Photo Credit: Anna Powell Denton 

Not every author had a musical companion to go along with their novels unless they too are like Scott Guild and fully prepared to give their main character a voice in a new way. That’s right because while ‘Plastic,’ the book is available not via Penguin Random House – ‘Plastic: The Album’ won’t be everywhere until May 31st. We talked to Scott not only about why he decided to pour his heart into a plastic mold, but also about working with Stranger Cat, headline pushovers, and more in this back-and-forth exchange. 

Kendra: You spent the first decade of your adult life in New Collisions, but in this next chapter, you decided to focus on solo ventures. Was there a particular moment that made you think, it’s time to focus on myself and take my creativity in new directions? 

Scott Guild: This is such a perceptive question–thank you so much for this. Yes, there definitely was a specific moment when I decided to make a change, to leave the band I’d started and focus on writing novels. It was honestly less about group versus solo ventures, and more about going into a deeper space of imagination. I had hit a wall with my songwriting around that time and was deeply exhausted from all the touring with the band, and then, quite unexpectedly, I had a parent become very ill–a rare, fast-moving cancer–and I took a break from the band to go home and help out with the hospice care. 

I had always written stories and novels–right up until the band took off and I became too busy–and now all of a sudden I had all this time and was writing fiction again. I found myself disappearing into these stories in a way I just couldn’t with songs, at least not back then. When I emerged from that time, I felt like I knew my next steps artistically, and I poured all my energy into writing fiction. It was how I was grieving the loss, and also a way to express all of myself creatively. 

Kendra: Those new directions led you to pen a novel, and then turn around and make an album based on it. With that, ‘Plastic: The Album” is the musical companion of the novel, which I think is a really cool thing. Not many books get a musical element unless it’s adapted into a movie or TV show. Did you work on them simultaneously? 

Scott Guild: It’s been such a joy to create ‘Plastic: The Album,’ because I feel like I experienced songwriting in a way I never did in the past. The songs in ‘Plastic’ are from the perspective of my main character, Erin, and writing the lyrics was like giving her monologues or soliloquies, a chance to break the fourth wall and have her speak (or in this case, sing!) directly to the audience. I wasn’t just stuck in my own head like before, writing lyrics about my anxieties: I could focus on telling Erin’s story through song, exploring her emotional and spiritual life. For some reason, I seem to find songwriting easier with a character and a fictional world–perhaps because the setting of ‘Plastic’ (a world of plastic figurines) was vividly engaging to me. Or maybe I just find myself a bit boring as a subject!

Long before I thought of making the album, there were musical numbers in the book, places where Erin (a plastic figurine herself) slips into a surreal fantasy space and breaks into song. A spotlight shines down on her from nowhere; sometimes the figurines around her go into dance routines. It was when the book was almost finished and had already sold to a publisher, that I thought, “What if these musical numbers became actual songs? What if we expand this space in the book into recordings with melodies and arrangements?” That was the start of a year-long journey with Cindertalk and Stranger Cat–two of the best musicians I’ve ever met–and it was such a privilege to collaborate with them. My publisher, Pantheon Books, loved the songs right away and was very supportive about treating the project as a co-release: a story told through both a book and album. I actually wrote an article about this whole experience for Literary Hub (a popular book site) if anyone would like to know more! 

Kendra: Having been in a band I’m sure when you linked up with Stranger Cat, who helped bring your protagonist (Erin) to life on the album, that it came naturally to you. However, did finding someone to be the voice for Erin feels very much like a casting call? 

Scott Guild: No, not at all! I could imagine struggling to cast the part of Erin, but we got very lucky with Stranger Cat (Cat Martino). Cindertalk (Jonny Rodgers) had worked with Cat in the past, and after we fleshed out the songs and arrangements–a wonderful process in itself–he mentioned her to me. I was in awe when I heard her album, In the Wilderness, and also when I realized how much work she’d done on some of my favorite Sufjan Stevens songs. She’s one of those brilliant artists who’s in demand with everyone–Sharon Van Etten, The Shins, Bon Iver, Passion Pit, so many more–because she elevates any project she gifts with her presence. We were so lucky she felt drawn to ‘Plastic’ and even joined as a main artist on the project. As soon as I heard her on one of our tracks–she sang first on the song “Fiona”–I really just knew. It wasn’t only her technical skill (though that is incredible), but the depth to which she embodied the emotion of the lyrics and story. I couldn’t imagine anyone better capturing the essence of Erin.

