Saturday Night Music Club #48: Literature

We are back with a new edition of Saturday Night Music Club! The SNMC started up as an idea I had years ago - to recapture the feeling of being a kid and getting together with your friends in the basement to listen and discuss music.

This month's theme was selected by Frank and Sarah C: Literature. Each member had to choose a favorite song based on a work of literature - all genres and time periods are fair game, including mythology, folklore, and of course, the written word. A track from each record (when available) is collected in an ongoing SNMC Spotify playlist at the bottom of this post. So please listen in and enjoy the tunes along with us.

Band off-limits for EVERYONE: The Cure

As always, the SNMC begins with a trivia contest based around the chosen theme. Frank and Sarah C. brought the heat. There were 20 questions in total. Some that were asked:

Q: JG Ballard’s Crash influenced which pioneering synth single? For a bonus point, which label head was behind the project and what label did he form?

A: “Warm Leatherette” by The Normal / Daniel Miller from Mute Records

Q: This Bauhaus song is named for the playwright and poet known for the Theater of Cruelty movement.

A: Antonin Artaud

Q: Name 5 of 13 songs by The Cure that are based on literary works AND the work/reference they are based on.

A: “Killing An Arab” - The Stranger by Camus

“The Drowning Man” - Gormenghast by Peake

“How Beautiful You Are” - “Les Yeux des Pauvres” by Baudelaire

“Charlotte Sometimes” / “The Empty World” / “Splintered In Her Head” - Charlotte Sometimes by Farmer

“Bananafishbones” - “A Perfect Day For Bananafish” by Salinger

“Adonais” - Shelly’s nickname for Keats

“At Night “ - Kafka short story of the same name

“Birdmad Girl” - “Love in the Asylum” by Dylan Thomas

“Burn” - The Crow comics

“Dredd Song” - Judge Dredd comics

“Open” - Sylvia Plath line

Q: Broadcast's Tender Buttons is named for the 1914 book of the same name by this American author.

A: Gertrude Stein

Trivia Rankings: Kevin (17 points - winner!), Bret (7 points), Sarah Q (1 point) and Dream Pop Jesse / Thalia (1 point).

I should also mention that Dream Pop Jesse's partner, Thalia Williams, was also present for this edition of the SNMC. She played us Bat for Lashes' "Horse and I" from 2006's Fur and Gold.

BRET HELM
Audra | Life on this Planet

What song did you bring to the club and which piece of literature is it based on?

"Pet Sematary" from The Ramones, which is of course inspired by the Stephen King novel of the same name. The Ramones recorded it for the soundtrack to the 1989 film, and it appeared on their 11th studio album, Brain Drain.

What is your connection to this song (or book) that you made you choose it?

I am a huge Stephen King fan and Pet Sematary was the very first novel of his that I read. This would've been back in high school circa 1989. I remember buying the paperback on one of those spinning racks in a desert drug store that has been long gone for a couple of decades now. The song itself? A shining (pun intended) moment in the band's "later" years. 

Any favorites that you heard from others throughout the night?

Everything! Seriously. What a wonderful night this was. I was so moved by Kevin's selection, Marianne Faithfull & Warren Ellis' "Ode to a Nightingale," that I ordered a copy while it was playing. That record has become one of my favorites of 2021.

SARAH QUARRIE
Life on this Planet | Instagram

What song did you bring to the club and which piece of literature is it based on?

"Motorcycle Emptiness" from Manic Street Preachers' debut album Generation Terrorists released in 1992. It is based on Rumble Fish by S.E. Hinton written in 1975. Both express the sentiment of culture-inflicted detachment that capitalism & consumerism can cause, leaving a segment of society feeling alienated & trapped.

What is your connection to this song (or book) that you made you choose it?

S.E. Hinton is such an important author to the Young Adult genre, she pretty much created it! Susan Eloise Hinton used her initials as a pseudonym to prevent attempts to discredit her writing that was from a male perspective. Her books The Outsiders, Rumble Fish, Tex and That Was Then... This Is Now all inspired film adaptations in the 80s, the first 2 directed by the esteemed Francis Ford Coppola. As if her history isn't compelling enough, her Oklahoma roots branched out all the way across the pond to inspire a Welsh rock and roll band. Manic Street Preachers have been quoted to say "We were obsessed with writing a cross between Rumble Fish and a Jesus and Mary Chain biker song," the catalyst behind composing "Motorcycle Emptiness." I always considered Manics as the academics of the Britpop scene, going against the grain of pop culture. Best listened to while having access to Encyclopedia Britannica and a pint. Somehow this all came together in my mind and was such a great choice!

