I've always told people about you. People that would never have heard of you. I don't know how to explain it. "He's, this, very intelligent person that I don't know, but sort of know, who writes these... well they're... I don't know but I kind of hate them but mostly love them."

For the last 10+ years I've been reading your stuff, you've had an uncanny ability to put words to whatever seemed to be floating through my head at most moments, but then pair it with a sensibility that I find maddening and stimulating, yet also, paradoxically, soothing.

I'll miss your semi-daily over-ecucated, aesthete screeds, because they were an unexpected sunny window in the internet.

I'm sure I'll keep an eye out for whatever you're up to next. I'm only 30, and you have been a part of my life for so long! It's always the unexpected things that last longest, isn't it?

Happy trails to you! Mandy

babyandbrown@hotmail.com

You were a unique and welcome voice here, Kuma, with your extraordinary knowledge of Japan and your willingness to put in research time. And a whole chapter of The Book of Jokes couldn't have unfolded the way it did without your research into uncles!

Thanks for years of enjoyment and perfect songs.
Really appreciate it. Circus Maximus has a permanent
place on my ipod. Eager to see what the future brings...

I hope a sense of liberation is starting to seep in for you, Nick, that the days will come to seem a little more expansive, more ventilated, and that words, thoughts and possibilities will move through you in new ways, taking you down new paths. It might even refresh the mind to be free from the impulse-turned-quasi-necessity of daily text-generation for a while. I sometimes find that beneficial: leaving the flat and walking and walking for several days across fields, in a web-free world, with ideas streaming past and away, unheld, evanescent, can be so refreshing.

On a selfish note, I do hope for more songs - especially LOVELY ones with simple and delicious melodies, where your graceful, yearning intonations float over (undeconstructed!) piano and guitar, sketching scenarios of melancholy and playfully sinister suggestion. You do this kind of thing SO WELL. Some string arrangements, as per the Brel night triumph, would be rather fine too.

On a mundane note, I hope some kind of email list comes into existence, perhaps with monthly bulletins, so that we can all get to hear about forthcoming releases, gigs, talks, events, etc, as a matter of course. (I'm sure she's off your radar, but Kristin Hersh seems to have a good way of managing her artistic operations: new songs as monthly downloads, paid for by donations; intimate but viable acoustic concert and/or reading parties in unusual venues, arranged by her international community of fans; periodic uploads of new essays and photos, etc; plus periodic circular emails flagging these things up to all concerned. It seems it's possible for her and those who follow her to keep up with everything without it becoming a daily commitment. See kristinhersh.com, especially the Cashmusic and Strange Angels links. Just a thought...)

On a personal note, one highlight of Click Opera for me was your essay on the iconic, and your incorporation of my iconoclastic rant in your talk at the Architectural Association. I felt truly honoured, and still do.

You don't know this, but we've spoken several times, for several seconds a time, at the starts or ends of concerts. It would be lovely one day to have a conversation and a cup of tea. And yet it seems I've enjoyed something of the intimacy of conversing daily for several years now. It's been very special.

All good things to you, and thanks so much.

Jamesy

Posterity will ne'er survey
a trendier grave than this;
Here lie the bones of modish squibs:
Stop traveller, * *

I've already said thanks but given the investment of time i put into reading this thing and you into writing it perhaps a few more words are in order.

I am Neil Mackay (anon no longer), this blog i stumbled upon whilst searching for material on Matthew Collings (and migrated, impressed, from 'imomus' essays to here- late 2006). Since then i have read it every day or near enough, some days i gave up to following it's links and delving into the depths of Click Opera (which efforts were handsomely repayed with a wealth of information, a web of references).

In many ways I grew up to this blog and i cannot measure what it contributed to my understanding of the world, of what it's possible to do and how it's possible to live (grasping not for profit but for a creative understanding and a personal creation that involves that understanding). I hope that with it's retirement i have graduated from the mentorship of one i've never met and will find my own way with as much assurance as you found the way to blog your life, tirelessly, all these years.

I wish you luck with whatever comes Mr. Currie/Momus,

So long, and thanks for all the links!

So how's it been? Is it a blessed relief to have stopped blogging? Or are you craving it like a junkie doing cold turkey?

I've been sick as a dog since stopping, it hasn't been a nice few days at all.

I've continued to collect topics I would have blogged about. Chat Roulette (even the wanking) as a move towards more embodied computing. The "software" side of sexual attraction. 90s style as exemplified by Bjork's house on MTV. The jailing of a collector of erotic manga in the US. I just have to mention the topics, though, and you and I both know in advance pretty much what I'd have written about them.

Meanwhile, I've got a lot done in terms of writing assignments elsewhere. A lot of songs have been popping up in my dreams, songs I can still remember and transcibe when I wake up. I'm thinking about theatrical and literary projects that would've been on the backburner forever if I'd kept blogging. It was necessary to stop so that other stuff -- less compelling but more interesting -- could percolate up and take over my attention.

The internet seems very boring now.

It was always inspiring. Thank you so much.
Alles Gute!

Momus I am glad you are feeling sonically creative again, it's interesting to hear your dreams are counting for a lot in your music, has it always been this way? It would make sense cuz a lot of your tunes do not sound in agency with reality.

Feel better Master Momus.

Not only did I suffered a lot from the robbery of my laptop which subsequently deprives me of my clickopera Favorite, but now I learn that I will lose my daily treat, what a sad world!
Keep the wit going anyway, Momus! I'll try to catch it on another net-point!
Cheers xxx

Spent way too long composing this, but:

I read Click Opera. Enjoyed more than half of it. The rest maybe didn't click with me, but that's the way it should be.

The last word of a work like this deserves to be better than 'indeed' though. Or 'help'. You should have taken a leaf out of Joyce's book and used 'the' or 'yes'. Or the phone book: Zerwinski.

Goodbye, and sincere best wishes for the future.

dear momus. thank you for your blog and sharing your spirit and thoughts, time and life with us. i haven't had time to read it lately but i remember how much i enjoyed it a few years ago. i always felt that you have an honest respect for other people, and that you are still fresh and curious, althought you've seen so many things. this is special and so are you. you are a very unique person. i wish you and vour loved ones the best and good luck with whatever you are up to.
merci ! anna

Momus, is there any way of reading today's Libé article as a non-subscriber? If you have a copy, could you post it here, or on your website?

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y296/imomus/more/libegrab.jpg

Thanks for the blog years. Now we look forward to your other pursuits.

I will start reading both books from 2009.

By the way: The Book of Jokes has an interesting author, according to my internet book store - is this the same person as the retired blogger?
The Book of Jokes
(Pocket)
by
Not Available (NA)

Mats Rep

Any chance of doing lectures/talks...

I had a dream where you had started blogging again already.
lots of love, parisian anon.