SP: Why does any music grab you? There’s just something about the melody. I think that’s a good example, it takes me someplace else.ĪllMusic: What is it about that particular version of that song that gets to you? One that I've listened to more than any other while writing is the live version of “ Bad” by U2 on Wide Awake in America, which is really good.

The songs that tend to make me go someplace typically tend to be more introspective. I like songs that take you somewhere, and maybe some people can do that with a peppy Broadway musical tune, but I can’t. Most of the time it’s a bit more worn down or introspective, I think it makes it more moody, it makes it more soul-searching. Today I listened to Moby-I really like Moby, is that embarrassing? Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, the Smiths, James, Spoon, Damien Rice, Arcade Fire, Bright Eyes, Band of Horses, Springsteen, Macklemore, Angels and Airwaves, Zeppelin, Florence + the Machine. It’s great, I don’t know how to do this without music. I listen at a fairly loud volume, mostly so I can drown out the rest of the café. This morning I went to a café and wrote and listened to music as I write, it’s pretty much my standard thing, Monday through Thursday.

Before iPods, I would just play the music loud in a room at my house, and when it got to be too much I’d put on headphones, but when the iPod came along, I was able to go outside and go to cafés and do the same thing. Stephan Pastis: Since the very beginning of Pearls, I’ve been listening to music. How do you use music on a daily basis when making the strip? We spoke with Pastis about a month before the strips ran, and while he didn't let on that something big was coming, he was excited to talk about how music is an essential element in his creative process, the magical experience of his first concert, and how he gets inspiration from Bob Dylan to go against the grain.ĪllMusic: I attended a Q&A you did where you briefly mentioned how important music is to you and your work, so I thought we could get deeper into that. Stephan Pastis blew the minds of comics fans around the world last week when he revealed that the 'guest artist' depicted in the week's Pearls Before Swine strips was Bill Watterson, the retired, reclusive mastermind behind Calvin and Hobbes.

Pastis comic