Any favorites that you heard from others throughout the night?

As always, it was such a treat to hear to the variety throughout the group. The standout for me was Sarah C's pick "Orestes" by A Perfect Circle. While I am familiar with Tool, I have not given A Perfect Circle much dedicated listening time over the years. In the vein of the Greek play Orestes, frontman Maynard James Keenan sings of his anguish related to tragic circumstances pertaining to his mother.  An unrushed, sort of progressive rock jam, the kind you turn up loud while the night breeze blows in as you reach over for the Encyclopedia you still have out after playing Manic Street Preachers.

FRANK DESERTO
Brooklyn, NY | The Harrow, Systems of Romance, Post-Punk.com

What song did you bring to the club and which piece of literature is it based on?

I chose Cranes' "Danse Des Érinnyes," the chaotic closing track from their underrated La Tragédie D'Oreste Et Électre disc, which was released in 1996. This track (and the entire record) is based on Les Mouches (The Flies), a play by Jean-Paul Sartre, which is a bleak retelling of the Electra myth run through Sartre's existential eye. 

What is your connection to this song (or book) that you made you choose it?

While it may seem like Sarah C. and I chose complimentary tracks, both drawing from the same core Oresteia mythology, I assure you all it was not by design. As for why I chose Cranes - they have always been a favorite of mine, and when I binge on the band, I go deep into the catalogue and don't come up for air. I wanted to select a band that was near and dear to me, but to also celebrate something more obscure from their catalog. This was one of the few records that I was deeply passionate about that we didn't already rule out through our impossible trivia questions, so here we are... 

I also wanted to share the English translation of the lyrics, which I just discovered while looking more deeply into the album:

How young they are!

How beautiful they are!

Rejoice: too often criminals are old and ugly; it is all too rare, the exquisite joy of destroying what is beautiful

They sigh, they stir; their awakening is near. come on, my sisters, my sisters the flies, let's pull the guilty ones out of sleep by our song

We will land on your rotten heart like flies on bread;

Rotten heart, bleeding heart, delectable heart;

We are the pus suckers, the flies;

We will escort you to the grave;

And we will only give way to worms

The track is meant to play at the conclusion of the play, when the furies shift their focus from Electra to Orestes and begin to torment him for the pair's crimes. I've always been fascinated by the Furies and always love the chaos and destruction they bring whenever they appear... 

Any favorites that you heard from others throughout the night?

There was a smorgasbord of familiar soul food this time around - a lot of tracks that I haven't heard in ages but am I'm always delighted to hear, including "Motorcycle Emptiness," (which I forgot was a literary reference and is one of the all time great songs that make me want to sing from the heavens), "Pet Sematary," (my favorite Stephen King novel and a track my first major band used to cover on the regular), "Orestes," (the soundtrack to my early college years, I still vastly prefer A Perfect Circle to Tool in 2021), "Horse and I," (always adore hearing Natasha's voice), and "2+2=5." (which is a tremendous opening track that always makes me turn the stereo to eleven). 

The most delightful surprise of the evening, however, was the Marianne Faithfull & Warren Ellis track, which slipped right by me and was a suitable, somber end to the evening. 

There were so many other tracks to choose from, and I especially enjoyed being able to listen and share more music as the evening went into extra innings.

* Frank's song choice was unavailable on Spotify. Please enjoy a listen here.

SARAH CELENTANO
Brooklyn, NY

What song did you bring to the club and which piece of literature is it based on?

My song was "Orestes" from Mer de Noms, the debut album from A Perfect Circle. The song lyrics suggest a maternal bond that has become more of a burden, with the speaker desperate to destroy the connection:

Liberate this will

To release us all

Gotta cut away, clear away

Snip away and sever this

Umbilical residue that's

Keeping me from killing you

Orestes is a major figure in Greek tragedy and appears in many ancient writings, but the earliest theatrical work is the Oresteia trilogy by Aeschylus (5th century BCE). Here, Orestes kills his mother, Clytemnaestra, for murdering his father, Agamemnon. He is pursued and tormented by the mythical Furies, who demand justice for his matricide, until the goddess Athena intercedes on his behalf.

What is your connection to this song (or book) that made you choose it?

This album came out the summer after my first year at college, which is also when I first read the Oresteia. It was exciting to see connections between old and new art and to gain a deeper understanding of something from my day-to-day life. The album was also very popular among my friends, and it quickly became part of our soundtrack for smoking too many Djarum Blacks, drinking too much whiskey and red wine, and everything else that comes with that. Diegetic music for young adult drama.

Any favorites that you heard from others throughout the night?

