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Soundtrack
The Soundtrack of his Life
March 5, 2019
The soundtrack to Superpowered Love 5: Re-Entry Burn is far and away the most personal one I've ever done. It has four of my top five (currently extant) bands at the forefront, because Malory is the first character I ever wrote who had my own taste in music. Most of it, anyhow. (The rest, I gave to Bren in The Takedown, but more on that when we get to book 8 :D) It's kinda funny, considering his cousin Brady is the wannabe rock star--and honestly the Riot Boy soundtrack has some important stuff to me in its seminal punkness, too. But this one, damn dude.
So here it is, in all its nerdy rock-emo glory. Turn it up, y'all:
Re-Entry Burn, the mixtape:
“US Government” by Black Rebel Motorcycle Club (Take Them On, On Your Own)
“Re-Wired” by Kasabian (Velociraptor!)
“Fire It Up” by Modest Mouse (We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank)
“Outsiders” by Franz Ferdinand (You Could Have It So Much Better)
“Thick as Thieves” by Kasabian (West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum)
“Virginia State Epileptic Colony” by Manic Street Preachers (Journal for Plague Lovers)
“Bad Blood” by Black Rebel Motorcycle Club (Beat the Devil’s Tattoo)
“Help!” by The Beatles (Help!)
“Man of Simple Pleasures” by Kasabian (Velociraptor!)
“How Soon Is Now?” by The Smiths (Meat Is Murder)
“Motorcycle Emptiness” by Manic Street Preachers (Generation Terrorists)
“Weight of the World” by Black Rebel Motorcycle Club (Howl)
“This Fire” by Franz Ferdinand (Franz Ferdinand)
“Babydoll” by The Fratellis (Here We Stand)
“Pretty Girls Make Graves” by The Smiths (The Smiths)
“Nobody Loved You” by Manic Street Preachers (This Is My Truth Tell Me Yours)
“L.S.F. (Lost Souls Forever)” by Kasabian (Kasabian)
“Gimme Shelter” by The Rolling Stones (Let It Bleed)
“Parting of the Sensory” by Modest Mouse (We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank)
“This Joke Sport Severed” by Manic Street Preachers (Journal for Plague Lovers)
“The End” by The Beatles (Abbey Road)
My favorite band in the world, like Malory, is the Manic Street Preachers. How the fuck a girl from West Virginia who grew up while grunge was in ended up obsessed with these dudes, I mean, I don't even fucking know. Mysteries of the universe, right? They never come to the US (their music will explain that...), but I did manage to see them once at the Roseland Ballroom in NYC and it a life highlight, lemme tell you. Guess I need a trip to Wales next.
I was walking down Army Navy drive when I lived in Arlington, Va, right behind the pentagon, and I had the Manics album Journal for Plague Lovers going in my headphones. Riot Boy had just come out, and my editor Raven had said, "Now you have to write Malory's story." And that's how Re-Entry Burn happened.
As a side note, the rest of my list is:
2. Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
3. Interpol ("Sir Not Appearing in this Film")
4. Kasabian
5. Franz Ferdinand
Let's not think too much about what all that says about me. Let's instead think about what it says about Malory Claremont and his fucked up life. Bless his heart.
Malory Claremont was born and raised to be the villain in someone else's story, complete with fire-based superpowers. Then his cousin and former partner-in-crime, Brady, led him into a trap, and he's been in superpowered lockdown ever since.
When he gets out on parole, he meets Theo McCracken, a cold-superpowered ex-offender. Theo has a modern Hamlet-style past, dangerously pretty eyes, and a hunger for affection that even Mal can't deny for long.
They've paid their debts to society, but society doesn't care—from blackmailing coworkers to suspicious neighbors, it's hard to catch a fair chance. Pile that on top of their dark family pasts, and it feels like just a matter of time before they'll be shoved right back into prison.
Now available at Less Than Three and these vendors!
5 Fun Facts
September 11, 2013
Today it's time for fun facts about "Willoughby Spit", the freebie short that comes between Riot Boy and Re-entry Burn, for those who'd like to know just what Brady and Etienne have been up to. It takes place while Brady and his band Willoughby Spit are recording their first EP--to take on tour with them. Probably.
If you're seeing this on a feed, like Goodreads or something, it'll look a lot better if you click through to the blog, since this is image/video heavy, as posts go.
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| Willoughby Spit EP cover Download the book and get a pdf of the cover art, front and back! |
Fun Fact #1: Brady and Et live in my best friend's house in Pittsburgh. It's true, my best friend since I was six (see also: the dedication to Equilibrium) lives in precisely the house Brady describes, in precisely the location he describes--well, as much as he does describe it, since I'm not trying to advertise my best friend's address. That'd be awkward.
