As I was writing along on Easton’s book the other day, I was thinking about what his daily routine would be. It isn’t giving anything away to tell you that Easton is no longer working with Sawyer, though he did for quite a while. Instead, he’s taken up what seems to be something of a family hobby/career choice–he’s writing.
Most of us writers have a routine we try to stick to as a daily schedule. Sometimes that routine is rigidly structured, and sometimes it is only something that could be considered a schedule in the loosest sense. Easton has several habits he indulges while writing. One of those habits is that if he gets stuck on a scene or is having trouble writing a particular passage, he listens to music. Naturally, this led me to thinking about what sort of music he would listen to. That line of inquiry tugged me down a surprising path. Aside from a brief discussion on the merits–or lack thereof–of Elvis Presley, their mutual dislike for musical films, and what was then called country and western music, I have never given thought to what sort of music Owen and Sarah Campbell listen to.
There’s no doubt in my mind that they both like music. Their kids like and listen to music, various genres depending on which child we’re talking about. As far as the grandkids go, Noah is quite musical. The rest of the grandkids probably can take playing music or leave it. Given that no one else in the family seems to be musically inclined, it’s probable that Noah’s tendencies toward music came to him from Sarah’s father, Ira. After all, she did give him her father’s fiddle, and he plays it regularly, if privately.
But what about Owen and Sarah? For Owen, I think he’s more of a jazz guy. Something smooth and moody and deep but at the same time, light enough not to be dark. I can’t see him listening to most of the rock super groups from the sixties. I think he’d tolerate The Beach Boys but wouldn’t care much for The Beatles. Some of the seventies bands like Crosby, Stills, and Nash, or The Eagles would appeal to Owen, I believe. The closest I could see him coming to rock music would be listening to the blues. Muddy Waters, maybe some Robert Johnson even.
Sarah is a bit of a different story. I think she would enjoy a lot of the music that Owen didn’t care for in the sixties and seventies. She probably would like The Beatles, and I can absolutely see her dancing and singing along with the theme from the Monkees, utterly embarrassing and amusing her children at the same time. Music would serve a different purpose for Sarah than for Owen, it being something she would use more to relax or blow off some steam or simply to have fun with. For Owen, a person could probably predict his mood based on what music he was listening to at any given time.
With that being said, I don’t believe either Owen or Sarah are what could be considered audiophiles. Music is not something that drives them, something they seek out as a necessary form of entertainment. Books, on the other hand, would be at the top of that list. Maybe that’s why it never occurred to me before now to further consider what sort of music they might listen to.
As far as Easton goes, since he started this whole head-scratching debate that’s been raging in my brain for a few days, he’s easy. He loves rock, the harder the better, some metal, most hard rock, and he is an Iron Maiden and Metallica fanatic. He hates country, has a good reason for that, but to find out what that reason is, you’ll have to read his book. 😉
Happy Reading!
T.L.