Soundtrack of a thesis

So much of my life has been driven by musical influences. In my childhood the opening bars of Pachelbel’s Canon signalled the CBC afternoon show Off the Record with Bob Kerr; as an adult I avidly attend gigs of my favourite and friendly local bands like the Paperboys and Spirit of the West: music has always been a huge part of my life. Thesis writing has not and will not occur in silence. Last year, during Masters classwork, in the background of my living room there was often a rotation of 5 CDs, the television, and/or the mutterings of my then-roommate. Favorites in the CD player then and now include the Garden State soundtrack, Coldplay, In Good Company soundtrack and other similarly grouvie - yet acceptable to both members of the household – tunes. In the earlier hours of the morning late at night I might respectfully defer to my minidisc player for celtic and folk music like James Keelaghan, Martyn Joseph, the aforementioned Paperboys, Indigo Girls, and the like. I find I have to be familiar or comfortable with the music I listen to so that it remains in the background, and doesn’t dominate my thought process which so critically needs to focus on writing, not singing along!

Now thoroughly into thesis time the soundtrack is similar, with new music added. I have benefited from friends’ burned CD mixes both raucous and quiet (thanks Logan and Rich for enlightening me about the merits of both 50cent and Arcade Fire, for instance), gained a strong appreciation for James Blunt, and learned of up and coming bands like Stars, The Fray, and Metric. The Paperboys latest CD, Road to Ellenside, will have a starring role in the background music to this particular thesis. My Scottish cousins have also done their fair share of contributions, with Beta Band CDs in rotation and the advent of a new band, The Aliens, who provide their own unique groove. When circumstances require, I default to classical or jazz instrumental music, and when particular inspiration is required, I crank up either Handel’s Messiah or Beethoven’s 9th Symphony of which I’ve long been fond.

I must admit there has been a certain degree of television performing as soundtrack – recently, the CBC Winter Olympics coverage provided patriotic inspiration, and although I will dedicate an hour a week to actually watching the medical drama House, I am certainly happy to just have the hilarious antics of the Mythbusters duo playing in the background. Television is not nearly as distracting as it once was with the roommate laughing hysterically at shows like MXC. Luckily with my desk facing away from it, TV is easy to forget about.

Soon once my interviews are underway there will be musical silence as I transcribe the words of public service environmental educators into print. Ideas for new thesis-appropriate music are also welcome! I'm thinking a little Johnny Cash...