Tomas Moniz’s All Friends Are Necessary is one of the most moving novels I have read in years, an evocative exploration of grief and the restorative power of friendship.
Booklist wrote of the book:
“Moniz’s raw novel unfolds as a series of vignettes and escapades… As romantic relationships come together and sometimes fall apart, Chino’s friends are a constant, holding a mirror to Chino’s life, supporting him, and helping shoulder the burden of his grief.”
In his own words, here is Tomas Moniz’s Book Notes music playlist for his novel All Friends Are Necessary:
God, I love music.
In fact, thinking about this essay, I realized that my debut novel Big Familia initially began as a short story and, in each chapter, I used an Elliott Smith lyric as a challenge. I was trying to prove his music wasn’t depressing, like all my friends said it was.
Okay, so maybe, I lost the argument (there Greg, I admit it; he is a bit beautifully melancholic), but his music helped me find my way into writing the novel.
The earliest iteration of my new novel All Friends Are Necessary was a chapbook written right after Trump’s election and I struggled to find ways to stay inspired and hopeful and joyous. Hence, a story about friendship and dating and music. It came with a playlist of every song mentioned: 27!
Currently, I’m obsessed with the album “The Shape of Jazz to Come” by Ornette Coleman because I realized that two of my favorite contemporary albums–Digable Planets’ “Blowout Comb” and Refused’s “The Shape of Punk to Come”–incorporate so much of his music and yet I knew nothing about him until recently. I love the way this happens, how musicians sample or re-interpret or simply cover the work of artists who inspired them. It’s like an homage, a shout out, a love note.
So, here’s my love letter: what follows are ten songs that either appear in the book or have informed the writing of it. It’s like a mixed tape: I put them in the order I imagined you listening to them because they build on each other and push things forward. But I trust you: listen in whatever way you want and, of course, write me; tell me the songs to inspire you. I’m also always looking for new music.
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“Fade to Black” by Metallica
The very first scene I wrote, a month and half after the 2016 election, before this novel was anything other than a short story expressing the frustrations and sadness and fear at what might come in relation to the everyday lives of BIPOC communities and queer folx and women; I wrote about a symbolic cleansing, a ritual: two best friends stripping off clothes on San Francisco’s Ocean beach, screaming wildly and running naked into the Pacific Ocean on Winter Solstice.
“We Got the Beat” by The Go-Go’s
One of my favorite scenes in the novel is a first date/brunch hookup between Efren and Terrance as this song crackles to life on the speakers and–despite just having met each other–they can’t resist (I mean who could); they lip sync and living room dance to a perfect pop song.
“9th Wonder” by Digable Planets
The beat, the rhythm, the smoothsmooth rapping. Digable Planets and their love of Brooklyn inspired me to try to capture the beauty of my own neighborhood: walking Fruitvale Ave to BART or biking around Lake Merritt; they exemplified celebrating the beauty in the city you call home. I played this album on repeat during those early days of composition when I didn’t know what was happening or who the characters were or what they wanted, but one thing I did know: they were from Oakland.
“It’s Been Awhile” by Staind
Omg, this has got to be the worst cheesiest best song ever. Give me all the 90s and 00s corporate grunge. I have no shame and neither do the best spin instructors. There’s a scene in which they all take a spin class and, obviously, this song features prominently. In fact, put me in touch with Peloton. My characters (as well as myself) love Peloton’s 00s Rock classes!
“Paranoid” by Black Sabbath
This is easy: Efren’s opening scene is accompanied by a Sabbath tune, Metal Matt’s dog is named Sabbath, and he adds a Black Sabbath song to the birth playlist. Need I say more. Raise your kids on any of the first 6 albums.
“My Homeboy’s Chevy” by Mac Dre & Andre Nickatina
In my fantasy world, I have a convertible Cadillac and enough room for all my people, my family and homies and friends and lovers and we roll through all our neighborhoods while this song bumps from the biggest speakers ever and the world feels perfect.
“Germfree Adolescents” by X-Ray Specs
The thing I love about punk was that it challenged all my assumptions about beauty and image and authenticity. I love stories that celebrate our humanness, our smells and messiness, our unshaved armpits and legs and faces, our scars and naked bodies, the way we hug and nuzzle and cuddle. Poly Styrene makes me feel beautiful.
“Mariners Apartment Complex” by Lana Del Rey
By the time I finished the book, I was completely obsessed with Lana. I listened to her albums straight through as I was editing and revising. To be honest, I even just finished writing a little zine essay about plagiarizing my upcoming wedding vows from her lyrics. If you want a copy, write me. But more importantly, listen to her music, buy her albums, trust me.
“Asking For It” by Hole
All friends are Necessary is about love and friendship and chosen family. Metal Matt and Efren meet at a Hole concert in SF circa 1995 and from there everything begins. For me, one of the key moments in the book centers on an agreement they make years later inspired by Love’s line: if you live through this with me, I swear that I will die for you…Ugh, I love promises between friends.
“Rebel Girl” by Bikini Kill
What better song to end a book about how we grieve and how we heal and how we need all our friends to do both. That opening drum beat, the guitar, the lyrical arrogance and confidence in and celebration of the people we love: That girl thinks she’s the queen of the neighborhood
I got news for you, she is! And so we are. You are. I am. Every one of our friends: queens and kings and everything in between.
TOMAS MONIZ is a latinx writer living in Oakland, CA. His debut novel, Big Familia, was a finalist for the 2020 PEN/Hemingway and the LAMBDA. Among the residencies he’s attended the 2022 UCross Residency, the 2020 Caldera Residency, the 2018 SPACE on Ryder Farm and others. His new novel is forthcoming from Algonquin Books. He teaches at Berkeley City College and the Antioch MFA program. He has stuff on the internet but loves penpals: PO Box 3555, Berkeley CA 94703. He promises to write back.