By Caleb J Ross.
Topic: The close association of fiction and music.
This terribly drawn napkin comic, made from comments pulled from this HTMLGIANT post, depicts, in the roll of the nose-picker, the uncommon viewpoint that fiction cannot be inspired by music. The consensus, though, seems to be the extreme opposite, that fiction and music are nearly inseparable: a standard interview question with authors regards music preferences (just after “where do you get your ideas?” maybe); authors are constantly sharing their writing playlists. So the real question is, why are music and fiction so closely associated with each other?
Gordon Highland (Major Inversions, a novel) offered me is via email:
Three types of writer/listeners. First are the troubadours, who mainly draw inspiration from lyrics, seeking out storytellers who cover similar thematic ground as their own characters, who themselves were probably thieved from some other ballad. Then you have the Prozac scorers. Mood regulators. Those who’ll put on Wagner to crawl into the anti-semitic skin of their antagonist, or crank Nine Inch Nails for a neo-noir romp with a junkie in the VIP. You’ll often find them downloading film soundtracks or raiding your medicine cabinet. The rest of us are noise cancellers. We use atmospheric music like dialysis, to filter out life’s impurities and distractions and set an unobtrusive baseline/bassline. But on a really good day I can be all three.
I agree. The roll music plays creation varies from author to author, surely. But, despite The Nosepicker’s comment, the roll does exist.
First posted: Tuesday, January 12th, 2010.
