In this episode of The Music Folder, we speak with Simon Reynolds, one of the most influential music critics and authors of the last two decades. His writings on popular music, blending cultural criticism and music journalism with critical theory and philosophy, have resulted in seminal books such as Rip It Up, Energy Flash, Retromania and the recent Futuromania. These works offer incisive interventions on topics like pop music’s retrogression, hauntology, and the role of the internet in music consumption and creativity. His commentary has appeared in Spin, Rolling Stone, The New York Times, The Village Voice, The Guardian and numerous other outlets.

On today’s episode, Simon Reynolds talks with critic Francesco Tenaglia about the documentary The Beatles: Get Back, interpreting it as both a document of nostalgia and a case study in the lived realities of creativity, contrasting its immersive temporality with the compressed storytelling of biopics. The conversation branches into broader themes central to Reynolds’s work: the allure and pitfalls of retro culture, the archival and curatorial role of the DJ, and the evolving function of the music critic in the algorithmic age. He also touches on his current teaching at CalArts, the idea of a book on experimental uses of the voice, and the enduring challenge of writing music history in a way that balances scholarship, personal interest, and public relevance.

Interview by Francesco Tenaglia, 19/01/2022.

The Music Folder is a talk-series, curated by Archivio Storico Ricordi, which investigates the intersection of music, memory, and arts.