Playlists and Writing…
C.E. Grundler
I’ve got a strange and eclectic mix of music on my phone, but don’t look at me — it’s not all mine. Really, it isn’t! You see, I like to write with headphones on, blocking unwanted distractions and setting the mood for the scene playing out on my screen, particularly if it involves emotions I’m not feeling. For example, I understand jealousy from a psychological standpoint, but never really grasped on a personal level. But no worries; as I’m trying to fathom an obsessively jealous character’s actions, there’s a wealth of music on that messy subject. Or having your heart torn out and left in shreds as the object of your desire moves on? Turn up The Airborne Toxic Event’s (yes, that is the name of the band) ‘Sometime Around Midnight’ — every word, every note bleeds with anguish. Obsession? Garbage’s #1 Crush. Or Neko Case with ’This Tornado Loves You.’ True love, in it’s purest innocence? No Doubt, with ‘Running’. Bitterness and rage: Concrete Blonde - ‘Days and Days’.
As a result, it’s not really my playlist, actually — it belongs to those crazy people populating my head. At this point it contains several hundred songs, each chosen for the mood it sets and the neurons it fires, or what how it resonates with a certain character. In essence, I suppose it’s just one more way to get into someone else’s head for a bit. Too many heads, however, and hitting ‘shuffle’ could be amusing, but not very effective as background noise. (Case in point, right now the Talking Heads claim we’re On the Road to Nowhere, right after Lois Armstrong sang What a Wonderful World.) So I decided I’d sort things out by character and events. I’ve never been one of those ‘Character Sheet’ writers, but I must admit, what emerged is intriguing and amusing.
Hammon’s playlist has a fair helping of Blue October and Dashboard Confessional, Oingo-Boingo, The Cure, Death Cab for Cutie, All-American Rejects, and Travis. Lots of Emo — no surprises there. Hazel, on the other hand, is a bit more diverse, with a mix of Justin Townes Earle, Shooter Jennings, Concrete Blonde, Neko Case, Talking Heads, and Vampire Weekend, with a touch of Glenn Miller to keep things interesting. And I haven’t just stuck to POV characters — these playlists help me peek into everyone’s head. And that’s got me to wondering — how about the rest of you — what music do you or your characters listen to when you’re writing?
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