Year of the Rat: Original Narrative Soundtrack

Last Updated on December 18, 2025 by Black Sunshine Media

Have you ever wondered what the soundtrack to a novel would look or sound like? I spend a lot of time listening to music, and sometimes, I come across albums like Singles: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (1992), and I appreciate the context provided by the music. And I wondered if the same concept could be applied to my books, so I said, “Why not give it a shot?”

A very “Year of the Rat” thing to say.

Quick Year of the Rat Overview

Year of the Rat is Book 1 of the Lunar New Years series by Christian Adams. The story follows “Charlie Birch”, a self-described washout who moved to Taiwan in 2008 with a laptop and a suitcase full of clothing inappropriate for the climate. The quasi-fictional narrative staggers through dubious teaching jobs, barroom escapades, and cultural misunderstandings while Charlie struggles to keep his life together. Enter Captain Felix, an eccentric Taiwanese cram school tycoon. It’s a story of discovery, escapism, and the illusions of fresh starts—wrapped in booze, cynicism, and unflinching self-awareness.

Now that the overview is complete, let’s get down to specifics. I am Charlie Birch, the washout who cluelessly moved to Asia in search of some magical reinvention.

The Sound of Culture Shock

I have written volumes on “they don’t tell you” about the expat lifestyle, but I was forewarned about culture shock—multiple times. Everybody told me, “Man, brace yourself. You might think you’re ready for it, but you’re not.” And they were right. I wasn’t. Culture shock hit me ten times harder than jetlag.

A big part of the culture shock was the music I heard in public spaces. From the beginning, I listened intently to the sounds of daily life. Taipei is famous for its “musical garbage trucks.” The MRT system plays Brian Eno-esque ambient music to announce the arrival and departure of trains.

The first excerpt about music in Year of the Rat comes early, I’m in my second week of living in Taipei.

Excerpt 1 from Year of the Rat, Chapter 2 (“Now Is Not the Time to Panic”)

I would have listened to the radio, but there was only one English-language station, ICRT (International Community Radio Taipei, 100.7 FM), and they played the shittiest music ever made. I didn’t know the goddamn Carpenters would be the most popular band in the country—Air Supply running a close second. People were really excited about The Osmonds coming to town. They’d already sold out two nights at Taipei Arena, which seats up to 15,000 people. One night, I was at a bar that would become my hangout “spot” behind the Red Theater, and I sat through Kenny G’s Greatest Hits and ABBA’s Greatest Hits—twice for each. And nobody (locals) except my buddy Johnny Wong had ever heard of Jane’s Addiction or The Cure. Green Day was considered punk rock. I saw several kids in Linkin Park T-shirts. I couldn’t tell you how many times I heard “Loving You (Is Easy Cuz You’re Beautiful)” in bars, train stations, clothing stores, and of course, TGI Friday’s. I heard a Muzak version of “Norwegian Wood” and teared up.

After spending the first 10 days in a hotel, I moved to a studio apartment in Wenshan for a few weeks before I found a rooftop apartment near Jingmei.

Excerpt 2 from Year of the Rat, Chapter 5

The rooftop apartment came fully furnished but without a decent sound system, so I bought a stereo and a stack of CDs. Even though I would download some records from the web, having a physical copy was preferable. It was a relic of my vinyl-collecting days. I still don’t like streaming or virtual album sales. Anyway, musically, I chose a mix of old favorites and newer, less familiar stuff: Black Sabbath, Vol. 4 and TV on the Radio, Return to Cookie Mountain; greatest hits collections from artists that hadn’t previously moved the needle for me, like Guided By Voices, Radiohead, and Talking Heads. I even bought a Tool album, 10,000 Days, which was unthinkable just a few years ago, and the record was surprisingly good. I loved a song called “The Pot”. Fucking loved that jam!

If I was home, there was music. Most nights, I’d fall asleep to the back end of one record or another. And despite the local radio station’s questionable penchant for Air Supply and Journey, I tuned in frequently. Music was the one thing that kept me tied to my past, my identity, and my dreams. If I can’t be making music, I can listen. Those records became the Book 1 soundtrack to this remarkable journey, and whenever I hear songs like “14 Cheerleader Cold Front” and “Pyramid Song”, I’m transported back to the rooftop.

