ghostpoet

Ghostpoet released new LP, tells us what he's been up to during quarantine

Two-time Mercury Prize nominee Ghostpoet released his fifth album I Grow Tired But Dare Not Fall Asleep earlier this month. The record mixes post-punk, trip hop, shoegaze, UK garage and other elements into a typically darkly romantic brew, and features appearances by Art School Girlfriend, Skinny Girl Diet’s Delilah Holiday, SaraSara and Katie Dove Dixon. You can stream the whole thing below.

Meanwhile, we asked Ghostpoet what’s been keeping him busy during pandemic lockdown and he returned with a varied list that includes music, books, movies and podcasts, but also activities like running and taking guitar lessons. He tells us about it, in annotated list form, below.

Ghostpoet – What I’m Doing While Self-Isolating

Are We Still Rolling by Phill Brown
Talk Talk’s Laughing Stock is one of my favourite albums and was a big influence when making this new record. From my investigations on it’s production I stumbled across the book written by the guy who engineered the sessions, Phill Brown. It’s a fascinating read overall but it really gave me a real insight into the minds of Tim Friese-Greene and Mark Hollis.

Running
I used to be a massive runner but lost my love for it years ago. Due to the gyms not being open currently, I thought I would go for some casual jogs for cardio purposes. Now I’m totally obsessed again, I’m browsing the net for the optimum running shoe and dusting off my Garmin watch.

Acoustic Guitar lessons
I don’t have any formal training and i’ve never mastered an instrument which has caused me over a decade of frustration! This feels like the right time to sort that out so I bought an acoustic guitar and i’m taking online classes to get to grips with it. It’s been fun so far, wish I did it years ago.

Mubi
Usually i’m a bit too busy to watch movies on a regular basis but i’ve thoroughly enjoyed gorging on amazing films from around the world via the recently discovered Mubi.

Online radio
I’m a massive fan of independent online radio and I started my own station a few years back in Margate, which is a small town on the Southeast coast of England. Many sonic adventures were had but I put it on ice for a little while last year. Plans were afoot to relaunch properly later this year but we felt the current situation was a chance for local DJs to provide mixes from isolation and keep morale up. We have big plans for the station going forward, really excited to see and hear the developments in the future.

Podcasts
I’m a big fan of them and I’ve been looking to put one of my own together for an age but felt I didn’t have the ability or had anything worthwhile to say. I still feel that way to an extent but I feel it’s important to be driven to new heights by fear and this particular idea petrifies me. So obviously I have to jump in head first. I’m currently planning, researching and obtaining the equipment I need and looking forward to getting some interesting conversations recorded soon.

The Stark Reality – Discovers Hoagy Carmichael’s Music Shop
I can’t remember how I first came across this record but it’s been one of my favourite albums for years. I forget about it totally, then it randomly comes back into my life and I can’t stop playing the damn thing for a while. I’m obsessed with the total insane creative choices throughout! Such an inspiring body of work.