Thinking Beyond the Page: Musician/Writer Collaborations

A friend I met on Twitter, Kelsey Macke, made a big announcement a few weeks ago. Not only did she sell her debut novel, but she and her husband are also writing, recording, and producing an album as a companion to that novel.

I think the GIF Kelsey used in her announcement post says it all:

In addition to making me absolutely thrilled for (and okay, a bit jealous of) Kelsey, this news got me thinking about ways music and novel writing can complement each other.

For example, author Glen Duncan and musician Stephen Coates of The Real Tuesday Weld collaborated on the novels and albums I, Lucifer and The Last Werewolf.

While in these cases the soundtracks were authorized and official, there are also plenty of instances where musicians were simply inspired enough by works of fiction to create music that (hopefully) complements the book and enhances the reading experience.







On the other side of the creative spectrum, one of my favorite musicians, Ben Folds, teamed up with author Nick Hornby a few years ago. The result was a full-length album featuring lyrics by Hornby and music by Folds: Lonely Avenue.


It sounds like an odd combo, but it really works. The album has become one of my favorites!

The Chicago Sun-Times has an excellent interview with Ben Folds where he explains how the collaboration came to be and how their process worked.


Have you ever considered fusing music with your writing (or, for that matter, writing with your music)?