Year of the Rat: Original Narrative Soundtrack

This 14-track playlist features a sample of highlights from the soundtrack of my early life in Taipei.

Track	Artist	Album
“The Official Ironmen Rally Song”	Guided By Voices	Under the Bushes, Under the Stars (1996)
“I Predict a Riot”	Kaiser Chiefs	Souvenir: The Singles (2004)
“Wolf Like Me”	TV on the Radio	Return to Cookie Mountain (2006)
“Take the Veil Cerpin Taxt”	The Mars Volta	De-loused in the Comatorium (2003)
“St. Vitus Dance”	Black Sabbath	Vol. 4 (1972)
“Crazy”	Gnarls Barkley	St. Elsewhere (2006)
“The Queen is Dead”	The Smiths	The Queen is Dead (1986)
“Pyramid Song”	Radiohead	Amnesiac (2001)
“The Pot”	Tool	10,000 Days (2006)
“A-Punk”	Vampire Weekend	Vampire Weekend (2004)
“Lookout”	Cheap Trick	At Budokan (1978)
“Crosseyed and Painless”	Talking Heads	Remain in Light (1980)
“The Perfect Me”	Deerhoof	Friend Opportunity (2008)
“All Out of Love”	Air Supply	Lost in Love (1980)

Context: Soundtrack

I’ll break down the most influential artists and records of the period.

Guided By Voices

I’ve mentioned elsewhere that it took me 15 years to get around to Guided By Voices. Most of my friends adored GBV. I liked a couple of songs like “Game of Pricks” and “I Am a Tree”, but I didn’t own or listen to their albums.

Rose Records still had retail operations in Asia, with a store directly across the street from my cram school. I popped in a day after moving into the rooftop, with an open mind and an eye for something new or different. Something I hadn’t heard a million times, like Van Halen I.

The first album I bought was The Best of Guided By Voices: Human Amusements At Hourly Rates (2003), and it stayed in the CD player for a week. It became the most played record of 2008.

TV On The Radio

The second album I bought in Taipei, a week after GBV. I heard “Wolf Like Me” in a bar and asked the DJ, “What the fuck is this?” I’d never heard of the band, which wasn’t unusual, but it sparked an interest in current modern rock bands. I still listen to this record from start to finish.

Black Sabbath

This was a “comfort food” selection. I chose “St. Vitus Dance” for the soundtrack because it’s as close to power pop as they got.

Tool

I didn’t actively dislike Tool. I saw them at Lollapalooza 1993. They got played on the hard rock radio station in S.F., but I only knew two songs by name: “Sober” and “Stinkfist”. Neither song is on 10,000 Days.

So, I saw this CD in the record store and said, “Fuck it. Let’s hear what Tool is doing.” That was the spirit of Year of the Rat. Fuck it. Let’s find out.

Surprisingly, I liked it. I could put it on and forget about it. Now and then, something would grab me, but it was a type of ambient music. I still love “The Pot” and “Vicarious”, but I don’t listen to this kind of music for fun.

The Smiths

During my time on the rooftop, I bought best-of collections from King Crimson, Talking Heads, E.L.O., Cheap Trick, The Smiths, R.E.M., Bob Marley, Elvis, The Clash, Radiohead, B-52s, The Who, The Cure, Velvet Underground, Rod Stewart, et. al, but I found The Queen Is Dead in the bargain bin. Make no mistake; I fuckin’ hate Morrissey, but I think about the lyrics to this song all the time. I’ve never been to England, but thanks to the Smiths, I feel like I’ve spent several lifetimes in the U.K.

Deerhoof

Deerhoof is the best progressive art rock band of the 2000s. I had several Deerhoof records in rotation, but this one came out right before I left for Taipei. I couldn’t find a copy in Taiwan, so I bought one when I returned to visit S.F. in September 2008.