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Appendix A -
Music that influenced the creation of "The Outsider"
“The
Outsider” differs from my other fiction projects in several ways,
because it is more based on my real-life observations than were my
previous novels.
One big difference in the writing process was the fact that a lot of the
story was influenced by music that I have listened to and enjoyed
throughout my life. As I wrote the story, various songs and musical
creations came into my mind, in a way giving portions of the narrative a
musical score or a background setting. Music helped me set the mood for
much of what I wrote, especially when I imagined my characters’ thoughts
or pictured them as they traveled about central California.
It has been five months since I wrote the novel’s ending, and four
months since “The Outsider” has been posted in its current form.
However, much of the project is still in my thoughts, because the novel
reflects a lot of the reality in which I live, the lives of people I
have known and cared about, and my fears for the future of my country.
As I listened to the music that inspired some of the details of my
character Ruthie Burns and the world that surrounds her, it occurred to
me that some of the story’s readers might be interested in knowing the
music that set the tone for the story. With that idea present in my
mind, I decided to create a “play-list” for “The Outsider”.
I very much would like to host the complete play-list as MP-3 files on
this page, but I want to avoid any potential copyright issues and thus
will not risk posting active MP-3 files. Instead, I created a song list
with links to files posted in You Tube. Some of the files are better
quality than others and I am sure that in some cases I did not find the
“best” upload. Still, I feel this is a way for me, as an author, to
share a part of the life experience I had as I explored the story of the
friendship between my characters Ruthie Burns and Mike Sinclair. This
list probably will change as I find better links and add to this
collection.
Songs that I consider central to the over-all theme of
the novel - (updated 28 Sept 2011)
Justin Hayward - Broken Dream (this song comes closest to being the
theme for the entire novel)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CPPpmwYWgM
Kansas - Dust in the Wind
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tH2w6Oxx0kQ&ob=av3n
Blue October - Into The Ocean
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7y92XOW1PY
Beth Nielsen Chapman - Sand and Water
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_G6lIpWQXhw&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qspKCpCJKA4&feature=related
Justin Hayward - Forever Autumn
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hsCdlX-5UjE
Pink Floyd - Hey You
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ndYEdGd8Gs4 (with written lyrics)
Don Henley - End Of The Innocence
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLONgF8a_Ig (concert version -
official video was pulled)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SkwCLaPPyO4&feature=results_main&playnext=1&list=PL4420686E91E6EA6A
Bruce Springsteen - My Father's House
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1OwGfxHAOso
Poison - Something to Believe In
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9fjj-ewZkA
Green Day - Wake Me Up When September Ends (with lyrics)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KjNJmwwf7QA&feature=related
Howard Jones - No One Is To Blame
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-A6WH1kQLc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a2V3SNrkpp0
Mike Sinclair’s favorite songs:
Queensryche - I Don't Believe in Love
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32GsPfUnsRk
Queensryche - Eyes of a Stranger
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vvgLj8pawGI
Dire Straits - Money For Nothing
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lAD6Obi7Cag
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwDDswGsJ60
Green Day - Boulevard of Broken Dreams
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tijW_SrCoxs&feature=related
Aerosmith - Livin' On The Edge
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8ypcqaW7p8
Some of the music that Roger Sinclair shared with Ruthie:
Bob Seger - Against the Wind
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5qQxXpgKNpg
Bob Seger - Turn the Page
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dd-acqKRvso
Bob Seger - Like a Rock
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=keIvA2wSPZc&feature=related
John Denver - Fly Away
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=emmE6DriZso&feature=related
James Taylor & J.D. Souther - Her Town Too
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQR1In6lGCg
Joan Baez - Suzanne (original by Leonard Cohen, but I like the Baez
version better)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8TCoZG9MTIg&feature=related
The Alan Parsons Project - Games People Play
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZWBw_gupXE&feature=related
Wildfire - Michael Martin Murphey
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DIkpqdjU-qo&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4TNGG3XIIY&feature=related