Kendra: Stranger Cat does a great job, especially on “Only Killers,” a song you’ve noted is very personal. While it captures your anxieties, I think it mirrors society’s as a whole when we hear, “We didn’t make the world you hate…But it’s our lives you take, oh terrorists.” There are a lot of headlines out there we can attach this song to, but was there one instance, one headline that you felt pushed you over the edge to start writing the scene in ‘Plastic’ that eventually led to this song?

Scott Guild: Yes, absolutely. I started a first draft of the book way back in 2013, and I was living in Boston at the time. Not long after I started drafting, the Boston Marathon Bombing shut down the whole city for a few days, and my apartment was only a few blocks from where the terrorists lived. News crews were everywhere, we weren’t supposed to go outside, and there was this very militant police presence in the streets. Other than 9/11–when I was much younger–it was probably the first time I fully realized the statement that public violence can make, how it can tear a whole community apart. And also the degree to which the government is equipped to control the populace, to descend all at once when needed. It had a huge impact on my imagination and my sense of the world around me.

The book had already been exploring eco-terrorism: the setting is about 60-70 years from now when the climate crisis has escalated and the governments of the world aren’t taking action. But those events in Boston definitely put terrorism front and center in my mind. In the novel, Erin’s sister Fiona is a famous eco-terrorist and has gone into hiding because of an attack on her college dorm. So both “Only Killers” and “Fiona” take on these themes of the climate crisis and impacts of violence. Our treatment of the planet, of course, is a form of violence as well–not just against nature, but against our own society and future generations–and Erin is also exploring this violence in the lyrics.

Kendra: On a lighter note, you did something really cool in February and set out on a tour that wasn’t just you playing music, but you also reading from ‘Plastic,’ giving this sort of VH1 Storytellers vibes. Can we expect more events of that nature throughout the year? ‘

Scott Guild: So glad you asked! It’s been so much fun to create events that are both readings and musical performances. At the events, I’ll read from a chapter until I reach one of Erin’s songs, and then it switches over to live music from the album and then goes back to me reading from the book. The team at Pantheon has been amazing about getting the project out there, and we’re just putting the final touches on a summer tour right now (the announcement will be very soon–maybe even before this interview publishes!). 

The winter tour was mostly West and East Coast, plus a few stops in Nebraska and Texas. This summer I’ll be all over the Midwest: Detroit, Cincinnati, Indianapolis, Ann Arbor, Grand Rapids, Columbus, and Parma, OH,  Louisville and Lexington, KY, Champaign and Carterville, IL, St Charles, MO and some online events as well. They’ll all have live music, and you can find the specifics at on my site if you’re in the area!

Kendra: Time for a side note – With it being May, there are a lot of graduations happening across the country right now, and I’d love for you to share a song with the collective class of 2024. So what song would you dedicate to them? Can be one of yours, or another artist’s. 

Scott Guild: Hmmm–such a great question. Kate Bush is one of my all-time favorite artists, and a huge influence on ‘Plastic,’ both the book and album. I was so excited to see the world (and a whole new generation!) put “Running Up That Hill” on the charts last year: it’s a masterpiece of a song and couldn’t be more deserving. That’s from her classic album ‘Hounds of Love,’ and I think her follow-up, ‘The Sensual World,’ is every bit as good (though spoken of less frequently). The song “Deeper Understanding” has so much to teach us about our moment of tech addiction, as well as the power of human connection no matter how far we go down the rabbit hole with our devices. It came out in 1989, so it’s also another chance to marvel at the genius of Kate Bush: that she could see where our society was headed long before there was anything like smartphones, and write a perfect song about the emotional, existential stakes of technology. 

Kendra: Lastly, with ‘Plastic: The Album’ out on May 31st and perhaps some book/music tour dates, what else can the people expect as we start to roll into summer?

Scott Guild: I’m so excited for the album release, for all the songs to finally be out in the world. There are some singles and music videos online right now, but I can’t wait for people to experience the full album, since it tells the whole story of the book from track to track. For those who have read the novel as well (it came out in February), I think the album will let them grow even closer to Erin, and experience the story in a new way. There will be a new music video for the album release, and lots of live performances in June and July. It’s always incredible to share the project in person with people, to have the writing and music come together that way. Plus, unlike a traditional concert, there is an audience Q&A afterward, and I can actually talk to the audience about the project, which is such a privilege. 

Overall, I just feel so grateful for the chance to share my work in all these different forms. So much of creating ‘Plastic’ was solo work at my desk, or hunched over a laptop, and I’ve been overwhelmed (in the best way!) by all the love the project has received out in the world.