Wednesday, February 16, 2005

Naaaah - naah - naah - nanananaaaaaa...nanananaaaaa

For my first intentional non-Chris post I've picked two more of my favorite things to blog about...
Music and books - specifically when the two come together.

In addition to all of the other great things that I love about Stephen King's writing, I really enjoy the way that music plays such an important role in his books. You can definitely tell that music has influenced him and it leaks into his writing all the time. So often you will find a writer who mentions the music playing in a bar or some other scene but you really can't get a feel for how the music is affecting the mood of the story. But with King, he will often recite lyrics or simply tell the reader the name of the song in the story. Immediately, in the nether-regions of the mind the song starts to play. A good writer can tell a story in such a way that more than one sense is enlivened with the words. Of course a good writer will paint a picture of a scene that you can see and describe dialogue that you can hear - but so rarely will an author include music familiar enough for you to hear. With music as important to me as it is, this simple action draws me into the story so much more. I am a HUGE fan of King's Dark Tower Series and have recently began re-reading the books in order to refresh my memory so that I can read the final one. I'd forgotten the great music included in the book - but I giggled out loud when Roland hears a drunken chorus of
"Naaaah - naah - naah - na na na naaaaaa...na na na naaaaa....hey JUDE!"
I've been a part of more than one instance where a bar full of drunken people sang along to a song like this, and it just put me in touch with the surroundings. I know what it would be like to be there. When I read a book I want descriptions so specific that a movie runs through my head and I can see the action. Stephen King does this - and doesn't forget my favorite sense of all - my hearing!

Picking up and re-reading the books from the Dark Tower series, or any favorite book, is always an awesome feeling. It's like running into an old friend. Even further than this, reading King's OTHER books and finding the amazing tie-ins is like finding out that a new friend used to live next door to your old best-friend in elementary school or something. There's this great huge cast of characters and forces that run through all of his books - keeping you interested, keeping your mind sharpened and ready to find a hint, and keeping you reading. I'm just getting started and I'm already enthralled.

To books and the music in them,

Darbi

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