Playlist
After seeing the picture of my office that I posted here, Fred Kiesche asked me about the CDs lined up above my computer - what are they, and do I listen to them while I work? Mostly, like the fat wedge of Steely Dan, they’re the overspill from the groaning shelves downstairs in the living room, leavened with a bunch of recent arrivals - stuff by The Handsome Family, Richmond Fontaine, Drive-By Truckers, Ali Farka Toure, Roy Harper, Lokua Kanza, reggae compilations... Pretty mainstream stuff, really (the racks of 1920s and 1930s American music are all downstairs).
I don’t listen to much music when I’m doing the first draft, but having familiar stuff on random play on the computer helps rhythm and flow of the endless redrafting (it has to be familiar stuff, so it works mostly on my back brain). The older I get, the less distraction I can tolerate.
Some of my novels have a soundtrack; some don’t. Players doesn’t, because I think that using musical preferences as a short-hand for characterization in thrillers is a bit of a tired cliche - and too often it’s a form of showing-off by the author too.* I suspect that if Summer Ziegler listens to anything, it would be jazz-lite solo singer stuff; she certainly doesn’t slump down in an easy chair at the end of the day and sip bonded bourbon while listening to Dock Boggs.
*I know, I know: I'm guilty of it in Whole Wide World, but the punk thing is supposed to be part of John's voice rather than a quirky character tic. Honest.
On the other hand, Cowboy Angels, which was partly inspired by the idea of the lost, weird America Greil Marcus wrote about in Lost Republic does have a soundtrack. Here it is (the songs on it are either name-checked or hinted at in the text, and appear in narrative order):
Man Gave Names To All The Animals - Bob Dylan
Hook And Line - Hatton Brothers
Acony Bell - Gillian Welch
Kentucky Avenue - Tom Waits
Who Knows Where the Time Goes - Fairport Convention
Wolf Among Wolves - Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy
America - Simon & Garfunkel
Romance in Durango - Bob Dylan
Cold Cold Cold - The Handsome Family
Lost in the Flood - Bruce Springsteen
I See A Darkness - Johnny Cash
Slow Train Coming - Bob Dylan
I Dream A Highway - Gillian Welch
Train Song - Tom Waits
I don’t listen to much music when I’m doing the first draft, but having familiar stuff on random play on the computer helps rhythm and flow of the endless redrafting (it has to be familiar stuff, so it works mostly on my back brain). The older I get, the less distraction I can tolerate.
Some of my novels have a soundtrack; some don’t. Players doesn’t, because I think that using musical preferences as a short-hand for characterization in thrillers is a bit of a tired cliche - and too often it’s a form of showing-off by the author too.* I suspect that if Summer Ziegler listens to anything, it would be jazz-lite solo singer stuff; she certainly doesn’t slump down in an easy chair at the end of the day and sip bonded bourbon while listening to Dock Boggs.
*I know, I know: I'm guilty of it in Whole Wide World, but the punk thing is supposed to be part of John's voice rather than a quirky character tic. Honest.
On the other hand, Cowboy Angels, which was partly inspired by the idea of the lost, weird America Greil Marcus wrote about in Lost Republic does have a soundtrack. Here it is (the songs on it are either name-checked or hinted at in the text, and appear in narrative order):
Man Gave Names To All The Animals - Bob Dylan
Hook And Line - Hatton Brothers
Acony Bell - Gillian Welch
Kentucky Avenue - Tom Waits
Who Knows Where the Time Goes - Fairport Convention
Wolf Among Wolves - Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy
America - Simon & Garfunkel
Romance in Durango - Bob Dylan
Cold Cold Cold - The Handsome Family
Lost in the Flood - Bruce Springsteen
I See A Darkness - Johnny Cash
Slow Train Coming - Bob Dylan
I Dream A Highway - Gillian Welch
Train Song - Tom Waits
posted by Paul McAuley at 3:10 pm
8 Comments:
You can't ever have too much Steely Dan.
Ray Lamontagne I know and like, Grandaddy, I dunno, I think I've heard one track somewhere, and Willard Group Conspiracy I've heard good things about, but haven't heard. As for Slobberbone ... tell me you're making that up, Ariel. I'm more a banjo and fiddle guy myself these days, but I do dip in and out of Americana. Jim White, now, there's a guy who knows his roots.
I'm not sure what's left of my upper register hearing would survive a DBT concert. Did you see them this year?
I like Grandaddy a lot. I wrote this rave on them for my website:
http://www.alastairreynolds.com/raves.html
They've split up now.
This morning I have been mostly listening to Mongolian throat singing, courtesy the soundtrack of Cave of the Yellow Dog.
Thank you, Paul. Titles of your favourite CDs were very interesting for me.
And I also like album "Slow Train Coming" by Bob Dylan. By the way, he recorded it with British guitar player M. Knopfler from Dire Straits. So this music really could present alternative vision of America.
Sergey: On another topic, carried over from the spam-plagued message board, do you want to email me? Address is on my web site under contact.
For real banjo and fiddle, try the Yazoo Alabama Mountain Music set - a bit pricey I admit, but there are also a couple of standalone CDs from the same label that are just as good (one with the best version of Pretty Polly I have heard). And for real haunted banjo, you absolutely need Dock Boggs (second-best version of Pretty Polly). Sounds like I should check out the defunct Granddaddy - are they are scary-dark as The Handsome Family?
Wilco - Yankee Hotel Foxtrot is mostly pretty good, imho.
Mongolian throat singing? Really? I'm *so* behind the curve... Currently listening to Southern Rock Opera myself.
Oops, I meant *Kentucky* Mountain Music.
Paul, sorry for delay, I sent you e-mail.
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