Monday, March 12, 2012

Inspiration (currently, anyway)

Sometimes it's called a writer's muse, that vast cloud that swirls violently in the writer's mind... sometimes it's a picture, a painting, a joke, a person, a comment... or music. For me, it's people and music. I'm going to focus on the music that has been running (and rerunning) in my mind lately.

I've been working on Ghost stories. Grim, gritty, and raw stories of the deceased... and the sometimes awful world they reside in that is (in my mind) a crumbling decayed reflection of our own. A place where monsters are not only present - they are not uncommon.

Two bands have produced music that, in my mind, sets "just the right tone" for telling the kinds of stories I have to tell, and often pulls me down darker corridors than I would have chosen without them. I am speaking, of course, about Tool and Depeche Mode. Not a fan? Sorry. I am.

From Opiate to Aenima... from Violator and Songs of Faith and Devotion... I feel that the lyrics and the tone really work in my head to form a backdrop... a soundtrack, if you will, to the world I'm painting on the page.

If you're interested I'd suggest listening to (Each song title is a link):





(There are countless other examples I could list and link... but that would take a heroic amount of time... and I just don't have that kind of time today.)


I don't know about all the other writers of the world... but music helps me... lets me feel what I'm seeing in my mind. It makes putting it down for others easier... and (I hope) helps carry the tone it should.

I honestly don't know why I felt like putting all this down for public consumption, but I did... so here it is. Take it for what it's worth.

5 comments:

  1. Great post! i agree! The kool thing about Depeche Mode is that all their albums have such a diffrent sound that there is something inspritational for anything i write....
    "And when i squinted the world seemed rose tinted and angels apeared to decend..."
    Ps my 18 year old son is a big fan, it is a very kool thing to love the same kind of music as my son.

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    1. I couldn't agree more, Linna.

      My 18 year old son is also a big fan of DM and Tool!

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  2. I just discovered Tool (thank you, Pandora. I have no idea where Tool has been all my life), and I freaking LOVE them! Actually, I love all of Maynard James Keenan's bands. The dude is brilliant. I liked Depeche Mode's Violator too. Haven't listened to them in ages though.

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    1. I've been a fan of both bands since 85-92-ish... I just didn't realize the power they could have on my writing until many years later!

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