Radiohead's "2+2=5" is always a jam, but post-Trump it might be more relevant than ever.

KEVIN LARKIN-ANGIOLI
Hudson Valley Region of New York | Twitter, Instagram

What song did you bring to the club and which piece of literature is it based on?

I brought “Ode to a Nightingale,” a performance of the John Keats poem by Marianne Faithfull with Warren Ellis on Synthesizers and Loops, Nick Cave on Piano, and Vincent Segal on Acoustic Cello. It is from Faithfull and Ellis’s new album, She Walks in Beauty.

What is your connection to this song (or book) that made you choose it?

Last music club, I promised something contemporary next time. I half-delivered. The record was released this year but the poem is 202 years old. Keats is my favorite poet of the Romantic era. I took a chance on this record without hearing any of it, though I often bristle at readings of poetry over musical backdrops. Fortunately, it turns out I find the whole record deeply moving. The soundscapes are inspired and absorbing, while Faithfull’s readings of the poems make me hear them in a new way, even though some are very familiar and well-worn to me. I chose this one in particular for the combination of Ellis’s searching melodic line that pushes the song forward, complementing the poem and its inner music rather than interfering with it, with the beauty of the poem itself and Faithfull’s reading of it, emanating from lungs that recently battled Covid-19 and a lifetime of experience.

Any favorites that you heard from others throughout the night?

Everyone’s picks were deeply pleasurable, and save two, I own, know, and love each one. Was lip-syncing along and grabbing my copies from my fanny pack all night long. The two exceptions were the wonderful “Motorcycle Emptiness” by Manic Street Preachers Sarah Q. chose and “Horse and I” by Bat for Lashes, a live performance from Shepherd’s Bush 2009, Thalia selected for our viewing and listening pleasure. While I know some of each of these band’s work and have long meant to get all the way in on them, I haven’t yet. Of these two, “Horse and I” was just a bit more striking, maybe because of the live performance. Just a stunning song and now I really must spend more time with Bat for Lashes. Loved Jesse and Thalia’s stories around it, too. Sarah Q’s remarks on the influence of an Oklahoma writer of YA literature, adapted to film twice in the same year by Francis Ford Coppola, on a band half the world away in Wales decades later were a worthy subject of awe; I also loved learning about Cool Cymru and our discussion of scenius vs genius and related movements in other art forms like Dogme 95. 

DREAM POP JESSE
Phoenix, AZ | Instagram

What song did you bring to the club and which piece of literature is it based on?

Radiohead's "2+2=5" based on George Orwell's 1984.

What is your connection to this song (or book) that you made you choose it?

I first got into Radiohead when I heard "Creep" being performed on TV, but my interest would become more concrete after hearing "Stop Whispering." After years of changes, the band became more and more an interest but I never had gotten to see them perform. In 2003 I was handed a CD-R of unmastered versions of Hail to the Thief. The album would not leave the CD player in my car for months. I was completely sucked in by the glitchy electronics and fuzzed out bass. I would choose Kid A as my favourite album but Hail to the Thief definitely stands out as another top album by the band. My cousin and I bought tickets for their show in Colorado - this show is what brought me to my choice for a song based on literature. I've always enjoyed the 1984 film as a glimpse of what our future could become...or HAS become.

Any favorites that you heard from others throughout the night?

Ramones were definitely a teenage fave associated with the Pet Sematary movie. My oldest brother had gotten Brain Drain on cassette (which I stole) and later left in my dad's camper (which he sold). When the movie came out for rental, we went to our local video store to check out a copy. Whilst in the store I spotted a cardboard cut-out of Church, the cat from the movie. I asked if I could have it after they were finished with it and the lady put my name on a little yellow post it and stuck it on the back of the cut-out. Unfortunately I was such a shy awkward teen I never went back to claim my treasure as I would have to ask for it.

Cranes are, and have been, a fave since I found them on MTV's 120 Minutes the night before seeing them open for The Cure.

Manic Street Preachers were one of the bands during the 90s I had crossed of my list of bands to check out  mainly because of their name, a mistake I've made many times. I was sold after hearing them in my friend's truck during a beer run after insisting we not hear Semisonic! We got the beer and I became a fan. In hindsight, I really don't mind Semisonic. Or at least wouldn't turn it off if they came on.

Bat for Lashes are an essential in our home. It's great music to relax, actively listen to or as background. There's no wrong place for her music. 

Here's the playlist!

If you're a vinyl enthusiast, check out our feature on the Spin Clean Vinyl Record Cleaning Machine (click image below). We do earn a commission if you purchase anything through the links in this post.

Follow us on Facebook / Twitter / YouTube