"Ian Jamieson" wrote, probably while listening to Strauss: >> Anyway, to change the subject, here's a question for Steve, about >> something he wrote in his weblog: >> >> "Listening to music while reading is like putting ketchup on steak." >> >> What does that *mean*? I'm a vegetarian, so I don't really understand >> how ketchup affects steak. >> >> To the left, I do sometimes listen to music while reading, and I find >> that sometimes what I'm reading is so interesting that I start >> ignoring the music, and sometimes the music is so compelling that I no >> longer give the text my full attention. Some people have spoken of a >> particular piece of music being a good "soundtrack" for a particular >> written work, but I have not yet found such an example that works for >> me. > >I was thinking of starting a 'track' on this very subject. >Now usually I agree with Steve, but, I have a particular example to >contradict his statement. I was reading "the Doomfarers of Coramond' and the >'Starfollowers of Coramond' both by Brian Daley and listening to 'Quiet >Life' by Japan. This particular piece of music set the mood so perfectly for >the books that to this day I can't think of one without thinking of the >other. The feelings of loss and melancholy in the books were accentuated by >the music. >Does anyone else have any examples? _DO_ I! I have found over the past five months that I can't read James Michener or Dorothy Dunnett without listening to either Yo-Yo Ma's Silk Road Ensemble or White Zombie. IT MUST BE ONE OR THE OTHER, although I've noticed that both Michener's _Poland_ and Dunnett's _The Spring of the Ram_ seem to require _Rob_ Zombie, not White Zombie. My mother has suggested that reading Tolkien to Enya is a good thing, but that is just _silly_. ... Paarfi's amazing glompiness probably requires Swedish werewolf ballads, but on the whole, Brust!books need silence, especially parts with Daymar in them. >Forgive me if this has already started. I received over 1000 emails on this >list in the past week and I haven't read them all yet. S'all right. I read most of them, but failed to comprehend more than three. ¬ MJ, almost done with her insane bunch of papers on the Sejm