Saints Stranded

This week Naina Zilbermints has been stranded on an island and forced to pick three songs, a book, and a luxury item. What would you choose?

Dear Reader, I have a confession — I long for the opportunity to be stranded on an island. Like the joke about guys saying, “Going to prison wouldn’t be so bad, I’ll finally have enough time to work out,” my stay on the deserted island would be largely aspirational — that is, I would attempt to finally do everything that I’ve been avoiding.

My first track is Bob Dylan’s ‘Like a Rolling Stone.’ Known as one of the best songs ever recorded, Dylan’s unique vocal style is dialled up to a hundred here and attempting to emulate it is one of life’s greatest joys. Just like Dylan’s protagonist, I will be “with no direction home,” embracing the freedom of losing everything on my island.

My next track is David Bowie’s ‘Oh! You Pretty Things.’ It's one of my favourite Bowie songs and, in my opinion, one of his best; this track is just stunning. While a slightly bleak choice for a deserted island, I’ve come back to this song religiously ever since my first listen.

For a little change, my last song is ‘Undone’ by Weezer because I am nothing if not a Weezer defender. Besides Cuomo’s lyrical genius delivering lines like “it go, it gone, bye bye” and the track’s spoken word perfectly simulating conversations which I would be lacking on the island, this song is just plain fun, and fun is what I’ll need in my solitude.

Contrary to popular belief, I will not be picking Twilight as my book of choice. After all, this is a time to be aspirational with my reading, so I chose something I’ve never read — Tolstoy’s War and Peace. Known for its incredible length and breadth of topics, it's the perfect book to spend an eternity with. The truth is, I’m a notoriously bad reader for an English student, so what better opportunity to become a bookworm than on a deserted island. 

Finally, for my luxury item, I will be taking my guitar, which I haven’t picked up in nearly a year. Now, with little else to do, it’s surely my time to become the next Jimi Hendrix!

Illustration by Ruby Pitman