Run To Paradise Episode 4 : Thank You Hill, Thank You Road, Thank You Dilla - Simon Barker, drummer and barefoot runner

“When you’re regulated by the ground your body learns something about form, you relinquish the achievement and ego, but you gain this sense of being fauna, being regulated by place”

Simon Barker doesn’t care about distance, incline, cadence, heart rate or speed - the only running metric he is concerned with are form and experience. 

Simon is one of the most astonishing drummers in the country and a dedicated barefoot runner. His teachings and explorations within these spaces are extensive and mind-melting. 

I learn a lot with every episode of this show, but this one was truly enlightening. Simons views towards training and experience, about learning from the terrain rather than dominating it, have honestly shaken my whole view of modern running. I’ve never heard anyone speak so thoughtfully about the boundless intersections of running and music. It’s not just the rhythm of ones feet and heart, but the timbre of the wind and electricity in yr brain, and the emotions and sensations transmitted through the feet. Running informs every element of his music as fishing songs are sung by fishermen. 

We talk about a bunch of stuff - unlearning as progress, J-Dilla, skateboarding, running and drumming in Korea and Japan and the new album by him, Chloe Kim and Jeremy Scott, titled Disruption!

I’ve never met anyone more attuned to the sounds and sensations of their body and the terrains on which it moves. I’m very proud to present this chat with the remarkable Simon Barker.