The recent passing of Jimmy Buffett – the Father of Trop Rock (and of ‘Gulf & Western’ music, as he once labeled his style in his pre-Caribbean days) – got me thinking about connections among the arts, and how one form of art can inspire another.

As Negatrite said a while back, most people probably do miss the fact that great musicians can also be great writers (and vice versa). The Nobel Prize Committee apparently didn’t miss it, since they awarded Bob Dylan the 2016 Nobel Prize for Literature; but they’re not ‘most people’. I must admit that Jimmy Buffett’s songs and books were probably not Nobel-worthy; however, they do contain insightful nuggets about Life, and he holds the distinction of being the only person to reach #1 on the Billboard album chart (License to Chill, 2004), the New York Times fiction bestseller list (Where is Joe Merchant?, 1992), and the New York Times nonfiction bestseller list (A Pirate Looks at Fifty, 1998).

I also know of some writers who have produced noteworthy music and images. I’m pleased to count one of them, a ninth-generation Outer Banker named Dixie Burrus Browning, a personal friend. She’s 93 now, and in her lifetime she’s published over 100 novels, most of them historical romances often set on North Carolina’s Outer Banks. She’s also an award-winning watercolor landscape artist, and I visit her whenever I’m on island (she’s a fan of my Storm Ketchum Adventures series, which is what initially brought us together).

I myself have written books and music, though in my case both have so far been unsullied by the kind of success enjoyed by Dylan and Buffett; while they became multimillionaires, I’ve had to be satisfied with earning gas money most of the time. I guess I’m not as philosophical or poetic as they are/were. As for visual arts, my only claim to fame there is dabbling in woodburning some years ago. I still have a couple of those efforts that were worth saving, but the rest ended up in garage sales or as emergency gifts (when I forgot to plan ahead).

But here on the flip side of the writing life, I do nevertheless appreciate fine art and various kinds of music, and I make use of both when I write. Playing my guitars can help put me in the mood; and a painting by Dixie that hangs on my wall provides inspiration for the Outer Banks tales I write as Garrett Dennis, as does Buffett’s music on occasion. Sometimes, though, I find the singing distracting, so I go instrumental or non-English instead. At those times, something like Montiverdi (early Italian opera), Enya (who doesn’t sing in English half the time and whose voice soothes me non-linguistically even in English), traditional Hawaiian folk music (again, non-English), or Sigur Ros (Icelandic, so I don’t know what the hell they’re saying either) often suffice. I keep a couple of more macabre images around for the horror sci-fi stuff I write as Gerhard Dennis, and I listened to the creepily atmospheric Julee Cruise (of Twin Peaks fame) a lot when I wrote my Canny Danny horrotica novel, as well as the Hu (a Mongolian rock band, again non-English); and occasionally Abba, oddly enough (you’d understand why if you read the book). Philip Glass’ Tales from the Loop soundtrack helps motivate me with my Cloacina stories (The Toilet Bot Diaries); and I should also give a shout-out to the dark instrumental music of Cucurbitophobia (a real phobia, not just an artist; and an apropos one this particular week), if you want to go completely over to the Dark Side. The Code 46 movie soundtrack by the Free Association is another writing-related favorite, as are some soundtracks by Clint Mansell (Moon, The Fountain) and Songs of the Humpback Whale (which my dog also likes).

Among numerous others over the years… And of course, silence is also golden on some occasions. What if anything do you view or listen to for inspiration, or to at least put you ‘in the mood’, when you want to write? And what’s your favorite color? 🙂 I apologize for the seeming banality of this post and its dearth of darkness. I didn’t have time to research a more serious topic, so I’m just riffing this time around. But at least y’all are getting to know me a little better, right? And I do think it’s interesting that creative people are often able to express themselves through more than one form of art. Is this because the brains of creative types are ‘wired’ differently; or is it due to personality traits such as open-mindedness, curiosity, and a willingness to take risks? As Captain Ron would say, “Nobody knows!” (not even the vaunted chatbots; I asked them). I personally find that original thoughts, new experiences, and eclectic writing (musical as well as literary) can still inspire and motivate me, even though I’m OTD (older than dirt). As Jimmy sang, “Yesterday’s over my shoulder, so I can’t look back for too long; there’s too much to see waiting in front of me, and I know that I just can’t go wrong.” I still identify with that state of mind; and what’s waiting in front of me can still spawn a new song or story from time to time.

(Apologies as well for eulogizing Jimmy Buffett yet again. It seems I’ve been doing that wherever I go. But I can’t help it, as he was a big part of the soundtrack of my life. Thanks again, Jimmy, for the lovely cruise.)