I’ve always been particularly drawn to how, of any of the art forms, music has the ability to coexist and expand upon the other arts, from the visual to the literary to the cinematic. And for me this is one of the great pleasures of our Guest DJ series.
Getting to understand how music affects and influences non-music-based artists is always enlightening, whether their art be acting, cooking, drawing, surfing, playing basketball or whatever.
(This is why we shy away from interviewing musicians – we want to bring out the cross-pollination of music and something else, just about anything else!)
It was a pleasure to chat with book designer Chip Kidd and learn about how music influences him. (Check out one of his most famous book covers on the left)
I’ve always felt that creating an image for a book cover is one of those mysterious things where I have no idea how it works, but you know when it does.
And maybe that’s how music works too.
As Kidd describes, both processes involve “encapsulation” and “distillation,” reducing a bigger idea into a three-minute song or single page of a book cover design.
His songs picks, from New Order’s disco-symphony 12” version of “The Perfect Kiss” to the alienated masterpiece “Let Down” by Radiohead, demonstrate this idea quite nicely.
He even throws a little bubblegum pop and some contemporary classical music for good measure.
It’s a thought-provoking mix and one that perfectly demonstrates the virtues of the Guest DJ Project and its illuminating conversations.
ERIC J. LAWRENCE