Rasputina has a song called "Am I the Infidel?" that always makes me think of my Greatshadow protagonist, Infidel. So, this has got me thinking about other songs that mesh with my characters from that book. If you want to put together an really eclectic playlist, here are a few songs that are appropriate for my various characters:
Infidel: Am I the Infidel? by Rasputina.
"Am I the infidel?
I thought it was supposed
to be someone else
but now I see it's me.
I am my own worst enemy."
Stagger: California One/Youth and Beauty Brigade by the Decemberists
Two songs blended together as the last track of Castaways and Cutouts, the appropriate passage actually falls in the musical bridge between the songs. As the chords stretch from the end of one song to the beginning of another, there is a very soft whisper that you can only hear at high volume. If you listen hard, it's a woman talking about savior ghosts who wander battlefields warning soldiers of hidden dangers. Her final line is, "If I were such a ghost, I would stand so close, you could feel my breath on your cheek." This single line is the heart of Stagger's character.
Zetetic the Deceiver: The Obvious Child by Paul Simon
Perhaps a slender connection, but the lyrics contain these lines:
"Some people say a lie is just a lie
But I say why
Why deny the obvious child?
Why deny the obvious child?"
Appropriate since Zetetic believes all of reality is a lie, and his lies are just as real and obviously true as anyone elses.
No-Face: Smells Like Teen Spirit by Nirvana
Since No-Face has no visible mouth, his dialogue consists of indecipherable lines like, "Mub guh buh nub." He would have made a terrific grunge singer.
Judicious Merchant: Don't Fence Me In by Cole Porter
This song has been covered by a hundred artists, but I like the David Byrne version with the drum troop. Grandpa Merchant's distain for civilization is well summed up in the lines:
"I want to gaze at the moon until I lose my senses
I can't look at hovels and I can't stand fences
Don't fence me in."
Lord Tower: I'll be Watching You by the Police
"Oh can't you see you belong to me?" sums up nicely his obsessive, possessive attitude toward love.
Aurora: Ice Ice Baby by Vanilla Ice.
Sorry. It's so obvious I hate to include it on the list. But, what the hell.
Father Ver, the Truthspeaker: You or Your Memory by the Mountain Goats
"Down here in the dark I could see the real truth about me
as clear as day.
Lord if I make it through tonight
then I will mend my ways
and walk a straight path
till the end of my days."
I'm sure there are even more appropriate songs out there. And, of course, there are still plent of characters I haven't gotten to yet, most notably Greatshadow himself. Suggestions are welcome!
