Maura Brennan’s Local Radar features interviews with New York based musicians about their recently released singles and more in hopes of furthering music discovery and connecting New York’s music community. This Local Radar is a discussion with Sid Simons about his new single “Secret Life.” Sid is a singer-songwriter, model, and producer based in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.
Maura: I surmise most people via TikTok probably know you spin regularly at Studio 151 on I <3 Rockstars Tuesdays. If “Secret Life” was a drink, at Studio 151 specifically, what would it be?
Sid: [pondering] Oh, God. If “Secret Life” was a drink…
Maura: Is it bitter? Is it smoky?
Sid: Oh, I know, I know. A Godfather.
Maura: What is a Godfather?
Sid: I’m pretty sure it is what James Bond drinks. Maybe I’m tripping on that, but it’s an amaretto sour and whiskey.
Maura: Sid’s opening Google.
[both laugh]
Sid: Hold on. It’s such a good drink. Scotch whiskey and amaretto liquor.
Maura: Oh… That’s kind of sexy.
If you were to play “Secret Life” while DJing at 151, what are some albums you’d play alongside it? What’s in the catalogue? What would it be sandwiched in between?
Sid: I would say Leonard Cohen New Skin for the Old Ceremony. Or… F*ck, no. Leonard Cohen’s Death of a Ladies’ Man. And maybe Dijon’s Absolutely.
Maura: Interesting… Alright, now we’ve left 151. What is a bar in New York City that has the perfect atmosphere for “Secret Life” to be played in?
Sid: In New York City?
Maura: I mean, we could go to Brooklyn, too.
[Sid laughs]
Maura: Or maybe not. You’re pretty well traveled. Are we going to Paris? Would (Paris) better suit the song?
Sid: I’m just thinking… What’s a kind of a sexy but dingy spot you know? That’s how the song sounds to me.
Maura: What if we put The York in a basement someplace?… No… Monsieur? [Light bulb moment] A hotel bar! And you take someone upstairs to participate in the “secret life.”
Sid: Yes, The Bowery Hotel bar.
Maura: You’re of a film family and admittedly a lover of film yourself. What movie character is comparable to the man who lives a “secret life”? Should we expect to see more of him on your next EP and/or record?
Sid: Catch Me If You Can. Leonardo DiCaprio as Frank William Abagnale Jr. That was my favorite movie growing up.
Maura: That makes so much sense for you… That makes so much sense for you!
[both laugh]
Sid: When I first watched that, I thought “Anything is possible.”
Maura: You do a pretty good job of making whatever work for you with a fairly optimistic attitude.
Sid: You literally can (make anything work for you) in life. You can do whatever you want, honestly. It’s all about mental f*cking strength. If you think you can do it, you can do it.
Maura: I’m imagining you playing Frank Abagnale, and then finally it happens: you run into my dad, a pilot, as you’re boarding the plane, and he’s like, “No f*cking way… not this clown in the cockpit.”
[Sid laughs]
Maura: You’ve lived through many monikers as a musician: Girl Skin, Sid Simons and The Darlings… How does this song characteristically set the tone for the next chapter of Sid Simons? How is it distinctly different from your past musical lives?
Sid: It’s definitely darker than the past. Lyrically, it’s quite different. Standardly, my songs told a story—they’d take the form of a narrative. All of my songs—Girl Skin, my first album, most everything I used to write—reflected on a factual occurrence, a played-out scene in my life. Whereas “Secret Life” and upcoming songs (of mine) will be evoking more of a feeling rather than a specific moment in time. Before I’d close my eyes and reflect on a memory, an experience, and note it down to compose lyrics. Nowadays, I am trying something different.
Maura: That makes sense. “Wendy” is storytelling.
Sid: Literally. “I did this. This happened. Then this! Then that!”
“Secret life” and the newer music (I am working on and performing) is considering and depicting “How did this situation make me feel? Who else could I have been?” I’m attempting to be more philosophical, less literal. I’m not describing every minor physical detail of a memory anymore.
Maura: You had texted me… several years ago now, I guess, when you were starting to write “Secret Life.” [laughs] You said “I just wrote the most…”
Sid: [laughs] “Sexual?”
Maura: “Sensual”? “Seductive”? I wish I knew what word that you used. It wasn’t a nastier word… Anyway, but it was a heavier, titillating word and certainly an adjective you’ve never attached to one of your songs. Is this an attitude you’re going to try to accomplish more of (going forward within your music)? Or is “Secret Life” a one-off song?
Sid: No, I definitely want to dig deeper into (the “Secret Life”) world. I’m trying to explore another side of me.
Maura: Is this the darker side of Sid?
Sid: Maybe it is.
Maura: [playfully] Oooooh.
Sid: You’ve caught me in the process, you know what I mean?
Maura: I caught you in the crosshairs of becoming evil.
Sid: Exactly.
Maura: Back to Frank Abagnale… Should we expect to see more of him, this character, in the next EP/record?
Sid: Yeah, definitely. This is the start of a character I am now building.
