Scott Guild, whose debut novel, “Plastic,” is out Feb. 13, has created a literary and sonic universe where his characters have sprung to life, leaping off the page and out of speakers, too. The companion piece to the book, “Plastic: The Album” is Guild’s collaboration with Cindertalk, the artist and producer, who has worked with My Brighest Diamond and Son Lux; Stranger Cat (Sufjan Stevens, Sharon Van Eten) and Anna Hoone (Loch Lomond). The parade of indie rock street cred continues with production by Peter Katis (The National, Interpol).
Guild also has his musical bona fides, having been a member of Boston band New Collisions, which toured with the B-52s and opened for Blondie. He played guitar and wrote songs for the New England group.
“I think for this project, it’s just probably a little different then when I was part of New Collisions when I was a bit younger,” says Guild, whose album will be released April 26. “For this, I wasn’t living my life and writing songs like, ‘Oh, I have a thought about the world’ or something. Writing this book was like this all-consuming thing where the characters’ concerns are your concerns.”
“Plastic’s” protagonist is a young woman living in the future, with a hollowed-out body.
“I spent years and years with my main character, Erin, and she’s navigating this world that’s pretty much consumed with the same problems we are but maybe it’s a little bit different. … All of the songs are based on her emotions.”
Guild, who teaches literature and creative writing at Marian University in Indianapolis, explains that it was Cindertalk (Jonny Rodgers) who introduced him to Stranger Cat (Cat Martino), who voices Erin.
“Stranger Cat’s voice sounded to me like Erin, and she’s also one of the best singers I had heard in recent memory.”
He first connected with Katis, whom he calls “a magician,” at a concert.
“I was at a National show in 2010, and I looked over and recognized him, and I was so obessed with his work and said, ‘You’re Peter Katis,’ and he said, ‘No one has ever recognized me before,’ and we kind of struck up a conversation.” The two stayed in touch and he became the obvious pick to produce “Plastic.”
Guild has created an experience that has several possible entry points, but he said he doesn’t have a preference for what route people take to connect with Erin.
“I think having worked in both mediums, I’m really excited for people to find it either way,” says Guild, whose book will be published by Penguin. “I think either would be really cool, and just seeing the way they speak to each other. The audio book has a lot of the music in it. So the audio book opens with the first track, ‘A Doll’s House,’ and at moments between the chapters there are transitions where the audio does the merging. At the end of the audio book, they have songs like ‘Fiona.'”
Guild and special guests will hold a book reading and musical performance on Tuesday, Feb. 13 at McNally Jackson Seaport (4 Fulton St., New York) at 6:30 p.m. Info here.
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