pairings

The catalyst for something like this post first sparked 11 years ago when I worked at a deli, bakery, coffee, and wedding cake house called The Cakery. I was talking with a coworker – Susan Hinck I think – about the sense memory experience of pairing a gripping book with a great album. The example I used at the time was A Perfect Circle’s “Mer de Noms” to accompany Dan Simmons‘ Hyperion in my Junior year of high school.

20 years later, I suspect I would be unable to listen to the album without automatically reaching for a copy of the book. Full disclosure, it has been a decade or more since I’ve listened to A Perfect Circle. Hyperion however, is among the top 5 novels I read and listen over and over again. Were I pairing it now, I’d probably lean more toward an ominous drone crescendo. Maybe a playlist of The Last Ambient Hero or the Droneflower album on loop.

In any case, Susan suggested I make a practice of sharing my personal pairings. The concept has been trundling around my head since. This week’s post marks the first in a group of /pairing posts. The concept has grown more fluid over time to include television, comic, and beverage suggestions in addition to albums and books. Obviously it would be difficult to pair all these things in the same moment, so I’m thinking more of a day or days spent engaging them sequentially with some overlap between beverages and all the rest.

1.

On the mindbendingly positive side I’ve been pairing Weird Walk zines with dungeon synth and cider.

Weird Walk is a beautiful aggregation of stories, interviews, articles, and reviews all revolving around the conscious practice of walking through nature, among overgrown ruins, and maintaining cultural awareness of spiritual gravity. In its own words the zine explores: folklore, hauntology, and psychogeography. There have been four publications so far – Weird Walk 1, Weird Walk 2, Magic Circle, and Weird Walk 3 along with (excellent) Weird Walk tees and a print collaboration with Anthony Burrill (no direct relation I’m aware of). The Walk hails from Wessex and I eagerly await each go round.

Here’s a quote –

“Perhaps there was something in the air around the spring and summer of 1971. Two days after the final episode of The Dæmons was broadcast, the second Glastonbury Fayre was held. There were sketchy reports of UFO sightings on the night of the solstice and Bowie performed an acoustic set as the third day dawned.”

~from Séance Fiction in Weird Walk 2 by Stephen Dowell

Weird Walk 1 introduced me to dungeon synth and it is now a part of my daily life. A subgenre of ambient music designed to accompany the exploration of ancient ruins…um … large type YES PLEASE.

Thus far Fief is what I’m listening to on repeat, but the whole of the various suggested works are worth exploration if ambient is up your alley…or heath. Old Tower and Thangorodrim are two other efforts that spring immediately to mind.

Cider~wise I’ve tapped my sister for recommendations. She suggests JK Scrumpy and Bristol. I also enjoy FarCider locally, but it may not be available widely outside northern California.

2.

For a darker turn and some harrowing war horror history pair Sara by Garth Ennis with Band of Brothers from HBO – though they take place in different perspectives, the timbre is similar and both are utterly painfully gripping. The picture-less book pairing here for me is Reporting World War II from the Library of America – though it might be obvious to pick up Band of Brothers in its book form as well.

My beverage pairing with Sara or BoB is a Potato vodka straight up – Boyd & Blair, Chopin, or Luksusowa are all excellent options – or a vodka based cocktail (A minty mule is my personal preference), another route entirely is Vat 69 Whisky. My musical pairing here is from another HBO miniseries – the song is Vichnaya Pamyat from the final scenes of Chernobyl on repeat.

Minty Mule Recipe:

1 Lime, Ginger Beer (I like Bundaberg) about 1/2 glass depending on glass size – use your judgement, 1 shot/jigger Vodka, 1-2 clapped mint leaves, 1 mint leaf for garnish (optional), fresh sliced ginger for garnish (optional)

I begin by ‘clapping’ a mint leaf or two between my palms to awaken flavor and aroma. Drop these leaves in the bottom of each glass. If I’m hankering for additional ginger I’ll slice and crush a bit to place in the bottom of the glass with the mint before pouring the ginger beer. Next, I’ll squeeze in the juice from half the lime, splitting it between the two glasses. A shot of vodka for each glass before gently adding ice and stirring. Garnish with the remaining 1/2 Lime, one quarter for each glass, a mint leaf, and sliced or mashed fresh ginger if you are so inclined.