Frances Badalamenti’s novel Many Seasons is an inventively told story of a writer’s life.
Jeff Alessandrelli wrote of the book:
“A deft simmer of a book, Frances Badalamenti’s Many Seasons is a practice in dailiness. Ana, the book’s narrator, lives a writer’s life, complete with a writer’s challenges, from work-life balance to partnership issues to questions regarding self-worth. What sets Many Seasons apart from so many other books, though, is Ana’s insistence on unrehearsed introspection and examination. There are no happy endings and Ana exists within the framework that life has provided her, while simultaneously looking towards the future and its wealth of possibility. Many Seasons is a necessary text for any writer that studies their internal landscape and wonders, what if ?”
In her own words, here is Frances Badalamenti’s Book Notes music playlist for her novel Many Seasons:
All my books have a song that I play over and over and over and over while writing. I would turn back to that song when I need inspiration to keep going. During the extra challenging times, I will look at YouTube videos of the band playing the song live and I will weep in my garage studio. Catharsis moves the energy.
My first book’s theme song was, “I Don’t Blame You” by Cat Power, which I ended up naming the book after. My second book, Salad Days, was somewhat about music and although I touched on it only briefly in the text, it was actually a lot about coming of age with the band R.E.M. That book’s theme song was “Country Feedback”, which is my favorite R.E.M. song.
Many Seasons’ theme song is “Blood Bank” by Bon Iver. That song taps into the emotional landscape of this book and provided me the right combo platter of inspiration/joy and grief/sadness that I needed to sustain while writing. And there are also some epic videos of Bon Iver performing the song live.
I built a playlist around “Blood Bank” with music that I feel speaks to the vibe and tone of Many Seasons.
Ashes to Ashes by David Bowie
Okay, if you really want to cry in your (literal or metaphorical) writing shed, watch the YouTube video of Michael Stipe singing Ashes to Ashes (with Karen Elson) in a tribute to David Bowie.
Awful Bliss by Guided by Voices
I really like hearing Bob Pollard and Tobin Sprout sing this song together. I saw GBV in Boston this past summer and kept hoping Bob would sing it (Tobin isn’t in the band anymore), but he didn’t. He sang a lot of other ones though and if you are familiar with seeing GBV live, you know exactly what I am talking about.
Blood Bank by Bon Iver
Just obsessed. It’s a perfect song on all levels.
Should Have Known Better by Sufjan Stevens
I listen to a lot of Sufjan Stevens whilst writing. His voice is very calming for me, hits an emotional cord that I need sometimes. I saw a bumper sticker the other day that read, “I’M BAWLING MY EYES OUT TO SUFJAN STEVENS AND I CAN BARELY SEE WHERE I AM GOING”.
Lost in Space by Luna
I remember seeing Luna play live in the mid-90’s in a small venue in NYC and it has remained one of my favorite shows during a really great period of my life. This is a solid song.
The District Sleeps Alone Tonight by The Postal Service
I never got into The Postal Service (or Death Cab) back in the day, but they are a quintessential Pacific Northwest band from a very specific time when the PNW wasn’t blown out as much as it is now. Many Seasons is a lot about the PNW. I would play this song when I would be in a real slump with the book-writing. It’s got a good buildup of energy to it.
Drover by Bill Callahan
Like Sufjan Stevens, I listen to a lot of Smog and Bill Callahan while writing. I saw Bill Callahan play at Pappy and Harriet’s in Pioneertown a few years ago and it was the sickest fucking show, I literally felt like I was on psychedelics (I wasn’t / I am a sober person). Someone in the audience said that was “The Bill Callahan experience” I was having, not to mention how naturally trippy it is in the High Desert. He played “Drover”– it was insane.
It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue by Them (Van Morrison)
There is a trippy vibe to this song that really does me in, a song that I repeatedly turn back to when I need an energetic shift. I like this version the best (it was written and originally performed by Bob Dylan), because Van Morrison’s voice is just so killer, there is nothing like it really. I originally heard this song on the soundtrack for the film, Basquiat, which is actually a pretty cool film.
Eternal Life by Jeff Buckley
If you came of age in the 90’s in and around NYC and hung around The Lower East Side like I did, you probably had a thing for Jeff Buckley. We all did. For some stupid fucking reason, I never aw Buckley play live, it’s ridiculous and a legit life regret. I was actually about to see him play a show at Maxwell’s in Hoboken (I worked there for a while), but then he was found dead. An ex told me once that he didn’t like seeing me listen to Jeff Buckley because I get too upset. There is a scene in Many Seasons when I reflect back on the mid-90’s and had a crush on a barista. That was during the heart of my Jeff Buckley phase.
Everything is Free by Gillian Welch
This is just such a gorgeous song; I wanted to end here. Many Seasons ends with the protagonist, Ana, questioning her freedom and autonomy as a woman, a mother and a writer.
also at Largehearted Boy:
Frances Badalamenti’s playlist for her novel Salad Days