Simon Strong (born 1964) is a North English writer, musician and film-maker currently resident in Melbourne, Australia. He is best known as author of "A259 Multiplex Bomb 'Outrage'" and as front-man for the psychedelic new-wave group Pink Stainless Tail.
Strong was raised in Ecclesfield, South Yorkshire, and attended local comprehensive schools. Family connections allowed him to pursue an interest in electronics and computing, and from the mid-seventies he was active in local computer clubs and his programs and articles were published in home computer magazines. In 1982, Strong left Sheffield to attend Brighton Polytechnic and went on to work programming for artificial intelligence projects, specialising in the then new field of interface design. Increasingly politicised by the rise of Thatcherism, Strong dropped out of computing and took a succession of menial jobs (including toilet cleaner, bouncer and bookseller) and concentrated on creative writing. During a tenure at Hatchards Booksellers, Strong helped organise literary events by authors including Nick Cave and Billy Childish.
By 1989 Strong was residing above an Indian take-away in the red-light district with Palmer and Taylor of beat group The Fire Dept. They were often visited by experimental novelist Stewart Home, who exerted a profound influence on Strong's writing. Around this time, Strong was also performing with his own outfit, the Barry Jeffries.
From 1993-97 Strong worked for Overground Records, based at their production and distribution centre in Hove. He co-ordinated and designed covers for artists including The Television Personalities, AlternativeTV, Richard Hell, Alex Fergusson, The Undead (ex-Misfits), TheeHeadcoats, Man or Astroman?, Subway Sect, GG Allin. Strong was instrumental in the re-issuing the oeuvre of Jon the Postman.
In 1996, inspired by small presses such as Atlas Press, Temple Press and Creation Books, Strong founded CodeX Books and Records as a branch of Overground. Over the next 12 months he issued Stewart Home's 'Cranked Up Really High', Richard Hell's 'The Voidoid', Billy Childish's 'My Fault' and Kathy Acker's 'Pussy' on CD. Creation Books had previously accepted Strong's novel "A259 Multiplex Bomb 'Outrage'" but delays in its publication led to Strong issuing the book on the CodeX imprint. The book was enthusiastically received, selling out two printings in six months, but momentum was lost when Strong suddenly emigrated to Australia in early 1997, although a Russian translation of the book appeared in 2006.
After a hiatus, Strong joined Harry Howard, Sonke Rickertsen and Nick Boddington to form The Pink Stainless Tail in 2001, and went on to release three records. The group was popular with a small but fanatical group of fans with Strong's stage persona memorably (and consistently) described as "a flailing scarecrow amalgam of William Burroughs and Mark E Smith".
In February 2004, the Victorian College of the Arts invited Stewart Home as writer in residence and commissioned Strong to run a course to introduce students to Home's themes and praxis. Around this time, Strong set up his netlabel, The LedaTape Organisation, as an outlet for his work and others.
Over the next few years Strong finalised two books (in collaboration with Jason Crest) that had been in development since the publication of 'A259'. 'Rape vs. Murder' was produced entirely (in one run) by a computer program from a corpus of books published by [The Paris Olympia Press], whilst '66mindfuck99' was a fictionalised account of the creation of the former. Both of these publications were privately printed and circulated samizdat, not because their content was contentious, but rather due to Strong's vehement rejection of the conventional publishing paradigm. Despite their limited availability, the books were well received and in 2010 were taught at the University of Pennsylvania by Kenneth Goldsmith, curator of ubu.com.
Catch-22 is a satirical war novel by American author Joseph Heller. It is his debut novel. He began writing it in 1953; the novel was first published in 1961. Often cited as one of the most significant novels of the twentieth century, it uses a distinctive non-chronological third-person omniscient narration, describing events from the points of view of different characters. The separate storylines are out of sequence so the timeline develops along with the plot.
The Situationist International (SI) was an international organization of social revolutionaries made up of avant-garde artists, intellectuals, and political theorists. It was prominent in Europe from its formation in 1957 to its dissolution in 1972. The intellectual foundations of the Situationist International were derived primarily from libertarian Marxism and the avant-garde art movements of the early 20th century, particularly Dada and Surrealism. Overall, situationist theory represented an attempt to synthesize this diverse field of theoretical disciplines into a modern and comprehensive critique of mid-20th century advanced capitalism.
Billy Childish is an English painter, author, poet, photographer, film maker, singer and guitarist. Since the late 1970s, Childish has been prolific in creating music, writing and visual art. He has led and played in bands including the Thee Milkshakes, Thee Headcoats, and the Musicians of the British Empire, primarily working in the genres of garage rock, punk and surf and releasing more than 100 albums.
The Information Age is a historical period that began in the mid-20th century. It is characterized by a rapid shift from traditional industries, as established during the Industrial Revolution, to an economy centered on information technology. The onset of the Information Age has been linked to the development of the transistor in 1947 and the optical amplifier in 1957. These technological advances have had a significant impact on the way information is processed and transmitted.
Rupert Giles is a fictional character created by Joss Whedon for the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The character is portrayed by Anthony Stewart Head. He serves as Buffy Summers' mentor and surrogate father figure. The character proved popular with viewers, and Head's performance in the role was well received. Following Buffy's run, Whedon intended to launch a television spin-off focused on the character, but rights issues prevented the project from developing. Outside of the television series, the character has appeared substantially in Expanded Universe material such as novels, comic books, and short stories.