I grew up about a half hour (depending on traffic) outside of Pittsburgh, so it was really My First City. I miss it a lot.
Fun Fact #2: "I Like Fucking" is Brady's favorite Bikini Kill song.
It is amazing. Riot grrrls ♥
And Melissa, who gets roped into singing it (because a dude singing it just doesn't work, come on)... it's kinda her theme song.
Fun Fact #3: The line 'an unhealthy thirst darkens my veins', which Brady assures Tyler "was written by a horny sixteen-year-old French boy in 1872" is from my favorite Rimbaud poem, "Song of the Highest Tower". Actually it's not just my favorite Rimbaud poem, it's probably my favorite poem full stop.
Fun Fact #4: As for the rest of the EP's track listing, Brady wrote "Freezer Burn" about Mal, "Bookshop Boy" about Etienne, and "Liar" for certain politicians.
Fun Fact #5: This one is for Jess, who asked about George a week or two ago. George the Fox, whom Brady puts on his amp before every rehearsal and/or show, is real. This is him:
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| Poor George has a rough time of it in "Willoughby Spit". Tyler, why you gotta be so mean? :( |
Brady picked him up after he left home the third time (because how could he not? Look at that face!)--the time that stuck, and he figured that made him good luck.
I put him in both Riot Boy and "Willoughby Spit" as an oblique reference to Nicky Wire of the Manic Street Preachers. Those jerks (aka my favorite band ever--also Malory's, but that's another post) didn't come to the US and play a show for ten years. I'm not exaggerating, it was literally ten years. Then, finally, I think it was after Send Away the Tigers (ETA: Nope, sorry, the Journal for Plague Lovers cover is right there on stage behind Nicky in the pic below. Ha!), they appeared, and Irene--yes she of Superpowered Science--got us tickets to see them in New York.
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| Most people go to New York to see Broadway shows. I go for random bands, apparently. I don't even know. |
So when they came out on stage, my teenage years flashed before my eyes, obviously. But also, Nicky Wire, fabulous bass player and all around source of awesome frocks, boas, and accessories, set up some little stuffed animals on his amp.
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| Okay it's a crappy picture from the cell I had like 5 years ago, but you can still kinda see them behind Nicky there. Also his signature mic draped in boas and pretty things. Nicky ♥ |
And I thought: holy fuck, that's perfect. I don't know why he did it, or if he does it at every show, or what. But I had Brady do it in, um, homage, I guess, to one of my favorite bass players. Because Brady totally would.
Also, the Manics still haven't been back since. Sigh.
Bonus music:
Buzzcocks - "Raison D'etre". If you've read the story, you know why!
And that's all she wrote!
"Willoughby Spit" cropped up on B&N too recently, so here's the list of ways to get it, for the curious. Please mind the warnings within, though:
My Box.net folder (separate zip files for mobi, epub, pdf, and htm--take whatever you like!)
Smashwords (all eBook formats)
Bound Soundtrack
October 24, 2012
Working on finishing up with Fairy Bound this week! It's gonna be about a week behind schedule due to complications in life earlier this month, but still, we're about there, and Ruxandra is on board again for illustrations. I am gleeful.
Tammas and Aeron's story will wrap up in the mortal realm. The Dangers of Fairy Compacts was entirely from Aeron's point of view, so the music I listened to was more him. Life as a Fairy Thrall was all from Tam's, so I listened to Tam music.
Fairy Bound, however, sees them sharing the spotlight. First Tam, and then Aeron. For this WiP Wednesday, I'm playing with Tam's section, so it's all about his music again. Love this track!
If you're seeing this on a feed, it's DJ Cheb I Sabbah - Kese Kese. Soooooo good.
River Soundtrack
September 14, 2012
So By the River doesn't have a soundtrack in it like some of my others--it's kinda a superpowered love thing, if you know what I mean--but there are a couple of songs that I listened to a lot when writing bits and pieces. The biggest one was off the latest from The Horrors, and it's called "Still Life".
I was working on a later draft when I actually saw the Horrors at the Black Cat, which was kind of extra awesome and unplanned. But yeah. Just the way it builds up and how it's kind of sad but hopeful and all the words and... yep. This is the one!
When you wake up, when you wake up,
You will find me
NOTE: If you're seeing this at a feed like goodreads, the video won't turn up. If you want, click on through the site. It's rad!
I was working on a later draft when I actually saw the Horrors at the Black Cat, which was kind of extra awesome and unplanned. But yeah. Just the way it builds up and how it's kind of sad but hopeful and all the words and... yep. This is the one!
When you wake up, when you wake up,
You will find me
NOTE: If you're seeing this at a feed like goodreads, the video won't turn up. If you want, click on through the site. It's rad!
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