Murakami’s Surreal Worlds, Reznor’s Soundscapes, Scarfe’s Art: A Journey Through Creative Chaos

Haruki Murakami

The best thing about reading one of Murakami’s novels are the left turns they keep taking that are wonderful, bizarre and heart-wrenching. The surreal worlds he creates are madly complex and totally familiar at the same time. And his style of writing is so accessible, yet there’s ideas in every sentence that never get in the way of the story.

Some are short, some are very long, all are brilliant, which is why I love reading his novels over and again. They stay with you for long after and show perfectly how something so involved and detailed can be remembered so fondly and simply.

If you’ve never read any of his stuff, begin with South of the Border, West of the Sun and then get straight into Kafka on the Shore. Time will pass very quickly.

Nine Inch Nails

My favourite band ever, and arguably one of the most important and influential of the last 30 years, I think Trent Reznor is a genius.

The Fragile is one of the best albums to have been written, and his range of musical output is staggering - classical piano, raging distorted guitar and eery dissonant ambient noise that makes you feel like no other band can. All of the soundtrack work he does with Atticus Ross is so good as well, especially the score for the Pixar film Soul.

I also loved that for a time they hired a fan, Rob Sheridan, who became their creative director and was responsible for their album artwork and visual identity. Growing up I wish I had that job.

Their live shows are mega as well, the visuals and lighting totally consume you and show how the concepts for music translate into everything else they do. And they don’t fuck about, an hour and a half sets, no filler, no chat, amazing.

Gerald Scarfe

Razor sharp wit and savage humour, as well as having an incredibly unique style, Gerald Scarfe’s illustrations are completely grotesque and brilliant. His work on The Wall for Pink Floyd is iconic - I have a signed print of the headteacher putting kids through a meat grinder which hangs above my desk at home, and something I’d run through a fire to save.

He’s someone who uses his intelligence to entertain in order to educate, which is why he’s so successful at what he does, from tearing down politicians to creating a mythological world for Disney, surely he deserves a knighthood? Oh hold on...

Jon Chapman is an ECD at BBH Health