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April 22, 2021
Thomas Calder's Playlist for His Novel "The Wind Under the Door"
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, Roxane Gay, and many others.
Thomas Calder's debut The Wind Under the Door is a novel that impresses with exquisitely drawn characters and their yearning for connection. Wiley Cash perfectly summed up the book, "Thomas Calder writes as if James Salter and Gail Godwin had a literary child who grew up listening to Arcade Fire and Future Islands."
Ian Stansel wrote of the book:
"Thomas Calder has written a novel that is reminiscent of certain mid-twentieth century classics and yet utterly grounded in the current moment, reminding us that while the things that surround us—social media, rock bands, art—might develop and change, the drives toward sex and expression and perhaps even something like immortality are very much still in place. The Wind Under the Door is a wise and compassionate novel full of scenes so psychologically astute and viscerally real that they will be lodged in my memory for a good long time. A hell of a debut."
In his words, here is Thomas Calder's Book Notes music playlist for his debut novel The Wind Under the Door:
Chapter 1: Nina Simone “I Put a Spell on You”
My novel begins at a Halloween party. Romantic spells are cast at the gathering while skeletons roam the house (with plenty more metaphorical skeletons filling all the characters’ closets). Admittedly, the first version of this song I heard growing up was Bette Midler’s rendition in the 1993 Halloween classic, Hocus Pocus. And while Midler’s version is fun and mischievous, this opening chapter calls for Simone’s milder, moodier and haunting recital.
Chapter 2: Arcade Fire “The Suburbs”
My story’s main character, Ford Carson, is a collage artist. The majority of his works are visual interpretations of songs. But for his estranged son’s eighteenth birthday, Ford decides to interpret an entire album—Arcade Fire’s The Suburbs. Themes of isolation, disconnection and the lost sense of self are explored throughout the record’s sixteen tracks, making it an appropriate collection to accompany the story that unfolds.
Chapter 3: Frank Sinatra “That’s Life”
This chapter is set inside the historic Grove Park Inn, located in North Asheville. Built in 1913, the stone structure is otherworldly like Sinatra’s voice. And like the lyrics to this song, the characters here are weighed down by their past mistakes. Yet they remain optimistic that their luck will change, just like Ol’ Blue Eyes sings in this number.
Chapter 4: Bruce Springsteen “State Trooper”
This song terrifies me in all the right ways. There’s so much desperation in Springsteen’s vocals and howls; meanwhile the lone acoustic guitar creates this deep sense of isolation. This chapter, like Springsteen’s song, takes place late at night when we are all prone to dangerous thoughts, if not actions.
Chapter 5: Bob Dylan “Tangled up in Blue"
In my opinion, this is the greatest love song ever written. Each verse is a brief glimpse into a brief period of a lifelong affair and the inescapable connections we have with certain people. Chapter 5 is structured in a similar way, exploring the many phases of Ford’s past relationships with his son, Bailey, and his ex-wife, Emily. Like Dylan’s narrator, there are periods of proximity and distance between these characters—both physically and emotionally—but ultimately, no matter where they end up, these three can never quite untangle themselves from each other.
Chapter 6: The Strokes “Reptilia”
I love the musical intensity and lyrical mystique that The Strokes create here. There’s this great mix of assertion and hesitation, aggression and fatigue. Which is why it’s a perfect match for this chapter, which takes place at a rundown amusement park in Gatlinburg, Tenn. Though dilapidated, the site’s rides still run and offer brief thrills for two of the story’s main characters who are trying to figure each other out without revealing their intentions to do so.
Chapter 7: The War on Drugs “An Ocean in Between the Waves”
There is a person searching for another person in this song. A lost lover? Perhaps. A past version of themselves? Could be. Either way it’s damn sad. One line in particular always hits me. Singer Adam Granduciel asks, In my finest hour, can I be more than just a fool? The same question could be raised in this fairly introspective chapter, as Ford tries to retrace what went wrong in his former life in anticipation of his son’s impending arrival.
Chapter 8: Hamilton Leithauser “Til Your Ship Comes In”
If I’m being completely honest, my whole novel could have been set to a Hamilton Leithauser soundtrack—either his solo material or his past work with The Walkmen. I have, you might say, an obsession with the man’s music. This track—with its layered vocals, eerie guitar notes and languid bass—creates such a grimy feel. And this is a grimy chapter. But like the song’s lyrics, which are times spiteful at times needy at times sweet, so too are the characters that populate these particular pages. But ultimately what ties the chapter and song together for me is the shared idea of subconscious bonds that you can never anticipate forming and can never quite shake once established.
Chapter 9: Beach House “10 Mile Stereo”
There’s a scene in Chapter 10 that briefly takes place underwater. It’s a scary moment within the book, but it also offers an instant of clarity for one of the story’s characters. I have a similar experience when listening to Beach House’s “10 Mile Stereo.” As the verse builds up into an expansive, symphonic chorus, there’s a rush of euphoria suggesting everything will be fine, even as you hear the notes fading.
Chapter 10: Jim James “A New Life”
At its core this is a love song and a celebration of second chances. But Jim James refuses to romanticize what that actually looks like, offering lyrical nods throughout to the inherent difficulties and uncertainties that go into establishing any new relationship. The line that I love is when he sings, I think I’m really being sincere. What a wonderful admission and a fitting notion for this chapter.
Chapter 11: Angel Olsen “Intern”
So many of the characters in my novel are trying to hold relationships together—be it romantic, plutonic, familial or a combination of sorts. They all want to believe things are supposed to unfold a certain way, despite what past evidence otherwise suggests. Angel Olsen explores a similar tension in her song when she sings: I am going to fall in love with you someday. And then later: Falling in love and I swear it’s the last time. Both lines are fraught with inner-conflict between the lure of certainty and the realities of self-doubt.
Chapter 12: Modest Mouse “Dance Hall”
At times melodic, at times manic, “Dance Hall” is three minutes of emotional extremes. Chapter 12 offers similar peaks and valleys, as an estranged father and son try and reconnect over a dead possum and then later a revealing dinner for three.
Chapter 13: Michael Kiwanuka “Cold Little Heart”
Listen to the resignation in Kiwanuka’s voice when he sings: Oh I, I can’t stand myself. Self-loathing, though never explicit, is a trait that connects (and perhaps attracts) many of the characters to each other in my book. They can’t stand themselves. But whereas most of the characters are trying to avoid acknowledging this fact, there is at least one individual hoping to avoid a life sentence of self-hatred. And it’s within this chapter that the issue is broached head on.
Chapter 14: Arcade Fire “Reflektor”
I know! Two Arcade Fire songs on a single list?!? But this song plays during a crucial scene in the penultimate chapter, so I had to include it. Here’s the thing: I’ve probably watched the entire Sopranos series a good ten times and I like to believe that through these obsessive viewings, I absorbed some degree of insight into David Chase’s use of music to add layers of narrative to a given scene. David if you’re reading this (and if you’ve read my book), I hope you approve of the scene/song pairing.
Chapter 15: The Walkmen “Long Time Ahead of Us”
If you want to know what a sunrise sounds like listen to this song. Granted, the majority of the performance is the night: quiet drums, an unhurried bass and a melodic guitar with notes that strangely mimic crickets. But near the end, an expansive horn section rises like the sun, filling in the previously sparse collection with a loud but leisurely awakening, creating something that I won’t even try to describe. Just listen. It’s the perfect song to end this story with.
Thomas Calder's writing has appeared in Gulf Coast, Miracle Monocle, The Collective Quarterly, and elsewhere. He earned his MFA in creative writing at the University of Houston. He now lives in Asheville, N.C. with his wife, daughter and dog.
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