The Consolidated B-24 Liberator is an American heavy bomber, designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego, California. It was known within the company as the Model 32, and some initial production aircraft were laid down as export models designated as various LB-30s, in the Land Bomber design category.
Harry Max Harrison was an American science fiction author, known mostly for his character The Stainless Steel Rat and for his novel Make Room! Make Room! (1966). The latter was the rough basis for the motion picture Soylent Green (1973). Long resident in both Ireland and the United Kingdom, Harrison was involved in the foundation of the Irish Science Fiction Association, and was, with Brian Aldiss, co-president of the Birmingham Science Fiction Group.
Psychogeography is the exploration of urban environments that emphasizes interpersonal connections to places and arbitrary routes. It was developed by members of the Letterist International and Situationist International, which were revolutionary groups influenced by Marxist and anarchist theory as well as the attitudes and methods of Dadaists and Surrealists.
Peter Martin Christopherson was an English musician, video director, commercial artist, designer and photographer, who was at one time a member of British design agency Hipgnosis.
"When the Bough Breaks" is the seventeenth episode of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: The Next Generation. The episode first aired in broadcast syndication on February 15, 1988. It is the first episode written for the series by Hannah Louise Shearer and the only episode of the series with Kim Manners as director.
Harmony Kendall is a fictional character created by Joss Whedon for the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its spin-off Angel. The character is portrayed by Mercedes McNab. Originally cast as a minor character, McNab's credited status elevated to guest star and ultimately series regular over the course of her tenure in Buffy and Angel.
Rebellion Developments Limited is a British video game developer based in Oxford, England. Founded by Jason and Chris Kingsley in December 1992, the company is best known for its Sniper Elite series and multiple games in the Alien vs. Predator series. Sister company Rebellion Publishing has published comic books since 2000, when it purchased 2000 AD, the publisher of characters such as Judge Dredd and Rogue Trooper.
Barrett is the second and final studio album of new material released by former Pink Floyd frontman Syd Barrett. Recording began at Abbey Road Studios on 26 February 1970, and lasted for 15 sessions until 21 July. The album was produced by Pink Floyd's David Gilmour and Richard Wright, who also contributed on bass and keyboards respectively, along with previous Madcap contributor Jerry Shirley on drums.
An American Tail: Fievel Goes West is a 1991 American animated Western musical adventure film directed by Phil Nibbelink and Simon Wells, with producer Steven Spielberg for Amblin Entertainment and animated by his Amblimation animation studio and released by Universal Pictures. A sequel to 1986's An American Tail, the film follows the story of the Mousekewitzes, a family of Russian-Jewish mice who emigrate to the Wild West. In it, Fievel is separated from his family as the train approaches the American Old West; the film chronicles him and Sheriff Wylie Burp teaching Tiger how to act like a dog.
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is a science fiction comedy radio series primarily written by Douglas Adams. It was originally broadcast in the United Kingdom by BBC Radio 4 in 1978, and afterwards the BBC World Service, National Public Radio in the US and CBC Radio in Canada. The series was the first radio comedy programme to be produced in stereo, and was innovative in its use of music and sound effects, winning a number of awards.
The June Brides are an English indie pop group, formed in London in 1983, by Phil Wilson and Simon Beesley of International Rescue. Influenced by Postcard-label bands such as Josef K and punk-era bands such as Buzzcocks, The Desperate Bicycles and The Television Personalities, their mix of guitar pop with viola and trumpet formed a blueprint for many of the indie pop bands that would follow.
Pink Stainless Tail are a rock band formed in Melbourne, Australia in early 2000. The band's members are Nick Boddington, Harry Howard (gtr), Sonke Rickertsen (drums) and Simon Strong (voice). Named after the Red Krayola song of the same name off their debut LP The Parable of Arable Land.
Disorder are an English street punk band that formed in the Bristol area of England in 1980, and has existed with varying line-ups. They are aligned with politically charged punk bands.
The Marvel Comics character Betsy Braddock has made many appearances in media other than comic books, including television, films, and video games. She has been voiced by Grey DeLisle, Heather Doerksen, and Tasha Simm in animation, and by Laura Bailey, Kimberly Brooks, Catherine Disher, Melissa Disney, Kim Mai Guest, Erica Lindbeck, Jane Luk, Masasa Moyo, and April Stewart in video games. In the X-Men film series, she was portrayed by Meiling Melançon and Olivia Munn.
Chicago by Night is a tabletop role-playing game supplement originally released by White Wolf Publishing in 1991 for use with the first edition of their game Vampire: The Masquerade, and released in updated versions for the game's second and fifth editions in 1993 and 2020. As a sandbox-style setting sourcebook for storytellers to use in campaigns, Chicago by Night describes the city of Chicago as it is portrayed within the game's setting, reinterpreted as having a large population of vampires.
Internet Book List - Simon Strong [1]
Senses of Cinema - 'Lesbian Vampires vs Situationist International', 2004 [2]
Simon's staff page at VCA (archived) [3]
Pink Stainless Tail interview at Perfect Sound Forever [4]