Why does a novel need a soundtrack?

When I wrote The Election I set out to tell the story of two characters who pursue very different career paths but constantly find themselves being pulled together. Zoe is a fledgling debater at university who goes on to pursue a successful parliamentary career. Adam discovers a talent for writing songs and becomes a successful musician.

It has been said that politics is rock music for ugly people. Regardless of the veracity of that statement I do think there is an element of attraction for politicians to the celebrity of pop music. Sometimes this has disastrous consequences, such as John Prescott’s attendance at the Brit awards in the 90s, and sometimes it can become cringeworthy such as Tony Blair’s appropriation of Noel Gallagher for Cool Britannia. On the flip side, musicians are often drawn towards politics in the hope that they can truly make a difference to the world.

And so when I wrote my novel about these two characters, it seemed right to include lyrics of songs for Adam to sing. After all, I have included excerpts of Zoe’s speeches during debates. The songs that Adam sings have been written and recorded. As part of the experience of reading the novel, I want people to listen to these songs to get an understanding of where the characters are coming from and I hope it enhances the storytelling.

Finally, I’ve discovered that when it comes to promoting a book nothing is very easy or fast paced. It takes several days if not weeks to read a novel. Even the prospect of downloading a novel is scary for a lot of people. Hopefully, by listening to the songs associated with the novel, people will become more interested in the story and even if they don’t read the novel itself they will understand what I am trying to tell. And, after all, telling stories is the ultimate goal.

You can listen to the tracks on my sound cloud page – www.soundcloud.com/phil-sidney

Introducing... a new name.

What if you walked into a bar and introduced yourself with the wrong name? What would you do differently if you spoke to a girl and gave her another name? What would you do if you started a new job not as you but as someone else?

I’ve been thinking about this for a while now. You see, I want people to read my writing. This is my opportunity to introduce myself as someone completely new.

My name means a lot to me, to my family and friends. But it’s not suitable now. I want to be a writer but there is someone else out there, a great American writer, who I cannot share such a similar name with, nor even the same shelf space in a bookshop. I won’t dwell on him now because he’s had enough promotion in his time and, in any case, he’s stopped writing now. But I don’t want to live in his shadow however great he is.

Bob Dylan did it. George Michael did it. Elton John and even Cliff Richard did it. They all created a new persona that started from a simple name. So what about it? If you changed your name? Would you act differently in that bar, would you talk to the opposite sex differently, would you change the way you act if you could become someone else entirely?

I suppose the answer is we can never really escape who we are. And a name is just a name. But for my purposes I needed a new name to become a writer that people want to read. And who am I?

My name is Phil Sidney.

I don’t know how many Phil Sidneys there are in the world. But the one I’m thinking of when I chose my name lived 400 years ago and he was one of the greatest poets of his generation. I think that enough time has passed that I can use his name with some reverence to forge my own career. But to pay the piper, so to speak, I want to give one of his poems a little airing in the light the 21^st-century world. It’s one of my favourite passages and is as true today as it was all those years ago, which just goes to show that the human condition never really changes but the shit in the streets gets swept away.

Sonnets and Poetical Translations
XXI. If I could think how these my thoughts to leave
Sir Philip Sidney (1554–1586)
IF I could think how these my thoughts to leave;
Or thinking still my thoughts might have good end:
If rebel sense would reason’s law receive;
Or reason foiled would not in vain contend:
Then might I think what thoughts were best to think;	5
Then might I wisely swim, or gladly sink.
If either you would change your cruel heart;
Or cruel still, time did your beauty stain;
If from my soul, this love would once depart;
Or for my love, some love I might obtain:	10
Then might I hope a change or ease of mind;
By your good help, or in myself to find.
But since my thoughts in thinking still are spent,
With reason’s strife, by sense’s overthrow;
You fairer still, and still more cruel bent;	15
I loving still a love, that loveth none:
I yield and strive; I kiss and curse the pain,
Thought, reason, sense, time, you and I maintain.

So, that’s it. My name is Phil Sidney and I’m a writer. I’m on Facebook and Twitter and all the other platforms you can think of. I hope this doesn’t detract from my writing. I want to use this blog to share my thoughts and occasionally my short stories. I hope that other people will find this blog and read my stories and enjoy them. That’s as much as anyone can ask for.