Given the Phish focus in “The Strangest of Places,” you’d think half of the chapters would have Phish songs, right?
Nope. Just this one.
I’ve been a music dork all my life. Phish is a big part of my obsessive fanaticism rotation, but they’re far from the only band on that list. Chapter 2, however, is where you meet Lucy. Lucy introduced me to Phish, so it seemed apropos that its associated song should be a Phish song.
While I could have used “Fee,” “Fluffhead” or “Bouncing Around the Room,” any one of which would have absolutely made perfect sense (since all loomed large in my introduction), I decided to go with “Pebbles and Marbles” instead. Why I chose this one is a bit complex. I’m not even sure if I can do the explanation justice, but I’ll give it a shot.
Let me start off by pointing out that one of the goals I had with this book was to write it in such a way that it could be classified as literary fiction. That is, it’s not just an on-the-surface story, but there are metaphors and undercurrents at play. In chapter 1, for example, Autumn surveys the living room and finds it cluttered with flotsam and jetsam from her mother. She believes her friend, Lucy, will be stopping by for a visit later, so she has to clean up to make the place presentable for visitors. While that seems as though that's all it is, when you get to the end of the book and look back at this as part of the intro, you might spot that it was a bit of an analogy + foreshadowing of the psychological clean up Autumn has to do in order to move forward with other potential "visitors" in her life. There are other examples like this, but I'll leave them for future blog posts on later chapters to avoid spoilers. Suffice it to say that I feel there is enough subtext in this book that it could be used in a high school or college English class, and that was by design, because that's the exact target audience for the story (though I'm fairly certain it will appeal to Gen Xers as well, given the nostalgia angle for former latch key kids like me).
I don't currently have "The Strangest of Places" under the literary fiction category in any spots on Amazon or elsewhere, because I'm not well-versed in what meets the bar for it to be classified as such. That being the case, I did get in touch with a former college professor of mine and asked if he'd be willing to read it, provide feedback, and also let me know if it met the literary fiction bar, in his estimation. We'll see what comes of that, but I digress...
The reason I chose “Pebbles and Marbles” is partially rooted in that intention of hidden subtext. One of the recurring themes that you'll find peppered throughout the book is dark vs. light. Why that is will be revealed in the final chapter, but if you listen to this song and/or look up the lyrics, you’ll find that it's rife with those metaphorical references (as are several other of my chapter-associated songs).
While I intend to steer clear of deciphering meaning in lyrics in any definitive way here, on the blog, I’d be remiss not to mention that this one appealed to me for chapter 2 for two reasons. First, it speaks to having been introduced to something that might have otherwise gone unnoticed. Second, it gives a nod to the impermanence of treasured trinkets (literal and figurative), and their intended conveyances of love and appreciation. Third, it does a great job of highlighting the dark vs. light theme, and does so in a way that both blends and balances why both are important. In short, I chose this song because it perfectly encapsulates the overall sentiment of chapter 2, making it a perfect fit.
Lucy – yes, that is her real name (I couldn’t have chosen one better; her name actually means "light") – and I are still friends, though you’re more likely to find her at a Dropkick Murphys or Chris Stapleton concert nowadays. She and I haven’t seen a Phish show together since 1995, and we may never seen one together again, but despite the 1,500+ miles that separate us now, we will always remain the best of friends. So much of life is impermanent, but friendships can be forever, if you both make a point to maintain them.
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