Music plays a small role in the larger story of Seven Ways to Disappear that is somewhat inspired by Bret Easton Ellison’s American Psycho and it’s references to pop music. The musical references scattered throughout the story of Seven Ways to Disappear act as a soundtrack to the lives of the characters and helps to reference what music was popular or current at the turn of the century. Initially, ‘the book within the book’ had a chapter on music as means of disappearing; however, the idea was nixed because I didn’t think it was a strong enough modality to write about in a compelling way – even though I use to disappear into music all the time. I just wasn’t confident others did as well. But I think I was wrong.
The idea to have a playlist as a companion piece to Seven Ways to Disappear: The Book within the Book, came from one of my best and longest friends, Mo. One day we were talking about the ‘book within the book’ and the larger story it lives in when she said, “You should have a playlist for the book.’ I thought it was a brilliant idea, so I began to curate music that fits the overall theme of disappearing (or one of the seven ways to disappear that the book outlines. The music is eclectic, like my taste in music, so everyone should be able to find a few songs that they know and love.
I grew up listening to R&B music. Mainly because of my parents. Eventually, I began listening to rap music, probably because of my brother. Rap music was and still is something my parents don’t listen to and don’t understand. Around the same time that I was introduced to rap music, we started to watch MTV. Music videos were a novel concept. Instead of just listening to music coming out of the radio, or watching a performance on Soul Train, you could hear a song on television through a visual performance that wasn’t like something you’d see on Soul Train or on the Grammy’s or American Music Awards. So, when MTV came around it was something new to watch. But, overall, aside from Michael Jackson and Prince, there weren’t any Black artists being played on MTV until about 1985; therefore, when we watched MTV we were watching videos from acts like Van Halen, Phil Collins, and ZZ Top. This was music my parents did not listen to at all.
Working in music stores expanded my appreciation of music. I worked in music stores for about seven years between the time I was 17 and 26 years old. During that time, I was exposed to all types of genres of music and different types of people. It was during this time that I was introduced to acts like Kate Bush, Nine Inch Nails, and Garth Brooks. Eventually, the exposure to new music introduced me to early Nirvana, Primus, and Jane’s Addiction. I made friends and hung out with people who were in the punk scene, ska scene, indie rock scene, and electronic dance scene. Ultimately, this led me to have a very eclectic taste in music. For me – a good song is a good song – no matter the genre, which you’ll see reflected on the playlist for Seven Ways to Disappear.
Take a look at the playlist on Spotify and give it a listen. The music spans across many different genres and several decades. Be sure to follow the playlist as well. If you have any songs that you recommend I add, please drop me a comment at the bottom of the blog, or email me at lost.android@gmail.com, or drop me a DM on the Instagram account for Seven Ways to Disappear.