For many writers, music plays a healthy role in our writing process (HUGE role, in this writer’s case). Whether spurring the first flicker of an idea, forming the soundtrack to the tale we set out to tell, or used as a helper to click into the weepy/depressed/energetic/lovesick mood we seek to capture in words, music is often the key; it is the format that is able to get us into a moment or feeling, invoking memories of our own in just about three minutes. Just a chorus and a few verses married to the perfect arrangement of instruments, that’s all a singer-songwriter needs. (It’s almost enough to invoke envy, isn’t it?)
When looking for inspiration, many of us have our old standbys, an album that hits just the right chord, the one we never tire of and never goads us to hit SKIP. For me it might be a James Morrison record, maybe some Rilo Kiley, or if I’m having one of those days, The White Album. Whichever record it is for you, it’s the one that leads to endless inspiration. We imagine the experiences the singer is emoting, remembering and reliving. With a little bit of luck, the album sweeps us away, enticing us to dream up a story linking the songs. Maybe you, like me, imagine it like a series of music videos, the same characters appearing, track to track. Or maybe you imagine it in words.
The book series 33 1/3 caters to these imaginings, and many more. In 33 1/3, each volume explores a single album and is written by a single author, many of them telling the story the album has inspired in themselves, while others take a glance at the album of choice from an insider’s look or from a cultural commentator’s standpoint. The series, published by Continuum International Publishing Group and edited by David Barker, is so named for the speed of an LP album: 33 1/3 revolutions per minute. To date, 33 1/3 has published 74 volumes covering albums by everyone from The Beatles to Nas and Nirvana, even Celine Dion. The publication’s blog not only makes available excerpts from upcoming volumes, but posts articles and promotes writing about music. And, occasionally, they hold contests. Their latest tied into the release of Highway to Hell by Joe Bonomo: In 500 words or less, tell why you love (or hate) AC/DC. What might’ve been waiting for you if your AC/DC love/hate story was chosen as the winner? Well, a personalized copy of Bonomo’s book, of course.
Though many favorites—such as Bob Dylan’s Highway 61 Revisited, ABBA Gold: Greatest Hits and Exile on Main St. by The Rolling Stones—have already been written on and published by 33 1/3 authors, and proposal submissions to be a part of the 33 1/3 project are currently closed, there’s nothing to stop all of us from letting those and other albums inspire our next writing venture.
If you’re new to the 33 1/3 series, check out veteran Black Clock author Andrew Hultkrans’s take on Love’s Forever Changes. Looking for a music writing fix to get you started? Download a copy of Black Clock 2, our “lost music of the imagination” issue to get your creative juices flowing. Or, if you would like to see some music integrated into your everyday Black Clock reading, check out Mallory Farrugia’s post, “Listen to BC 11,” where she has compiled a playlist to go along with the issue.
by Rachel Kolb
an Editorial Assistant for Black Clock and an MFA Writing candidate at CalArts
