I went to see a show last night. An artist whose music I really like but I don’t listen to anymore because it’s part of the soundtrack to a closed chapter of my life. I thought live with stripped down arrangements, it would be different. This was naive and I should know better. From the opening note I found myself transported to rooms I haven’t been in a long time. I could feel the textures of places I didn’t realized I recalled, yet unbidden were clearer in my mind than the dark club I was actually standing in.
We occasionally make comparisons between the music industry and the publishing industry. But there are many difference between the listener and the reader. Music becomes the soundtrack to my life and books have always been a break from my life.
I can’t think of a single book that truly transports me back to where I was when I read it. I can recall I read something on the beach, on a plane, commuting or in bed. I can probably remember where I was in my life, if I was primarily happy or sad, but what I recall most about a book is how I felt about the world the author created.
A song accompanies me in my life whereas a book transports me to where the story is taking place, taking me out of my world into the world of the characters. It’s these differences in experience that make the comparison between the industries so tricky.
I internalize songs and books differently. And I’ve been thinking about (passionate) fans: music fans, book fans, sports fans, and maybe movie fans.
Does anyone internalize books the way I internalize music?