The Fun Times Brigade: The Playlist

The Fun Times Brigade: The Playlist is here! 

Lindsay Zier-Vogel has curated a playlist of songs that inspired the writing of her latest novel The Fun Times Brigade. We hope you enjoy!

Find the full Spotify playlist here.

“There are so many songs in The Fun Times Brigade—some I made up, some are from my childhood (shout out, Baby Beluga!) and some have carried me through good years, and hard years, and years that still don’t make sense.

Music by the Indigo Girls, Sarah Harmer, and Julie Doiron, transport me back to my early twenties so clearly that I can feel the stickiness of the floor of the Rivoli, the scratchiness of the grass in front of the mainstage at Hillside Festival when I hear them. Some of the artists whose music appears in the book have been a constant in my life for years—Neko Case, CSNY, Joni Mitchell, The Band—where as others I discovered while writing this book—Stars, The Grateful Dead, Valdy, Bruce Springsteen.

It was deep pandemic lockdown when I fell in love with The Boss—“Stingsteen” as my kids called him, and we’d have daily dance parties in the living room after dinner. These dance parties were my lifeline for those dark, impossible months, and I still can’t hear Born to Run without needing to dance. Obviously, it needed a place in the book.

And it wasn’t until the first draft was done that I learned that Valdy, who my characters Jim and Fran play with in the 70s, lived with my grandmother-in-law in his 20s! It took everything in me not to add that to the plot!

Often, when I’m working on a book, I play the same album over and over again. It gets my hear into “writing mode” (vs. other work mode). My soundtrack for writing The Fun Times Brigade was Taylor Swift’s RED album, and The Grateful Dead’s American Beauty album, and unsurprisingly, both wove their way into the book.” —Lindsay Zier-Vogel

Ripple —The Grateful Dead

Teach Your Children —Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young

All I Want —Joni Mitchell

Helpless —Neil Young

Me in 20 Years —Moses Sumney

Dance Me —Julie Doiron

Lucky #8 —Jennifer Castle

Dot —Chilly Gonzales

I Knew You Were Trouble —Taylor Swift

Elevator Love Letter —Stars

Heart of Gold —Neil Young

Blackbird —The Beatles

Closer to Fine —Indigo Girls

Moves —The New Pornographers

Deep Red Bells —Neko Case

Hold on when You Get Love and Let Go When You Give It —Stars

Swimming Song —Kate & Anna McGarrigle

California Dreamin’—Mamas & the Papas

Skinnamarink —Sharon, Lois, & Bram

Sundown —Gordon Lightfoot

Box of Rain —The Grateful Dead

Basement Apt. —Sarah Harmer

Six O’Clock News —Kathleen Edwards

1 2 3 4 —Feist

Goodnight, Irene —Pete Seeger

Four Strong Winds —Ian and Sylvia

The Weight —The Band

Lovers in a Dangerous Time —Bruce Cockburn

Morning Has Broken —Cat Stevens

Landscapes —Valdy

Dancing in the Dark —Bruce Springsteen

Walk of Life —Dire Straits

With or Without You —U2

Waitin’ on a Sunny Day —Bruce Springsteen

Oh My My —Jill Barber

Try —Blue Rodeo

Born to Run —Bruce Springsteen

Turn, Turn, Turn —The Byrds