Sing-a-long-a-James Joyce

It's not every day you hear a pop musician admit to being inspired by James Joyce. But a new album features songs by 36 artists - among them Peter Buck of REM, Mercury Rev, Ed Harcourt and Lee Ranaldo from Sonic Youth - interpreting the writer's early poems. Called Chamber Music (James Joyce), and released this month on Fire Records, the album is named
after Joyce's 1907 collection of love poetry.

Not all the contributors have produced romantic interpretations, however. "I wanted to do something different," says Harcourt. "I had the idea of shouting the words like some kind of mad preacher. I think Joyce was quoted as saying, 'I wrote Chamber Music as a protest against myself.' I like that."

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