What kind of music do you like to listen to while writing?

Matt Cowan · **Posted:** Thu Feb 15, 2007 1:07 pm

I like haunting type music while writing horror (which is actuallt all that I write). I like Tori Amos, Sarah McLachlan, Seal, Dan Fogelberg , and the like. They all have what I feel, is sort of an eerie quality to most of their tunes, which puts my in the mood to write about things that are not natural.

I'm curious what other writers of the macabre enjoy listening to as the weave their tales?

David T. Wilbanks · **Posted:** Thu Feb 15, 2007 2:46 pm

Too distracting for me.

ristow · **Posted:** Thu Feb 15, 2007 10:33 pm

ristow · **Posted:** Fri Feb 16, 2007 12:32 am

Mark Justice · **Joined:** Mon Mar 14, 2005 1:28 am **Posts:** 1683

It doesn't really matter to me. When I'm into a story, any sound is just background static. I don't really hear it.

But if I'm trying to get into a certain mood, I'll try to match it to music. I just finished a piece set in the late 1930s, and I listened to stuff like Artie Shaw and Glenn Miller. When I wrote Deadneck Hootenanny, I used Sirius' Outlaw Country channel for inspiration.

David T. Wilbanks · **Posted:** Fri Feb 16, 2007 10:34 am

If you REALLY like music...

Kreep · **Joined:** Fri Jan 26, 2007 1:19 pm **Posts:** 237

ristow · **Posted:** Fri Feb 16, 2007 9:11 pm

Kreep, We'll have to agree to disagree

!

I remember when reign in blood came out. I was like, what?, 12, and my older brother bought it as a "shock" prank for somebody's birthday party. Everybody gave him dirty looks, so my brother ended up "stealing" it back. Ah -- what a fateful day, that was! In less than a year, I went from a twerp that listened to the FAT BOYS (!) to listening to DRI, Suicidal Tendencies, Metallica, and Minor Threat. (Honestly, I couldn't get into slayer until Reign in Blood and Seasons in the Abyss came out.)

Man-oh-man. Around that time, my brother had all the 80's hair metal on tape. Exciter, Exodus, blah blah blah, even pure crap like Krokus and Triumph. Before Metal won me over, i used to blame Ozzy and "that devil music" for my brother beating me up -- in a non-abusive, brotherly way, of course. I think the Occult lyrics and reaper imagery might have subtle suggest that I start reading Horror and fantasy.

ristow · **Posted:** Sat Feb 17, 2007 12:22 am

So imagine this. A guy who likes punk, thrash, and death metal ends up marrying a woman who adores prince, likes tori amos and a whole host of woman singer-song writers. If I want my wife mad at me, all I need to do is demean Dolly Parton's name.

So, I get to listen to most of the stuff I like either on my ipod, or while I'm driving around.

Kreep · **Joined:** Fri Jan 26, 2007 1:19 pm **Posts:** 237

Matt Cowan · **Posted:** Sat Feb 17, 2007 3:55 pm

I have noticed that heavy metal, thrash, and that sort of music is pretty big with most horror fans. I like some of it, but don't listen alot. I wonder if there is any corrilation between the type of horror one likes, and the type of music. For instance, I tend to like more low key music ( Tori Amos, Sarah McLachlan) and like more eerie, spooky sort of horror (ie. ghosts, strange unnatural things half seen, etc,). I do not like mass murderer tales, extreamly gritty or excessively voilent type of horror. My favorite writers are Ramsey Campbell, M.R. James, Dan Simmons, and the like. I was just curious if there is any connection or not.

Kreep · **Joined:** Fri Jan 26, 2007 1:19 pm **Posts:** 237

Matt, I think there are a few reasons for the correlation between horror & metal:

1. A "Take No Prisoners approach" - Sort of necessary in horror. You can't really tiptoe around when dealing with monsters, ghosts, serial killers, and such. You can be subtle throughout a story, but in the end, you still have to go for the jugular to deliver the scare (got to poke 'em at least once to make 'em jump). And it's an attitude that's sort of built into the "heavy" portion of the music itself.

2. Subject matter - A lot of metal, especially the 80s stuff that got us into the genre in the first place, revolves around the same types of subjects. Examples include serial killers (Captain Howdy/Street Justice from Twisted Sister), Monsters (Call of Ktulu by Metallica and Teeth of the Hydra by Omen), Demons (The Four Horsemen by Metallica), Witches (Seventh Son of a Seventh Son by Iron Maiden), Satan (Shout at the Devil by Motley Crue and Alice Cooper Goes to Hell), Mythological Creatures (Dragon's Breath by Omen), Blood (we've already covered Slayer

), Insanity (nearly any song Ozzy/Sabbath ever did). Basically, there are lots of metal songs about death and destruction, nightmares, and creepy beasties of every size and flavor.

3. The excitement factor - A lot of people choose horror over other types of literature for the same reason they choose heavy metal over other types of music: they find it more exciting. It's what interests them. I am in this category. I like ghosts & goblins because they're more exciting. They hold my interest. I'm not about to pick up a Vonnegut novel because I tried that once and was incredibly disappointed (Galapagos). He might be a fantastic writer technically, but I found his style and subject matter so fucking boring, that I won't waste my time with his other books. He's just out. My time is way too valuable and my TBR pile way too large to attempt him again. I'll stick with what excites me. Same with music. This is meant in no way to offend you, because I realize that music is about the most subjective thing out there, but you won't catch me listening to Sarah McLachlan. She's got a gorgeous voice, and I don't find her music bad or distasteful, but it bores me to tears. I'd rather listen to Helloween. [Just for the record, I do like Tori Amos a lot...I think she's incredibly creative (there's no one else out there like her) and her voice is wildly sexy. I've got a rather large collection of her CDs, including many bootlegs, singles, and rarities.] For some of us, the more "typical" or "mainstream" books and music do very little to hold our interest. Personally, I find most pop music and most "Oprah book club" type literature to be formulaic and canned...not interesting at all. Not to say it isn't bad...just not for me.

