Cover Photo: Kyle MacLachlan and Laura Dern in 'Blue Velvet' (1986)
Kyle MacLachlan and Laura Dern in 'Blue Velvet' (1986)

How Watching Movies Helped Me Write a Book About Music

What I wanted to say about Arcade Fire’s “The Suburbs” has everything to do with the movies and TV series I love.

I watched well over fifty films during the four-month period I was given to write my first book. Almost every night I would get into bed, build a comfortable wall around me using several pillows, and tune into some streaming service. This probably wasn’t what I should have been doing, how I should’ve been spending my nights—and on more occasions that I’d like to admit, my days—when I had a 30,000-word book to write. But I love movies. I’ve always loved movies. This is a ritual I’ve been practicing since my high school days; I would have an essay to write but it wouldn’t matter because there was so much to see.

The Suburbs

The SuburbsThe Suburbs

Blue Velvet

The SuburbsElena

Blue Blue Blue BluetsBlue

Far From Heaven

Mad Men

La Cérémonie Ordinary PeoplePigstyreally

I'm a film & TV writer living in Brooklyn. I also like sweaters and baths.