Scott Heim's latest novel "We Disappear" contains an appendix titled "Further Reading and Listening" where he explains the importance of music in his creative process:
"My writer friends think I'm nuts because I often listen to music when I work.
I wish I could create a soundtrack for my books:certain sounds and textures and atmospheres that could accompany the reader's experience of the narrative.
Although I listen to a pretty wide variety of music,there's a certain type I play the most when I write.
It's often instrumental;it's often dreamy,eerie or sad.
Some of the album titles even illustrate the mood of the music: A Strangely Isolated Place;Music to Submerge In or Disappear Through.
Below,I've made an alphabetical list of the recordings I listened to the most during the years I was working on We Disappear..."
The list of author's picks include Cindytalk's "In This World",which he also used as the soundtrack for the
book's trailer.
(Photo: The Boston Globe / Eric Jacobs)
From an interview in magazine "Identity Theory" :
-Have you ever collaborated with a musician in another way, like write lyrics for someone to sing?
Have you recorded any music yourself?
*When I was in college, I was in three different bands. I played drums for years--I tried to emulate a lot of the drummers on Factory Records, heavy on the floor tom, that kind of thing. One of the bands I was in did some demo tape stuff. But that career never got off the ground, obviously. Now, though, one of the greatest things about publishing a few novels is it's made me feel legit when approaching musicians I love--I can send a person something I've published, and say "Your music has inspired me, here's my book." I'd be overjoyed if someone ever asked me to collaborate with them.
I've become close friends with Gordon Sharp of Cindytalk and John Grant of The Czars, but I haven't actually worked on music with them.
