anthony Reynolds (2018) Sons of Pioneers Cherry Red pp.9-10
  31. ^ a b Shepherd, Fiona (10 September 1999). "The World Can Change in a Matter of Momus". The Scotsman. p. 23. Archived from the original on 28 March 2015. Retrieved 15 April 2013 – via HighBeam Research.
  32. ^ Selvin, Joel; Vaziri, Aidin; Heller, Greg (7 November 1999). "$1,000 Bought a Custom Song on Momus' Latest Album". The San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 15 April 2013.
  33. ^ "Momus: Stars Forever". Pitchfork.
  34. ^ "Momus". The A.V. Club. 8 September 1999.
  35. ^ Wringham, Robert. "Pants on fire: eleven crises witnessed by Momus". Wringham.co.uk.
  36. ^ "3. Momus. Vivid. - John Robinson says Vivid is the record of the year. Jay Lewis slots it in, towards the top... ...the latest story in Outsideleft". Outsideleft.com.
  37. ^ Thompson, Stephen (6 September 2000). "Is there a God?". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on 19 February 2009. Retrieved 4 September 2009.
  38. ^ "Curriculum Vitae". Imomus.com. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  39. ^ "Runaways Wed in Fear!". The Daily Record. 26 July 1994.
  40. ^ "Momus Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  41. ^ "Thought For The Day". Imomus.com. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  42. ^ Robinson, John. Famous for Fifteen People: the Songs of Momus 1982-1995, Zero Books, 2020
  43. ^ Visco, Gerry (13 October 2007). "Momus Revisited". New York Press. Archived from the original on 22 October 2008. Retrieved 29 May 2008.
  44. ^ Momus (April 1998). "Story of an Eye". Retrieved 29 May 2008.
  45. ^ "Momus | Encyclopedia.com". Encyclopedia.com.
  46. ^ "All I want for Christmas is six Momus albums, says Andrew Eaton". Scotsman.com. 11 December 2008.
  47. ^ "Fiktion". Fiktion.cc. Retrieved 19 July 2020.
  48. ^ "Momus Black Letts Diary 1979" (PDF). Imomus.com. Retrieved 19 July 2020.
  49. ^ "Momus Black Letts Diary 1980" (PDF). Imomus.com. Retrieved 19 July 2020.
  50. ^ "Momus Black Letts Diary 1981-2" (PDF). Imomus.com. Retrieved 29 September 2020.
  51. ^ "Famous for Fifteen People from Zer0 Books". Zer0 Books.
  52. ^ "Folktronics". P&H Books.
  53. ^ a b c d "Momus". Discogs.
  54. ^ "Open University: The Synthy EP" – via YouTube.
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