I guess that covers Metal/Horror in general. I'm not sure about any correlation between types of horror and various music genres. I listen to a lot of different stuff. Besides the things I've already mentioned, I also listen to some country (the good stuff, not the whiny garbage you hear on the radio lately...I prefer fun songs, not ballads), good/fun 80s pop (remember the song "Wet Dream"?), and the New Duncan Imperials (white-trash, twangy boogey rock...really kind of defies classification). But I like all sorts of horror. Everything from the hard-core gross out stuff to the more subtle ghost stories to psychological stuff. If it's interesting, well-written, has good characters, and it's spooky, I'll probably like it. So maybe you're on to something.

ristow · **Posted:** Sat Feb 17, 2007 10:37 pm

The New Duncan Imperials??? HA! HA! I saw them twice in a dingy Huntington WV bar (Gumby's) twice. What a fun show. This was back in the '90s. They let everybody know, repeatedly, that they were sponsored by Jeagermeister. I never bought any of their music, but they certainly were a band to see live.

ristow · **Posted:** Sat Feb 17, 2007 10:51 pm

Matt and Ken,

The most embarrassing thing on my iPod are 4 Shakira songs (English AND Spanish versions of two songs)!

You know, I find it hard to be married and not like some of my wife's music -- some of the women singer song writers, like Dar Williams. She likes some of the mellower punk rock or just really good progressive or alternative stuff. We often agree on the White Stripes or Built to Spill. I used to listen to a lot of hip-hop, partly because back in the day, it had the same revolutionary stance late 80s and early '90s punk rock had. Now, most hip hop is just people rhyming about their shoe contracts and their business investments. Sorry. Lost its edge, sold its soul.

It's funny, though, that people have some strange preconceptions about metal. I think Ken's right in that horror and metal/punk/thrash have a rebellious attitude about it. Nothing cuts more against the literary establishment (John Updike and people who read the New Yorker because its a status thing and not because of the quality of writing found there) than genre fiction.

Whenever any of my students find out what my music tastes are, they're usually shocked. "How can a guy into poetry like a band called Pig Destroyer?" I didn't make that up.

Apparently, anybody who's teaching in college is required to have "sophisticated" tastes. I say whatever.

Still, I have to say, the best Songwriter for writers and writing HAS TO BE Tom Waits, hands down. Read his lyrics. They are surreal, witty, and heartbreaking all at once, sometimes.

"Uncle Verlin! Uncle Verlin! Independent as a hog on ice. . ."

Kreep · **Joined:** Fri Jan 26, 2007 1:19 pm **Posts:** 237

I've never seen the New Duncan Imperials live, but I have nearly all their CDs. Yes, they're a lot of fun, and yes, they love their Jager! If you order CDs direct from their web site, they send you all sorts of free crap. I got a straw hat and a deck of cards with their picture on them somewhere around here.

And believe it or not, I've actually heard of Pig Destroyer...although I've not heard any of their music. I thought I had a song of theirs on one of my "Death is Just the Beginning" comps...but it turns out it was Righteous Pigs...right animal, wrong Cookie Monster Imitators.

Never really got into the straightforward DM, but I really like some of the Death/Doom hybrid stuff like Evoken and My Dying Bride. The worst Death Metal song I think I ever heard was a cover of Twisted Sister's "Captain Howdy" by...oh crap...who was it? I think it was the "Swamped in Gore" guys. Guess I have to check CDDB...Yep, it was Broken Hope (yeah, the "Swamped in Gore" guys; Horrible, horrible rendition).

Since we're on the subject, ever hear of Pica? I think it's some of the guys from Exit 13 (weird-ass grindcore band). Pica has this "song" called "Caller on Line 1" which is seriously fucked up. Creepy as hell. Scary, even. I love it!

ristow · **Posted:** Sat Feb 17, 2007 11:24 pm

Pig Destoyer actually bares a stronger resemblance to the whole Power Violence movement within punk rock. Bands like Spazz or Charles Bronson, where the songs are loud, grinding and last no more then a 45 seconds to a minute. Spazz and Charles Bronson, however, had some really funny samples inbetween their songs, stuff from like Airplane! "Joey, you ever been in a turkish prison?"

ristow · **Posted:** Sat Feb 17, 2007 11:27 pm

OMG, I really forgot the one and only band of all time that defies any logical description (not even "art rock")....

The Butthole Surfers.

Greatest band ever, but strangely, I don't listen to them as much as do Slayer or Children of Bodom.

Kreep · **Joined:** Fri Jan 26, 2007 1:19 pm **Posts:** 237

Kreep · **Joined:** Fri Jan 26, 2007 1:19 pm **Posts:** 237

ristow · **Posted:** Sun Feb 18, 2007 12:17 am

ristow · **Posted:** Sun Feb 18, 2007 12:30 am

Matt Cowan · **Posted:** Sun Feb 18, 2007 1:55 pm

Thanks for the info, guys. Interesting stuff.

What kind of music do you like to listen to while writing?

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