So what’s Horkan listening to while travelling to and from, and on the “Office Hours” sections of the NCSC For Startups programme? And why is it so repetitive and bloody loud? Well, it’d be…

My neurodiversity condition means that outside of meetings, et cetera, my internal monologue is very chatty/noisy. Listening to repetitive, often loud music, allows me to “drown” out the background noise in my mind so I can focus and be productive, without it I struggle to engage. I am completely acclimatised to this method of working and happy enough with it.

I’ve tried to order it by frequency, aka how much I’ve listened to it. Plus when I say “continuously” it means I listen to the same song on repeat from when I leave home to when I return, and as much as possible through the day (aka when not in meetings).

• Sonic Reducer by Dead Boys – continuously during weeks 1 to 3
  • My article on The Dead Boys “The Dead Boys: A Testament to Punk Rock’s Legacy”.
• Charlie Says (Alley Cat Mix) by The Prodigy – continuously during weeks 4 and 5
• Hey Boy, Hey Girl, by The Chemical Brothers – continuously during week 6
• Scott Pilgrim by Plumtree – continuously during week 7
• Funny Face by The Sparks – continuously through Friday week 6
• Three songs by Hadouken – circa 6 times during week 5
  • Get Smashed Gate Crash
  • That Boy That Girl
  • M.A.D.
• Atom Heart Mother (album) by Pink Floyd – continuously through Thursday week 6
• Black Sabbath (album) by Black Sabbath – twice during week 5
• Sabbra Cadabra by Black Sabbath – four times through week 5
• Marcus Garvey by Burning Spear – twice during week 6
• I am the Upsetter by Lee “Scratch” Perry – twice during week 6
• Hanging Around by the Stranglers – once during week 1