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The Guardian has
this article about the soundtrack to the film Harold and Maude
http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/musicblog/2009/aug/11/best-film-soundtracks-songwriter
and a discussion of music in film in general.
One thing which strikes me is the mention of how Cat Stevens spent time recovering from tuberculosis, and the experience of isolation and having to confront his own mortality shaped his songs for the rest of his life. I recently read Peter Straub's bio, and he mentions that he was hit by a car when he was a kid and had to spend a long time out of school, using a wheelchair, and this experience also infuses his work with the theme of life being fragile and the world being dangerous.
In looking at the biographies of creative people, I have often been intrigued at how many of them have had similar near-death experiences and/or longterm disabilities, including depression. While many discussions of creative artists have emphasized the emo/Byronic aspect of such creative lives, I notice that, even if such events or characteristics are discussed, they are often done so only fleetingly with only the most superficical exploration of how this influecnes motifs, themes, and images in creative works.
this article about the soundtrack to the film Harold and Maude
http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/musicblog/2009/aug/11/best-film-soundtracks-songwriter
and a discussion of music in film in general.
One thing which strikes me is the mention of how Cat Stevens spent time recovering from tuberculosis, and the experience of isolation and having to confront his own mortality shaped his songs for the rest of his life. I recently read Peter Straub's bio, and he mentions that he was hit by a car when he was a kid and had to spend a long time out of school, using a wheelchair, and this experience also infuses his work with the theme of life being fragile and the world being dangerous.
In looking at the biographies of creative people, I have often been intrigued at how many of them have had similar near-death experiences and/or longterm disabilities, including depression. While many discussions of creative artists have emphasized the emo/Byronic aspect of such creative lives, I notice that, even if such events or characteristics are discussed, they are often done so only fleetingly with only the most superficical exploration of how this influecnes motifs, themes, and images in creative works.
