It’s Friday. I have half the day to work on my new book and the other half to clean the house. So, what am I doing? Updating my blog, of course. Duh. (“…I will never say the word procrastinate again/I’ll never see myself in the mirror with my eyes closed…” [TMBG]) Okay, anyway, second installment of Shoes & Tunes. What can we learn about the following person? Today, we’re focusing on none other than that Grand Master of Horror, author of the new hit novel A DARK MATTER, Milwaukee native Peter Straub. Here’s what he answered in the original post:
PETER STRAUB (grand master of horror, writer of the brand new book, A DARK MATTER [in bookstores now!]): My favorite pair of shoes: Black Lobb lace-ups, sleek and handsome as all get-out. Music: “The Way You Look Tonight,” “Twisted” by Annie Ross, “Papa Was a Rodeo,” by the Magnetic Fields, “I’m the Luckiest Boy on the Lower East Side” by the Magnetic Fields, “Rainy Night in Georgia” by Hem.
Black Lobb lace-ups? Okay, I know those are expensive and very classy. So, I would say this guy clearly cares about fashion, in a very classic sense. I see a well-dressed older gentleman, probably well-educated, with money but he’s not too flashy about it. (You know, I’m finding that this exercise might be easier if I didn’t know anything about the person, so my preconceived notions wouldn’t color my characterization! Oh, well, live and learn.)
Songs: “The Way You Look Tonight” is a Sinatra song, and since he didn’t cite the performer in his list, I’m assuming it’s the Sinatra version (though I could be wrong…). Again, this speaks to the character’s “classic” profile. Though, he could also be a mafia hit man, right? “Twisted” by Annie Ross. Lyrics speak of being crazy and drunk. Hm. Wild side peeking through, there, I’d say. Selections by the Magnetic Fields — hip, trendy, culturally relevant (and I think they’re friends of his daughter’s, but, again, I could be wrong!). Classic man who keeps up with the times. “Rainy Night in Georgia” by Hem. Lonliness, yes?
So, what kind of character would I make from this? A Hollywood producer or maybe some kind of finance person. Definitely a classy one, though — respectable, influenced but influential.
Thanks, Peter, for playing along!
Now, what kind of character would you spin from his answers?
