what songs inspire you when writing?

[Jin-roh]

In my current brainstorming, I try to listen to music and listen closely to the lyrics. This is especially strong since reading "WATCHMEN."

My current three are the following:
"Teen for God" - by Dar Williams. I completed and uploaded a entire story that reflects some of the themes of this song: mainly, being disillusioned during one's college years with the religion one learned in the high school years.

"3 Libras" - by A Perfect Circle. Hits close to home for me. I realize that I have one character who tried to get another characters attention and now likely feels "passed over."

"Drive" - by Incubus. A remarkably positive song. Very existential in the sense that it says "I, not fear, create myself." the video matched with the theme beautifully: the hands draw themselves.

So what songs have inspired you guys? I know I can't be the only one.

[BionicDance]

Oh, I actually have a playlist on my iPod of music that's appropriate for The Adventures of Kanira Baxter, both inspiring to me but also perfect for reading the comic to set the mood:

Theme from M.A.S.K.
"The Construction", Jerry Goldsmith, "Explorers" soundtrack
"Halcyon & On & On", Orbital
"Mega Mindy Tijd", Mega Mindy (Don't ask!)
"Pop Goes the World", Men Without Hats
"Moonbeam", Men Without Hats
"GunBuster" theme
"Only You", Yaz (aka Yazoo)
"Devil Hunter Yohko" theme
"Battlestar Galactica" theme
"Bionic Six" theme (My screen name is partly inspired by this show. Heh.)
"Blaster Master" Level 03 BGM
"Blaster Master" Level 01 BGM
"Buckaroo Banzai" end credits music
"Dear my Friend", Every Little Thing
"Main Titles", Craig Safan, "The Last Starfighter" soundtrack
"Intro - Season 5", Christoper Franke, "Babylon 5" soundtrack
"First Flight", Jerry Goldsmith, "Explorers" soundtrack
"Starchaser: The Legend of Orin", soundtrack

You can probably tell the basic theme if you go through these: a lot of electronic music, very 80s-styled, plus no small amount of movie scores as well. Very much space-adventure music, some of it intended as score, some as in-world music...you can probably tell the difference fairly easily, I'm sure.
This is the kind of stuff that has always inspired me, as a rabid and screaming sci-fi, adventure, Space Opera fan...which is a fairly accurate description of my comic, actually: sci-fi adventure, Space Opera.

[Jin-roh]

Wow!!
Last Starfighter!

That is some seriously obscure 80s sci-fi!!

[Alias Pseudonym]

My comic is powered by insanity. When that runs low, I find System of a Down music is almost the same thing.

[BionicDance]

Wow!!
Last Starfighter!

That is some seriously obscure 80s sci-fi!!

Waitwait...The Last Starfigher is obscure, but Starchaser: The Legend of Orion, well, heck, EVERYBODY knows that one!

[RobboAKAscooby]

I can't pick out any specific songs that inspire me but here's a list of who I'm usually listening to:
The Used
My Chemical Romance
Eagles
The Offspring
Taylor Swift
Madina Lake
Paramore
The Getaway Plan
The Academy Is...
The Amity Affliction
A Day To Remember
Iron Maiden
Green Day
Def Leppard
Billy Connolly

[SevenCurrents]

It usually depends on what mood I'm writing/drawing. Most of my stuff is narrative work, so I try to stick with un-distracting music. Generally, I open iTunes and stream music from various ambient channels for sad, somber, or emotional scenes, alternative and techno for movement and aggressive scenes, and good old-fashion big band when i'm struggling to figure out my next page.

[VeryCuddlyCornpone]

Usually I make up a playlist of songs that kind of have the feeling I want to convey in the strip I'm working on. It helps to maintain focus, particularly if I'm working on a sad (relatively) strip and need to keep things low-key and/or gloomy.

Although I can listen to The Real Tuesday Weld, The Doors, Gorillaz, some old jazz and ragtime and a handful of other things pretty much any time I want for inspiration. It's just good working music.

[Jin-roh]

Oh yeah... sad songs. I do that too.

I listened to "New Slang" plenty of times.

[Menelaos]

Anything with a strong beat and powerful melodies. Doesn't need to have lyrics, and if it does it can be jibbreish. Most of the time I go for Nightwish, or my Half-Life soundtrack. Triage at Dawn has got to be my favorite song.

[RobertBlake]

Usually classical stuff like Mozart, Beethoven, Mussorgsky, etc., since I really need to concentrate when I'm writing and anything with lyrics tends to distract. I keep the volume low since, while I cannot write in silence, non-lyrical music turned up too loud can be just as distracting as lyrical music.

[STGcomics]

Some of this, some of that. But ones that really got to me were The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air theme song and Oracion.

[Charlos777]

I learned a while back that I can't really listen to music and focus on something else at the same time. When I work, I usually have the tv on in the background. When I do get in the mood to listen to music though I find that stuff like Reel Big Fish, Me First and the Gimme Gimmes, and possibly the dial tone have been good to stimulate my creativity.

[Jin-roh]

I'm going to assume that "dail tone" is another "punk rock/ska-ish" band and not that you are an incredibly boring person.

[Charlos777]

I'm going to assume that "dail tone" is another "punk rock/ska-ish" band and not that you are an incredibly boring person.

Hmmm that sure does sound like a cool band name. I may have to use it I'm pretty sure that I'm not incredibly boring, weird maybe but not boring lol

[mikemacdee]

Depends on the project. When writing horror I usually have creepy ambiance playing in the background like Silent Hill, Alone in the Dark, Quake, Doom 64, etc....

[VeryCuddlyCornpone]

For when you just can't seem to get started: Sprach Zarathustra, Op. 30.

Inspirational, perhaps a bit cheesy and overused, but I swear it gets the job done. Or begun. Whatever your aim is.

[Charlos777]

Depends on the project. When writing horror I usually have creepy ambiance playing in the background like Silent Hill, Alone in the Dark, Quake, Doom 64, etc....

Listening to my old room mate playing Silent Hill was probably the most unnerving thing I've ever heard, and it actually inspired a nice prank which will make it's way into comic form soooooooon.

Also on the topic of music, where does everybody get their music from? I myself usually just get my music from friends or Amazon. I don't remember the last time i actually been in a music store.

[VeryCuddlyCornpone]

iTunes, sometimes ordering off of Amazon or even Barnes & Noble. Last time I got something out of a CD store... well it was last year actually because I just happened to see one that I wanted. But before that it was the summer of 2008 because we had gift cards. I kinda miss music stores. I should go to one.

In terms of finding new music, the radio station on campus has made me more aware of certain groups. Plus my dad picks up all this random ass stuff from garage sales where you can get like five CDs for a toenail clipping. It's pretty boss.

[Charlos777]

Plus my dad picks up all this random ass stuff from garage sales where you can get like five CDs for a toenail clipping. It's pretty boss.

I knew I kept that jar of them around for something! >.< I am gonna have so many CDs now.