I would be lying to you if I told you that I am able to write without music but that is simply not true and I have a feeling the same can be said to most. I applaud anyone who can sit on their laptops or whatever they write on and type away without the sounds of music but music moves me. You know I always imagined myself writing like a Beatnik- smoking a cigar, wearing black rimmed glass, drinking a glass of whiskey, and listening to Billie Holiday on a rainy day but at last, I am neither a hipster nor am I Jack Kerouac. I sometimes write with the voice of Damien Rice singing the words that I pen. If it is not that, then my heart implores my mind to play whatever song I need to listen at that moment to get the quick euphoric fix I need to string my words together like the strumming of a guitar. Even right now I am listening to music. I am playing The New Pornographers CD Twin Cinema. I think it is highly appropriate and if you are not familiar with them, buy their CD on Amazon or Itunes or download them (yes I do not condone the art of downloading). Better yet, if you have Facebook, get Spotify and play their music. Spotify is what I use to listen to music, a far cry from the vinyl records my favorite authors probably used to help them write.
As I mentioned on my Tumblr, I am about to embark on a more detailed analysis of Chameleon’s musical influences. Here is the full list from my blog:
- Madonna- Bedtime Story
- Madonna- Frozen
- Madonna-Take a Bow
- Madonna-Ray of Light (Album)
- Shaman-Fairy Tale
- Within Temptation- Deceiver of Fools, Ice Queen
- Nightwish-Ghost Love Score
- Sarah Brightman- The War is Over Now
- Michael Jackson- The King of Pop and Avante Garde
- David Cook- The Voice of a Lion
- Disney- Especially the princess films
- REM- Losing My Religion
- Bjork- The Queen of Avante Garde
- David Bowie
- Fiona Apple
- Florence and the Machine- Cosmic Love for Lady Florence
- U2
- Elvis
Here are a couple of pieces:
Madonna- Frozen: If Poe wrote the tale of Lenore, then Madonna’s anecdote was to beguile us like the raven and quote “Nevermore.” Madonna’s Frozen was a depiction of catharsis and spiritual rebirth. I was influenced by the philosophical Eastern themes to the video. I loved the bluish monochromatic coloring of the video. That tone added to the mystery of a bewitching goddess shape shifting through the desert as she puts a spell on us. I went to a private Christian school were my views on religion and God were not popular. I do not believe we should categorize our beliefs in God. I do not believe in a denomination. I love the idea of fulfilling our destinies and living different passages in time to complete our mission. I am influenced by the Eastern philosophies of meditation and nirvana. I am influenced by the complexities of our internal struggles in relationships. You want to know how it feels to belong and not feel ostracized for believing the things you do. I always believed that God created us to think for ourselves, to find our own happiness. He’s the proud Father that you ask for guidance and helps you when you are frozen. In Frozen, I loved the imagery of Madonna beguiling us like a witch transforming herself into a watch dog and a pack of crows. I love the cinematic beauty of a woman living in a desolate desert watching the moon never set. I am influenced by the video’s dark tranquility to unmask its viewers’ inhibitions and vulnerabilities. I love when an audience can be lucid and comfortable in their own skin even if they are frozen at touch.
Shaman Fairy Tale: Without a doubt, when I first listened to this song, I was in awe of its majestic quality. Very few songs have that epic quality that made bands like Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd legendary. This small band from Brazil started the song with a Gregorian-esque choir painting a story of lovers meeting each other and the need to be in each others arms. We are all born with another soul bursting out of the seams waiting to again and that this song, out of an album named Ritual gives us the complete tale of generational lovers waiting to meet again. I love the power of the lead singer’s voice accompanied by the orchestra. Again, the word I describe this song is majestic. Everything has a purpose in life because I downloaded the song by mistake. I just downloaded random song with named Fairy Tale years before I began writing Chameleon and then my mother’s husband and their family were driving me to the Youth Fair and I was playing my IPOD to drown out their voice. I put my IPOD on shuffle and this song came out and I was floored by it. I quickly envisioned a scene that ended up becoming the first climax in The Crescent’s Crusade in which Julian and Celine battle Captain Selvaggio and his army.
Michael Jackson- The King of Pop: Nobody before or since him as left an indelible mark on pop culture and the universe quite like Michael and when his 2009 death at the age of 50 happened, we all knew we lost a true pioneer. Spanning four decades, Michael Jackson changed the lives of everyone he touched on this planet. His perfectionism and sheer out of this world talent was truly no match to anybody in the business. He was the Titan that changed the face of every mark in music. He danced like Astaire, Kelly, and Fosse and sang with a voice that could easily be heard in the Pop, Dance, R&B, and Rock Billboards. His dance moves where a spectacle for his incredible feats of flair and dynamic gusto captivated a large demographic. His music videos where nothing short than innovative and a breakthrough for the people of MTV and the world of cinema. He was a master of his craft and his loss was a sad cry to this world that needs a new hero.
David Cook- The Voice of a Lion: He might be the newest addition in music world but he is no slouch. If Bono and Bruce Springsteen had a baby, it would be like this man over here. In 2008, Cook became the seventh American Idol and although the dreary show is not my favorite (I have not watched it before or after Cook) his voice stood out from the avenues of young would-be talent in and out of the Idol bubble. The man is a prodigy, bar-none with a voice that is so crisp and clear and yet his voice is able to go to the depths of a bottomless pit where all the emotion marries the chakras to be enlightened. His writing is very dreamy and the stories he weaves paint the hardship of a born-again soul searching the world to find the beauty that lies in lost and found love. His voice its a chord because it is as if you are confronted with the truth about where you align with the universe. Songs like Circadian and Time Marches On speak on the themes of universalism and time which are two components in Chameleon. The evolution of Cook remains to be seen but he is an underrated gem of an artist who stands on his ground.
U2- The Greatest Band in the Last 25 Years: This band defined my childhood. They were higher than God in book. They had the most philosophical, poetic, and beautiful lyrics known in the 20th and 21st century and from the shaky grounds of the 80’s in which only a handful of artists stood the test of longevity, they have become the most important act in the last 25 years. No other singer right now can evoke emotion (other than Cook) like Bono and when you listen to any of his songs, you hear a voice of conviction and a sense of urgency wrought with a consummation of clarity. U2 forces us to look inside ourselves and show us the meaning of life. In all of their songs, we feel as sense of humanitarianism that fulfills are need to know the world beyond our inner circle.
Chameleon 