This is the first of a monthly series where I talk about the music that is inspiring what I’m writing. Stories have always be connected to music since the first bards, skalds, and scops ventured out telling the epic tales to song. It also has a deeper connection for me because of my equal love of music and from my majoring in it as well as writing. For me, when I start of writing a story, it will easily succeed or fail if I find the right music for the story. They become almost reference points for me when I feel myself going astray. So I thought I would give you the music I’m using for my current work in progress, Nostrildamus.
The first musical choice I make is atmosphere. So, if you were dropped into the world of the story you would be hearing these song in your head constantly. For Nostrildamus, I’m going with The Alan Parsons Project’s Definitive Collection. This came about serendipitously. Way back when did my post describing the various characters, “Eye In The Sky” popped up on my Last.FM when I was writing up Mimir’s description. I started listening to more and more APP and found theme songs for a few characters and the over all style just fit with story.
Can't find the version I have anywhere, sorry.
The next choice I make is to define the main character. Most people can instant tell you their top three artists or bands of all time, after that they can get wishy washy with there choices. So I do that with all my main characters. I put my iTunes on and see what speaks to the character and I’m developing him. The very first on that came up was Electric Light Orchestra. Now that came about before the pick of APP, but it seems fitting that these two are involved. Both British Prog Rock bands creating and performing around the same time. But where APP being very tied to concept albums and the interconnectivity of songs and a sort of meta-music, which perfect for atmosphere, ELO is just good-old, fun rock that you can see a person turn listening and having a good time. Plus, I watched the episode of Doctor Who called, “Love & Monsters” where the main character is not the Doctor, but bit of a dweeby guy that loved ELO. As Nostrildamus evolved in my mind I realized that there were traits they both shared, and for me were connected to that love of ELO.
The next character builder is The Cranberries, specifically Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can’t We. I have Nostrildamus as a comic artist and cartoonist and this album, of their first three, is the one that seemed most fitting to be something that he would put on as he worked. His age isn’t that far off from mine, so his “music discovery” years would be heavily influenced by alternative music of the 90′s. Plus, I think he would have had a crush on Dolores O’Riordan.
Finally, we have the final piece, Wasting Light by the Foo Fighters. Partly I picked it because it is the most recent of the albums, but also, for me, it reminds me of the very first first album, only very matured and skilled. And the band also just fit with both the idea of Nostrildamus as a concept. The Foo Fighters always have songs with meaning behind them, with humorous videos that draw the audience in. That is the same thing that a humorous story does, like this one.
