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March 11, 2020
Martin Dumont's Playlist for His Novel "Schrödinger's Dog"
In the Book Notes series, authors create and discuss a music playlist that relates in some way to their recently published book.
Previous contributors include Jesmyn Ward, Lauren Groff, Bret Easton Ellis, Celeste Ng, T.C. Boyle, Dana Spiotta, Amy Bloom, Aimee Bender, Heidi Julavits, Roxane Gay, and many others.
Martin Dumont's novel Schrödinger's Dog is a poignant and powerful debut.
Publishers Weekly wrote of the book:
"[This] rich, somber debut plumbs a father-son relationship to meditate on the fictions people create to endure loss…Dumont offers powerful philosophical insight into questions of what people owe one another and the value of subjective belief."
In his own words, here is Martin Dumont's Book Notes music playlist for his debut novel Schrödinger's Dog:
Stupeflip vite - Stupeflip
This French rap song was released in 2011 by a band named Stupeflip, and it’s directly linked to the genesis of Schrödinger’s Dog. Indeed, I discovered this band when I was trying to build the plot and the structure of the novel. From the very beginning, I had the feeling that Yanis had to be the one telling this story – the narrative voice. Somehow his voice was related in my mind to that of the Stupeflip singer in this particular song. The lyrics are about anger against injustice and fighting for happiness. I tried to transmit a bit of these feelings to my character.
Sinnerman – Nina Simone
Impossible not to mention Nina Simone in this song list, as she is probably the artist I listened to the most while writing, not only Schrödinger’s Dog, but many other texts before as well. In the song Sinnerman, Nina Simone sings with a kind of urgency. It sounds like it was absolutely necessary for her to sing this story, and to sing it as quickly as possible. Sometimes I feel the same way when I write: a need to do it, and to do it quickly. I need to turn the ideas in my head into proper words that people can read. I also think that the urgency of this song is linked to what Yanis and Pierre are going through. When we are confronted with illness, time scales drastically change so that the intensity of each moment increases.
Tired Feet – Adela Diane
To me, this is the song of Yanis - He could be the one singing it. The weariness, the “tired feet”, the cooling down that comes from this song all really match this character’s feeling in the end of the novel. I listened to this song over and over when I was writing the most introspective parts of the novel, when Yanis is thinking about his life, his wife, his son and even his cab.
Vingt ans – Léo Ferré
Pierre is 20 years old. He is full of dreams and hopes. He wants to be a writer, an actor, a biologist. He’s surrounded by friends, he is in love and lives life to the fullest, just as many other 20-year-old people do. This amazing period of life is perfectly described by one of the greatest 20th century French poets, Léo Ferré, in this song Vingt ans, which means “twenty years old”.
I Am the Sea – The Who
I Am the Sea is the opening track of the rock opera Quadrophenia, by the English band The Who. It is a really unusual song, in which you can mainly hear waves and seagulls, with few instruments barely playing (keyboard, trumpets, etc.). At the end of it, the voice of Roger Deltrey announces the following tracks of the album: the real me – an explosion of guitar, bass and drums. The sea plays an important role in my life – I am a naval architect – and in my writing. In Schrödinger’s Dog, the sea is this place where the characters find peace and tranquility. Yanis and Pierre share their passion for free diving and exploring the underwater world. When I was writing the novel, the sea appeared to me as a safe space for the characters, but more importantly, for the reader and even for me. A safe space, a long and deep breath – one more paradox when thinking of free diving – which existed away from their daily fight against Pierre’s illness.
Washington DC Hospital Center Blues – Skip James
The main goal of my novel was to discuss the question of lying. Is the truth always good? Can lying be the best option in some situations? I thus imagined this story of a father facing his son’s illness. Because of the plot, a significant part of the novel takes place in a hospital. I spent a lot of time talking with doctors and nurses in order to learn more about the management and daily life of a hospital. I really wanted this part of the story to be as credible as possible. It may have been one of the most difficult parts of the work: trying to be realistic and in tune, without going too far. Washington DC Hospital Center Blues was recorded in 1965 by Skip James, an amazing bluesman from Mississippi. My father introduced me to delta blues when I was sixteen, and Skip James was a complete revelation for me: his voice, the way he plays his guitar, the intensity of his songs. It was the first time I listened to a piece of music that so touched my heart.
Father and Son – Cat Stevens
Even if my main idea was to write about the question of good – or even beautiful – lies, Schrödinger’s Dog is also about love and father/son relationships. Yanis’ life is fully dedicated to his son Pierre. He works at night to spend time with him during the day, he raised him alone and shares his passion for free diving with him. This song, written in 1970 by Cat Stevens, is one of the most beautiful songs ever composed about a father’s love for his son.
Hautes lumières - Fauve
Fauve is a French band formed in 2010. They split only 5 years later, leaving about thirty known songs. All though the band’s life, the musicians chose to stay anonymous (no media appearances, no pictures, only live performance in relative darkness). The poetry of their texts and their beautiful arrangements really helps me write. Many scenes from Schrödinger’s Dog were written listening to Fauve’s songs, particularly this one. It is a somewhat unusual choice, since I can’t normally write while listening to French bands. My guess is that understanding the lyrics interferes in the process of finding my own words. But there are a few exceptions and Fauve is definitely one of them. The instrumental parts are really smooth – I particularly like the guitar arrangements. This type of song inspires me while writing, and I am pretty sure that the rhythm of the songs helps me to find the rhythm of the scene I am working on, even if unconsciously.
Taxi Driver Theme – Bernard Herrmann
I have always been fascinated by taxi drivers. I don’t know exactly why, since I am not a huge fan of cars and driving, but I guess it can be related to the duality of their job: they spend a lot of time alone in their taxi but also meet different people throughout the days. Each time I took a cab before starting to write Schrödinger’s Dog, I tried to engage in conversation with the driver as much as possible. I asked them about their lives in a cab and about the good and bad sides of their jobs. I like how they know the city so well, from the name of the streets and the traffic jams to the thoughts of passengers, as they usually chat with them. It was really interesting and useful for the book.
People Help the People – Birdy
In a parallel world, I would be a film director and I would adapt my novel. When I was writing the last chapter – the very end of the story – I know exactly which music I would choose: People Help the People, Birdy’s version (this song has initially been written by the British band Cherry Ghost in 2007). This is not exactly the type of music I usually like and listen to, but this song perfectly captures the emotion I wanted to transmit when I was writing the end of Schrödinger’s Dog. It expresses sadness, of course, but also liberation and peace.
Martin Dumont was born in Paris in 1988 and spent many years in Brittany, where he fell in love with the sea. In addition to writing, he works as a naval architect. Schrödinger's Dog is his first novel.
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