Musical Miller

[leobloomsbury]

i read often when listening to music, i find that certain musical artists allow for a more natural reading of certain texts. i find bach goes well with most victorian literature, whereas i play animal collective when reading much of joyce's writing, and jazz with kerouac - of course. i have been struggling to find a fit for henry miller as i delve into tropic of cancer once again - any suggestions?

[ThousandthIsle]

Very interesting! I don't have any suggestions, leobloomsbury, as I have never read Henry Miller, but if you don't mind, I think you have also opened an interesting topic of discussion... I have only just started consciously choosing music to accompany reading (it's a godsend to be able to put my headphones in when I read at the beach, which unfortunately I can't simply have to myself ;) ), so my selections are not the most masterful pairings, but off the top of my head, I've combined:

Miles Davis with Lolita
60s French pop with Breakfast at Tiffany's (which is a bit off as BaT's was written in the 50s, but Holly helped lead the way into the 60s and it's also fitting with her little French phrases she likes to toss around)
Bartok with The Idiot

[Mariamosis]

My father is a violinist and my fiance is a guitarist, therefore I am able to listen to live music on a whim. Typically I listen to a lot of jazz and classical, both of which are very relaxing, and I find myself able to focus more while enjoying the music. I am always asking my fiance to play for me while I read.

As for suggestions... John Scofield, Jaco Pastorius, Mozart, etc... I love artists such as Ella Fitgerald and Tom Waits, however, when words are added to a song my focus tends to be strained.

[Brad Coelho]

I tend to like classical with most any reading, simply from a focusing perspective. Music that has vocals will compete w/ my attention, as opposed to honing it. That said, the marriage of music and particular books is a fascinating hypothetical question. Great Gatsby, although it has different rhythms & moods (drunkeness in the hotel, the morose vacancy of the funeral, the longing moments at night as he stares into the light across the water...), screams of jazz for the spectacle of Gatsby's parties...but I'd imagine any complex novel demands somewhat of a diverse playlist.

Tropic of Cancer cries of depravity, transient melodies and a graphically crass element of brilliance...perhaps Angelo Badalamenti, the composer for David Lynch's films, would be your ticket.