Rhythm Behind the Writing

John Kenyon, an Iowa business writer who somehow finds enough time to put together the blog Things I’d Rather Be Doing, has recently launched what he says will be a regular feature called “The Monday Interview,” and his first subject is Washington, D.C., author George Pelecanos (The Night Gardener). Interestingly, most of their exchange has to do with “music and the way he uses it in his work,” Pelecanos being a big music enthusiast. (He recently wrote the lyrics for a Steve Wynn song titled “Cindy, It Was Always You.”)

About midway through this short piece, Kenyon asks Pelecanos about how he chooses the music mentioned in his books:

Does the mention of songs in your work happen organically or is there research involved to ensure that they are contemporaneous with what is taking place? If research has been involved, what discoveries have you made that you've added to your collection?
Both. I try to keep the mention of songs organic to the arena and especially to character. With some of the period novels I do extensive research, which can be little more than buying a shitload of music before I start to write the book. Hard Revolution was like that. I was alive in the Sixties but I was a kid. Rock and soul really gets into your consciousness when you start feeling your sexuality. So I had to give myself an education in Deep Soul. I read many books (the best was Guralnick’s Sweet Soul Music) and soul-obsessive Web sites, like the John Ridley page. I bought and downloaded a bunch of tracks. Meanwhile, fans were sending me obscure compilations. Discovering all of those artists and that type of music left a lasting impression on me. I wrote that book three or four years ago and I am still collecting soul music from that period. It’s a perk that comes with my job.

As my grandfather used to tell me, any day you learn something new is a good damn day.

You can read Kenyon’s interview with Pelecanos here.