Maura: Would Leonardo DiCaprio play this character or someone else? Personally, I envision Johnny Depp. I don’t know… That’s my opinion.
Sid: I was going to suggest it’s more of a… Thomas Shelby, Peaky Binders. Maybe, Cillian Murphy. Or even Daniel Craig.
Maura: Who assisted in the recording and production of this song?
Sid: Victor Donahue on drums. Zach Saffo on guitar. Daniel Fisher on the bass. Sophie Cozine on backup vocals. Austin Brenner and Jackson Hamm mixed it together. Jackson Hamm and I produced it. That’s everyone in there.
Maura: In Dream World – the world is your oyster – who would you ideally love to work with as a producer for your music?
Sid: [ponders] Has to be alive, right?
Maura: [laughs] Okay, correction: the present world is your oyster, not a graveyard.
Sid: I gotta think about that one.
Maura: Who are even some musicians you’d like to work with? This can be people not “of your sound” per say. For example, I would say Dijon is not of your sound, but would you like to “Dijon-ify” your songs (since you like him)? [laughs] “Mk.gee-ify”?
Sid: I don’t think so… It would be really cool to work with Moby. Or Fatboy Slim. Those two, they’re very sample based, you know, kind of similar to producers. I love the shit they draw from.
Ah, Nigel Godrich! He works with Radiohead.
Maura: Where can people catch you next? Shout out your shows.
Sid: Yes, doing a residency, once a month for three months at Wild Horses, a new venue on Bowery in the Lower East Side. And then at the end of it all, we’re going to play a big show at %$^@#$%^&^%$*
*Sorry, you have to follow Sid to see what’s announced to find out 😉
Maura: Who is on your “Local Radar”? Who in New York City is making music you admire?
Sid: Cab Ellis, Telescreens, Nikita Lev, Bec Lauder (and the Noise), Rose Paradise, Torture (and the Desert Spiders), Geese, Been Stellar, Monobloc, Superblush, Malick Koly, Trophy Wife…
Maura: Yes, I love Trophy Wife.
Off topic, where did you see Richard Hell the other night?!
Sid: Oh, that was right before I went to 151. It was a little reading. It was f*cking amazing.
Maura: Wow… Meet your heroes, I guess.
Alright, alive, dead, New York, everywhere, what are some top five to ten songs that you would want on a playlist with Secret Life?
Sid: Dude, the Rapture “No Sex Ben.”
Maura: Did you just discover that song?
Sid: I did… It’s f*cking amazing…
Maura: [laughs] It’s so fun!
Sid: [high pitched] “No sex for Ben!”
[Maura mocks the beat]
Sid: Matt (Weinberger) hit me up recently and asked if I’d like to play keys… “Yo, this band is looking for a keys and a cowbell player.” And I was like… eh, not really. But (Matt) insists “I don’t know… I think it could be pretty sick for your lore to play in this band. It’s The Rapture.”
Maura: Holy sh*t.
Sid: I honestly considered (joining the band) for a bit. I would love to do it for a month or two, and then I return to my own music, my own life.
Maura: [cutting Sid off, in a megaphone voice] Hello, at The Rapture, he does want to be in the band. Please, hit him up. He’s sorry.
Sid: [laughs and returns to the question] “Impossible Sports Live” Cab Ellis. “Glory Box” Portishead. “Honey” Moby. “Teardrop” Massive Attack. “Burn the Witch” Radiohead. “Honeybee” Grinder Man, Nick Cave’s side project.
Maura: Do you remember what you were listening to at the time of writing “Secret Life”?
Sid: I was listening to a lot of Leonard Cohen.
Maura: This may be an obvious answer, but do you believe that influenced (the songwriting process)?
Sid: Yeah, that’s why I think the “your single is so similar to The Arctic Monkeys” thing is funny. At the time of writing “Secret Life”, I had been imagining what a modern day Leonard Cohen song would sound like, which is exactly what Alex Turner had been doing when creating AM.
Maura: Do you think Alex Turner accomplished that with AM?
Sid: In some respects. Lyrically, he captured the tone so well. It’s such a good album.
A commendable amount of consideration is applied to Sid’s production style. Similar to his last record Beneath the Brightest Smiles, the now available “Secret Life” single’s production adopts a lot of pop alternative influence – Harry Styles, Arctic Monkeys, Dave Fridmann, Geoff Barrow, and Adrian Utley.
Should that not entice your listening palate, I implore you to attend a show because chances are you will enjoy it. Sid’s performances are much more rock n’ roll. Plus, without failure, his charisma conducts the energy room. By the end of each show, it is nearly impossible to find a face in the crowd not shouting “I’m not singing for you,” the chorus of an upcoming single titled “Under My Skin”, in unison with every other attendee.
You can keep up with Sid on Instagram. His next shows are March 19 and April 16 at Wild Horses. He DJs vinyl regularly at Studio 151 in the East Village. Please check out a playlist I created that correlates with all mentioned artists in this article. Special thank you to Ava Allan for the live performance images.
