Pantheon Soundtrack: Demeter’s Aretalogy

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demeter, pantheon, soundtrack

Pantheon Soundtrack, track 8

“Mahalle” by Transcendental (from the Hamam soundtrack)

I fell in love with this song when I saw the fantastic film Hamam (Steam) and hunted down the soundtrack.  It is now one of my favorite albums of all time.

An aretalogy is a specific type of poem from the ancient world that listed the attributes or accomplishments of a god or goddess.  Usually these took the form of “I am” statements and were often used as hymns.  Perhaps the most famous prose aretalogy is in the eleventh book of Apuleius’ “The Golden Ass” when Isis appears to Lucius and lists her many names and divine duties.  In Pantheon, the former goddess Demeter uses this literary form to tell her story.

The repetitious nature of this irresistible rhythm echoes the cadence of Demeter’s aretalogy.  The drum beats remind me of the Middle Eastern music she would have heard on her early journeys.

Do yourself a favor and track down a copy of Hamam if you’ve never seen the film.  It is breathtaking, and will make you want to jump on the next plane to Istanbul.

(Note: This song is misidentified as “İptal” in the YouTube video, another great song on this amazing soundtrack.)

Pantheon Soundtrack: Dionysus and the Couple

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dionysus, pantheon, soundtrack

Pantheon Soundtrack, track 7

“Dancing Barefoot” by U2

In this context, the clever lyrics play the pronouns against the situation of a mixed-gender love triangle.  I imagine Dionysus in the narrator’s position, and dancing barefoot and “strange music” driving him on is a nice allusion to an ancient Bacchic revel.

The guitar solo and the “oh God I feel for you” (in all its ironic literalness) accompanies the three as they roll around in the sheets in complete sexual abandon.

Pantheon Soundtrack: Aphrodite’s Party

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aphrodite, pantheon, soundtrack

Pantheon Soundtrack, track 6

“Pretty (Pret A Porter Mix)” by the Cranberries

I was introduced to this song during a brilliant moment in a non-brilliant Robert Altman movie called Pret a Porter.  In the film, the superficial fashion industry gets its comeuppance in a totally nude runway show.

I felt the song applied to the Aphrodite’s party for several reasons.  Its rhythmic building spoke to the building tension and emotion in the story.  Also the common ground that each of the characters possess is that through sex and eroticism they experience attraction.  They each feel “pretty” to another (or several others).  “You’re so pretty the way you are.”  In their moments of passion they are desired, as well as desiring.  Rather than some bump and grind song, this song hit the proper note of eroticism I was aiming at with the text.

(the fan video is a bit weird but it is the only version of this mix I could find)

Pantheon Soundtrack Playlist

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pantheon, soundtrack

Here is the link for the YouTube playlist that collects together all of the Pantheon soundtrack videos:

Pantheon Soundtrack YouTube Playlist

I will add to it as the soundtrack posts grow.

To see the commentary for each track, use this tag archive link: garydevore.wordpress.com/tag/soundtrack/

Pantheon Soundtrack: Apollo’s Grief

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apollo, pantheon, soundtrack

Pantheon Soundtrack, track 5

“Bedtime Story” by Madonna

A truly depressing and ethereal song I had in mind when constructing the story of how Apollo went mad from grief after the death of Carlo. I’m not exactly sure what Madonna intended the song to mean (understandable since it was co-written by Bjork), but the idea that words have lost their meaning and that his grief is now beyond explanation or even comprehension seemed appropriate. “How can they explain how I feel?” The repeated line “Let’s get unconscious” speaks to his only escape before meeting David- the pursuit of passing out which he does in the novel right after killing the dog (and in my imaginary video of the song at about the 3:35 mark).

Pantheon Soundtrack: The Wrath of Hades

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hades, pantheon, soundtrack

Pantheon Soundtrack, track 4

“The World Famous Killer” by Zero Zero

Two of the chapters of Pantheon were incredibly difficult to write because I had to step so far out of myself to get into the mind of the subject.  The first was, of course, Hades.  I am someone who can not treat death or killing very casually, but that is all Hades knows.  He is so numb to human death that he treats it cynically, which means he comes to embody the characteristics the ancients attributed to him- ruthlessness, coldness, and aloof detachment.

I thought this little-known and undervalued song by Zero Zero, with its driving techno beat, encapsulated Hades’ actions during his most violent episodes where he relentlessly moved forward amid much screaming and shouting.  It is this song I hear when Hades is slaying innocents, especially on the night he met Shou Lung (an episode I could not actually bring myself to describe).

Pantheon Soundtrack: Hera Drives Through Manhattan

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hera, pantheon, soundtrack

Pantheon Soundtrack, track 3

“Concerto No. 1 in E major (La primavera)” by Vivaldi

One of the few songs directly referenced in the novel, this is playing on the car stereo when Jacqueline is driving Hera through the snow.  I love the mental image of the windshield wipers brushing away thick snow in time with the music.  Hera is looking forward to her new spring, her new beginning once she takes care of her final obligation on Fire Island.

Around minute 2:24 they enter the underground tunnel and her thoughts turn a bit dark, but then they burst out of the tunnel into the bright light again.  The piece finally winds down as they pull up outside the hotel.  The length of the song of course does not match any realistic trip from JFK to downtown Manhattan, but it was part of my visualization of the trip from the very beginning of the writing process.