Bill Callahan was born in Silver Spring, Maryland, in 1966 and spent eight years of his childhood in Yorkshire. From 1990 he released lo-fi, often dissonant music as Smog, before reverting to his own name in the mid-2000s. Among his many acclaimed records, prized for their understated yet profound songwriting, are 2009’s Sometimes I Wish We Were an Eagle and 2019’s Shepherd in a Sheepskin Vest. Callahan lives in Austin, Texas, with his wife, Hanly Banks, a photographer and film-maker, and their two children. His latest album, My Days of 58, is out on 27 February.
Film
Bugonia (2025, dir. Yorgos Lanthimos)
Bugonia is about a man who suspects a woman is an alien and that she has ulterior motives that have spanned decades. Emma Stone, who plays the woman, is a real “no secrets” type of actor: you can see through her face into her brain, the neural networks. You can see the lies and the obstructions of her character. I don’t want to set off any spoiler alerts, but there were two ways this movie plot could go and I knew it would be much more interesting to me if it went a certain way. It went that way and I was all in for the ride.
Restaurant
Kanpai Classic, London W1
It was the last day of my residency at the ICA and I thought I would treat myself, ya know? I had the morning to kill so I walked around Soho. Had an espresso at some bicycle shop that my friend told me had the best espresso. Then I hit this place. Wagyu beef porn! One of those places where you have a little grill in your table and cook it yourself. A pot of green tea. I heard they keep the meat in a combination safe. I almost never treat myself but I did on this day. I figured I’d sold enough T-shirts at the merch table over the past five days to break even. So this tab was picked up by the fans, really.
Book series
The Inner Journey: Views from the Christian Tradition
I have recently accepted Christ into my life. He’s a good guy. We are all divine beings and we are relational beings. Our spirit, the same as our material bodies, needs to relate to something or someone for it to exist and flourish. I’m looking forward to reading more of these books focusing on different religions. The ancient civilisations had it right. The closer we were to creation day, the closer we were to God. Technology moves us further away. I would rather look at a Mayan stone sculpture every day over a computer.
Music
West End Girl by Lily Allen
I had heard of Lily Allen but wasn’t familiar with her music. Then I read a review of this record that actually made me want to hear it. This record is like a love triangle pipe bomb. Lily goes deep and then deeper and deeper, and that’s what makes this record work. Unrelenting. She splatters blood and guts all over the walls. It makes you wonder how many sham marriages there are out there. So many secrets and foibles and unspoken feelings bundled up in some people. Let this record be a lesson! Honesty is the best policy.
Place
Galveston, Texas
In the late 1800s, Galveston was primed to be “the Wall Street of the South”. But the gigantic hurricane of 1900 took the wind out of the sails of the island’s development. It’s kind of frozen in time now. Hurricanes still visit occasionally and beach houses are rebuilt. My wife grew up going there for vacation and now it’s a Callahan family destination at least three times per year. It’s not the most beautiful coast in the world but it’s a coast, goddammit. The seemingly land-locked Austin – where I live – is only about three-and-a-half hours drive away. Every time I go, I think, “we should come here more often”.
Activity
Dancing
When I was 15, I’d wait for my parents to leave the house so I could put a record on very loud in the living room and dance. Where did that part of me go? I started to wonder recently. Not that 15 was a great time for me, but I think there are things we need to hold on to from when we were younger. So I started going dancing with my wife. I’m the oldest motherfucker dancing at The Loading Dock in Austin and I don’t care. Getting over that hurdle and moving your body however you want to in public is huge. It’s a summoning of energy from the music. Let’s stop listening to music on our laptops and get out there.