Freeloading
Mega BLF Ticket giveaway: What Does a Book Sound Like?
by Beijing Daze · March 6, 2012
I love music! I love books and I love putting them together, kinda like a soundtrack to a movie! There's so much music out there though and so many books, how they're mixed is entirely personal and I'm curious about it.
The Bookworm International Literary Festival is around the corner, doing their part to unite various forms of art ( writing, poetry, music) and I figured it would be a great time to see how these associations are made by other people. So, with the help of the bookworm, we're putting together a mega giveway mixing both music and literature:
What's one of your favorite book, who would put together a soundtrack for it and why?
You can win 2 tickets each to the following 3 Events at the Bookworm:
Footnotes: David Thomas Broughton March 11
English folk singer-guitarist David Thomas Broughton's performances combine improvisation, unconventional instruments – radios, televisions, natural field recordings and more – with multimedia videos.
Poetry Slam @ 2 Kolegas: March 17
Tim Clare and Luka Lesson bring their unique spin to performance poetry at this showcase event. Despite what you may have heard, poetry is alive and well! Whether you are a fan of hip-hop or comedy, a veteran to the slam poetry scene or a newbie, you'll be wowed and inspired by this fresh take on a classic. Also joining in the fun: Canadian musician Courtney Wing. This event is also part of the JUE festival.
Translation Slam: Sing Me A Song! March 22
One song. Two translators. Endless possibilities. The chosen translators go head to head, comparing their English translations of a Chinese song and fielding questions from the audience. Join us to see the ins and outs of the translation process and judge if there are some things that are better lost in translation. Brought to you by English Trackers and JUE.
Sample Answer
I love "The Witch of Portobello" by Paulo Coelho. I would have Johnette Napolitano ( Concrete Blonde Fame) write the soundtrack for it! Nobody writes passion like Coelho does and nobody sings passion better than Johnette. Her "Sound of a Woman" record, never officially released, fits perfectly. It would be even better if she wrote fresh songs for it.
* The explanation part ( Why) should be more elaborate than " I'll use this music because I dig it." It doesn't have to be an essay but I expect it to make sense with at least 20 words.
* A Winner will be randomly chosen by putting all the names in hat and pulling one out
* You can post multiple comments. Each one will give you another chance to win
* The Deadline for entry is noon March 9th, 2012
* Bonus: If an entry blows my mind, I might decide to give it an extra prize yet to be determined.
Tags: Bookworm Literary FestivalLuka LessonThomas BroughtonTim ClareWin Tickets
Quickslants: Conspiracies, Cannibals, Poets, Folksters and more
Quickslants: Bloozy Farewell, Aussie Slams, Dongs, Mackays, Green Fab and more..
Quickslants: Women, Insurance Payback, Re-TROS, Jue Festival, the Bookworm and more
Beijing Daze says:
I don't qualify to win but I'm still gonna throw a few ones in there to get started:
I would have Rush put together some of their electric compositions for Terry Pratchett's Soul Music. Reading the book, you get visions of purple darts of lightening and that's what rush sounds like most of the time.
Ami says:
I love this idea! Not sure if I'm qualified either because we're co-organising two of the events offered but I have to contribute an entry nonetheless!
One of my favourite books is Marisha Pessl's debut novel Special Topics in Calamity Physics. It's a hyperliterate, Nabakovian coming-of-age thriller set in a Southern prep school with a protagonist named after a butterfly (the African Blue). With a "Core Curriculum" and "Required Reading" list as the Table of Contents, the novel sets out with a hugely ambitious conceit that it manages to fulfill at the end. Hyperliterate, Foster Wallace-ian Portland indie rock band The Decemberists would be the perfect composers for the soundtrack to film version of this book. Equally ambitious in their musical compositions, The Decemberists would write a score replete with as many melodic references and jokes as occur on every page of the novel. It would be both a joy to listen to and a super fast-paced brain exercise.
Just trying to think of a musical accompaniment to 'Infinite Jest' melted my iPod. Though I bet Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross could not only capture the tedium/heroism of The Pale King well, but they could also render some of the more surreal scenes in the book a supernatural, haunting quality.
However, let's lay aside DFW to talk about Italo Calvino's If On A Winter's Night A Traveler… A mystery that totally drags the reader in as it celebrates the joy of reading itself, I could hear Jonsi/Sigurd Ross setting the stage. No song captures the freedom of a child (perhaps in the first day of summer) like Go. And the mystery and moodiness would be awesomely felt by the moaning strings and keening singing in 'hopelandic.'
Cool idea here, be tee dubs.
Ruby says:
I'm not eligible for this either, but to get the comments going ….
My favourite book as a child was 'Amy's Eyes' a whimsical coming of age fantasy about a girl and her doll who set sail looking for her father. Only a post rock soundtrack full of light and shade could truely capture this tale of adventure, intrigue, love and loss. I would pick Immanu El's latest album, with it's nautical themes as a perfect match for this journey. Turn on their music and close you eyes to be transported to the rolling seas filled with pirates, a ship crewed by mother goose animals and dark religious prophecies.
I grew up loving Grimms' Fairy Tales. Even though they're children stories, they were solidly written before being bastardized through the ages. I would like to see a Metal soundtrack to the original edition of the books, possibly by deep purple or even Black Sabat
jtdj says:
I'd have GG Allin do the soundtrack to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, because he'd nail Willy Wonka's craziness while helping suppress my appetite for chocolate. If I could't get GG, I'd ask Torturing Nurse。
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain. It still moves and delights me at nearly age 60 as much as it did when my dad read it to me at age 5. Because it's a quintessential American tale, I'd like to hear what a producer and singer/sonwriter such as T-Bone Burnett could bring to it. He's a brilliant American roots music kinda guy. Or maybe Steve Earle, someone of that caliber.
justin, according to my randomizer, you win the tickets. please contact me with your full name and phone number!
hey b, i sent Justin's info to you.
e-head says:
For some reason, every time I read a James Ellroy book I have "Drug Me" by Dead Kennedys going through my head. That fast, stacatto method of delivery. In a similar vein, I always see "Jangling Jack" by Nick Cave as a Gerald Scarfe type animation.
But for author/artist, I'd probably have to go with Douglas Coupland and The Smiths being linked. It seems obvious with "Girlfriend in a Coma" as one of his book titles, but they really do pair up very well.
One more – Wally Lamb and Stars of the Lid. The emotion in both rides and rides and rides and rides…….
One of my favorite reads is A Clockwork Orange and G.W.A.R. would certainly frontline the soundtrack. When I read the book my mind sees Georgie and his droogs going ultraviolet on some grey haired ptitsas or giving a horrors how tolchock to a poogly malenky veck to the ranting and raging sounds of metal, speed and screaming; hence, G.W.A.R. I think it might play in the background through the whole book.
I would have to pick one of Haruki Murakami's books – and though Wind-Up Bird Chronicle is my favorite of his it's too far-reaching to have a single soundtrack for it. That's why I'm gonna go with Dance Dance Dance and pick Talking Heads to bring the fantasical world to life. As well as being mentioned throughout the book, I think the Talking Heads matches the excitement and whisical nature of the narrative, which twists and turns yet manages to be imitamate and life-affirming in unpredictable and strange ways…and it would have to be the live recording as well "The Name of this Band is The Talking Heads" – just getting goosebumps thinking of a smoky Japanese whisky bar cued to "A Clean Break". This was when the band was at its wildest and lossest which could sum up Murakami's Dance Dance Dance as well.A chesire cat smirking protrait of a man finding his place in everything. Love it…
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