I read an early copy of The Eunuch (a wild and wildy imaginative work of NC-17 historical fiction) before writing this soundtrack for Charles Fischer’s book trailer video.

I quickly developed a bass line in the left hand, leaning on the chromatic half-step to impart a sense of intrigue and mystery. Next came the simple melody. Easy. But that’s where “easy” stopped and the trying-out-lots-of-other-ideas began. I kept coming back to the primary love interest in the novel, Sidhuri.

Around the 2:30 mark I expanded the melody into a leitmotif (a term I learned recently after attending the 4+ hour Wagner opera Tristan & Isolde). Sidhuri’s theme is like her, languid and exotic. The initial modal melody moves in off-kilter 3/4—then returns to earth, grounded in 4/4 time.

But it wasn’t all think-y. I pulled out my trusty 1974 telephone mic and recorded a boat load of feedback to create unease and tension behind the entire track. I howled and sang a few notes into the distorted telephone mic which you can hear under the 3 chapter cards which organize the video.

For the grand finale, I reversed a single low note on the Steinway (Jimi Hendrix would have flipped the 2” tape; I relied on software) so it would crescendo as the book cover appears in space. I sprinkled that with tambourine, strings, more telephone feedback and a final single piano note (this time in forward motion) and voila: Charlie has an author video for his debut novel, The Eunuch. Thanks for listening!